Well, due to a surprise guest in our rotating spot, we decided to postpone the ‘all you can eat’ and go for something a little more traditional with Kazu Sushi. Unfortunately, our surprise guest had a last minute surprise for us and wasn’t able to make it (thanks Ted!), but we decided to continue on and try Kazu regardless.
First of all, I have to say this place is small and very unassuming from the outside. I think I drove past it 3x before seeing it in a small strip mall on Ventura Blvd in Studio City. The interior was similar, very minimal. Just a few masks on the wall and a couple of tables. No fancy decorating budget here. If you are looking for a scene, I would suggest elsewhere.
Right away this restaurant seemed very traditional, no bells or whistles. Very few rolls. Minimal menu. It was apparent that the item to order was probably the omakase (chef’s choice) but we were watching our wallets and since there were five of us, opted to order more items and share between us.
This was probably the most expensive sushi restaurant to date for our group. As such, we were watching what we ordered and didn’t want to get too carried away. The good news about this approach is that it left room for dessert afterwards! ;-P
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What We Ordered
- Edamame
- Seaweed salad
- Halibut sashimi with yuzu pepper
- Garlic tuna sashimi
- Seared albacore tataki with ginger and garlic
- Chilean seabass saikyo-yaki
- Sushi: Salmon, yellowtail, unagi
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Our Favorites
Seaweed Salad
This was absolutley delish! Delicate but with good flavor. A great way to get warmed up.
Chilean Seabass Saikyo-Yaki
This was warm piece of fish with great flavor. We all really liked it. Although, I have had something similar at a sushi place in Santa Monica (maybe even better), but everyone was very satisfied.
Really, everything seemed extremely fresh and was tasty.
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Sushi Gallery
(click image to zoom)
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- Seaweed Salad
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- Seared Albacore Tataki w/Ginger & Garlic
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- Garlic Tuna Sashimi
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- Halibut Sashimi w/Yuzu Pepper
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- Chiliean Seabass Saikyo-Yaki
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- Salmon and Yellowtail Sushi
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- Unagi Sushi
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- Chopstick Wrapper
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- Decor
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Points of Interest
Excellent Ginger
The ginger served with most dishes was really fantastic. I don’t know if they pickle it themselves, but it had a nice delicate flavor.
Slow Service
This restaurant seems very traditional, I would guess even family run. It seemed like there was only one waitress for all the customers. The waitress was slow and barley cordial. We did get many recommendations from the menu from her, but it really seemed like this place would be better suited for a more intimate experience (like a date) where you would just order the omakase and let them take care of everything.
Celebrity Sighting
Eric McCormack – “Will” from “Will & Grace”. Catherine was extremely excited.
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Summary
Date: August 20, 2008
Restaurant: Kazu Sushi in Studio City
Dessert: Pinkberry down the street (and McDonalds for Skip)
In Attendance: All Founding Members (no guest)
Price: $$$$ – Meal was more on the expensive side. We definitely held back in ordering and still ended paying about $40/pp.
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1 Comment
October 28, 2008 at 7:18 pm
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