365 Places to Eat

I don’t go to sushi for lunch very often, it’s more of a dinner meal for me. I did have a very good lunch special at Kaido not too long ago.

For $14, you get an almost obscene amount of food. The Sushi Large Plate provides miso, a plate with 7 pieces of nigiri and 1 sushi roll, plus your choice of salads.

Sushi

The combination comes with tuna, albacore, yellowtail, halibut, shrimp, salmon, something I can’t remember.

The salads to choose from are substantial. I tried the chicken salad and there was a full chicken breast in addition to the fresh greens, veggies and avocado.

Chicken Salad

There is enough food that you could almost split the combo, with maybe another roll or too to fill two people up.

Service is friendly and fast for lunch, good if you need to get back to work.

Kaido is located in a little strip mall at Santa Monica and Yale. The space used to be occupied by one of our favorite sushi bars, Senju, which closed years ago. Glad to see that the space is being put to good use.

Kaido
2834 Santa Monica Blvd,
Santa Monica, CA 90404

I have been meaning to try Noma forever. Legend has it, that up until a couple years ago, Noma was owned and operated by Mr. Noma himself and that the sushi was terrific. The same legend says that Noma sold his joint and that maybe the new owners don’t provide the same service as Noma did.

I can’t say for sure, because a) I don’t know the history and b) I didn’t go when Mr. Noma owned the joint.

Noma is a pretty standard sushi experience, nothing overly special and not too much to complain about. The service is pretty spotty, it goes in spurts of attentiveness and then neglect. It’s best just to be assertive and let your server know that you need some help, don’t wait for them to come to you.

The rolls at Noma were actually a little disappointing. Rather bland and overpriced for the size. The nigiri, however, was quite good with generous cuts.

A couple of appetizers worth ordering. One is the spicy tuna on crispy rice, along the same lines of Roku’s signature appetizer. The other is a Korean style tuna sashimi that borrows some inspiration from Hawaiian Poke with a nice sesame oil flavor.

Noma looks big from the outside, but in reality, there are limited tables and seats at the bar. If you time it wrong on a weekend, you could be waiting a while.

Prices are a bit on the higher side, especially for the quality, but stick to the nigiri and sashimi and you should be satisfied.

Noma
2031 Wilshire Boulevard
Santa Monica

sugarFISH is an innovative type of sushi bar. For one thing, the sushi is made out of sight. While there is a bar, per se, it’s not really a sushi bar in the traditional sense.

sugarFISH Interior (image from their website)

sugarFISH is an offshoot of the popular Sushi Nozawa in Studio City. The menu changes according to what’s fresh and in season. “Trust Me” is the theme here, meaning you put your choices in the hand of the chef. It’s not a bad way to go, especially when the fish is as fresh and well chosen as Nozawa’s.

sugarFISH Box

For the dineLA menu, you can get the dinner Trust Me for $26. We ordered after I picked my wife and son up from the airport. By the time we got to Marina del Rey our boxes were waiting.

sugarFISH Sushi

Pretty boxes they are. Pure white and sturdy with the colored metallic logo embossed on top. The compartments inside holding the sushi delight. Two pieces of yellow tail, two pieces of salmon, two halibut and one albacore. Tuna sashimi, toro roll and a blue crab roll with edamame on the side.

It’s a fun way to eat, especially on the go. The sauces are provided, along with a key card to tell you what goes with what. They even go so far as giving you tiny containers of scallions to top the albacore and lemon wedges to top the halibut.

At $26, it’s a fair price for the sushi you get. The deal runs through the end of February at least.

sugarFISH
4722 1/4 Admiralty Way
Marina Del Rey, CA 90292
(310) 306-6300

Hide is the Southwest Airlines of Sushi Bars. Low frills, very reasonable prices, you will probably stand around for a while to get a seat, but in the end you arrive with your sushi craving satisfied.

I suspect that part of the reason that Hide offers reasonable priced sushi is the high turnover of tables. Southwest keeps their planes flying as much as possible and the sushi chefs at Hide turn out the orders with flying knives and quick fingers. A sushi purist may complain at the lack of ceremony, but a sushi purist probably also complains when Southwest flight attendants sign over the intercom.

Just like you will get the best seat on your flight by checking in as early as possible, your best bet for a short wait at Hide is to get there early. Although they turn over tables quickly, the good prices and quality fish ensure that there is almost always a wait list after the first seating.

A couple notes for when you are waiting. First, you can order a beer from the hostess to enjoy while you are standing around. Second, Hide is cash only. If you didn’t bring cash, there is an ATM on site, but depending on your bank, you’re going to pay some extra fees using it.

I have called in some take out sushi from Hide on occasion and have been pleased with the presentation and freshness. Of course, parking is tight in the Sawtelle area, so just park a couple blocks west and walk through the neighborhood. Do be mindful of parking restrictions though. I think I got a parking ticket in front of a church one night because I was in the loading zone.

I don’t recommend going to Hide with more that four in your party, the logistics of putting together large tables are not favorable in the small space.

If you can get a spot at the bar, I suggest sitting there. Service is quickest since you’re going right to the source. On the floor, waitresses are generally slammed and work to keep up with the fast pace.

Hide Sushi
2040 Sawtelle Blvd
Los Angeles, 90025

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