"Food Wars" hosts Harry Kersh and Joe Avella travel across Los Angeles to find the best sushi in the city. They'll be visiting three locations in just one day to see what the city has to offer. This is "Food Tours."
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00:00All right, my man, today we're doing three fantastic L.A. sushi spots,
00:04starting here at Yama Sushi Marketplace.
00:07This place, like many others, they got fresh fish, they got amazing rice.
00:11They're cutting it behind the counter as we speak.
00:13So I think we're in for a treat.
00:15Yeah, I think for me, good sushi obviously has to start with good fish.
00:18That's the centerpiece. It has to be fresh. It has to be cut right.
00:21It has to be prepared well.
00:23I want every bite to feel like this thing just jumped out of the ocean into my boat.
00:27100%.
00:28I'm going to go put in an order and get us an assortment of things.
00:30I also want to throw a California roll into the mix.
00:32Ooh. I mean, we are in California after all, so it would be rude not to.
00:36All right, I'm going to get us some sushi.
00:37All right.
00:40All right, so I grabbed us a few things.
00:42Just a light snack, is that?
00:43Nice and cheers.
00:44Oh, my word.
00:45So there's a bit of a miscommunication with the kitchen.
00:48Actually, I made us two platters instead of one.
00:50Also, if you want to get a platter here, you have to call ahead of time.
00:53Sure.
00:54But usually you just walk up and get one of these.
00:56Yep.
00:57Who's hungry?
00:58I'm going to start with probably a California roll.
01:00We're in California.
01:01These look ridiculous.
01:02I don't know if I've had a California roll of this size before.
01:05Oh.
01:06Oh, yeah.
01:07Oh, man.
01:09That is so fresh.
01:11So the California roll, as you notice, has a creamier flavor to it.
01:14There's avocado in there, imitation crab, and rice on the outside.
01:18The rice being on the outside is what's kind of considered an inside-out roll.
01:21Okay.
01:22So the reason that it has avocado in it is because the inventor, Ichiro Mashita, was looking to
01:29make a sushi roll that kind of played more towards American tastes.
01:34It was in California.
01:35Avocados are plentiful.
01:37Two plus two is four.
01:39Put avocados in that bad boy.
01:41Local tastes, local produce, local roll.
01:44It's very tasty.
01:45Got a nagi eel right here.
01:47Eel with sauce.
01:48Oh, man.
01:49Oh, that's so good.
01:50I can't get over the California roll.
01:51Yeah, right?
01:52How good is that?
01:53This is, like, an iconic piece of sushi.
01:55I think I've seen, like, magnets that look like this, right?
01:57Salmon nigiri, yeah.
01:58It's about as classic as it goes.
02:00Mmm.
02:01A little tuna nigiri as well.
02:02If I wanted that, I want that over here sans rice.
02:04Mm-hmm.
02:05I think one thing that's really blowing me away here is the freshness of everything.
02:09Yes.
02:10Obviously, like, rolls, nigiri, excellent classic sushi pieces.
02:13I do really like to judge a place by sashimi, though, because, like, there's nowhere to hide
02:18with this, right?
02:19It's either fresh, tasty fish or it's not.
02:21And right here is very fresh and very tasty fish.
02:23This is really fantastic.
02:24Really love the rice here.
02:25It doesn't have, like, too strong a flavor to it, but it's got that really gorgeous,
02:29like, light, fluffy texture.
02:31A lot of the sort of particularly pre-packaged sushi I've had in the UK, the rice is, A, quite
02:36bland, very stodgy, and just overall doesn't add much to the dish.
02:40So Kenzo Yamada and his wife opened this Yama Sushi Marketplace in 1984, originally as Yama Seafood.
02:50They import the rice from Japan at a specific farm they have a relationship with that uses
02:54next to no pesticides.
02:55And they ship it over here and they mill it, like, almost like a day or two before they're
03:00selling it.
03:01So not only does that mean that you're getting authentic Japanese rice, but it's also probably
03:04fresher than any other Japanese rice you're going to get in America, certainly in Los Angeles.
03:08I mean, this is their competitive edge, and I have to say, it's absolutely fantastic sushi.
03:12I'm, like, blown away by the quality, the consistency.
03:15I feel like you're kind of getting that fancy restaurant quality sushi, but in an environment
03:21where you can just kind of take it and go if you want to, or you can sit down, grab a soda,
03:25eat it on the sidewalk like we're doing right now.
03:27This is probably of the highest quality sushi you can get in Los Angeles, but it's incredibly accessible
03:32to the neighborhood, which I love, right?
03:34You can tell how much technique has gone into producing this, which I really like.
03:37The fact that you can get four very distinct cuts out of one tuna.
03:40You get a really fatty tuna, you can get a slightly less fatty tuna.
03:43You can get the chutoro, the otoro from the tuna.
03:46And they're all kind of, like, cut in a way that really emphasizes the texture and the flavor
03:50that you get from each one.
03:52I'm blown away.
03:53It's really, really good.
03:54I'm glad I'm taking you on this thing because, you know, I set this up and I was like,
03:57man, I don't know what any of this stuff is called.
03:59But you like sushi, so.
04:01I love sushi, yeah.
04:02If there's any pronunciation you're struggling with, throw it my way.
04:04I'll take a stab at it.
04:06We're working together.
04:07We're working.
04:08The show's all about unity.
04:09That's why we work as such a great team, Joe.
04:10All right.
04:11I could keep pounding away at this, but got a couple more spots to take you.
04:13We do have a minute, so maybe if the crew wants to jump in here,
04:16it's going to waste all this food.
04:17How's that sound?
04:18Yeah, good plan.
04:19And then to the next spot.
04:20Woo!
04:21All right, next spot we are going to is pronounced, I believe, Sakai Sushi or Sekai Sushi?
04:27Sakai Sushi?
04:28I believe that's what it is.
04:29All right.
04:30It's a little out of the way.
04:32They are a smaller spot with no indoor seating.
04:36It's takeaway only.
04:37Also, they declined letting us into their kitchens.
04:41But they were kind enough to let us go, purchase some sushi,
04:44and we can just kick it in the parking lot and chat there.
04:46Sounds great.
04:47I almost respect the place more for telling us no sometimes.
04:50You know, they don't need us.
04:51We need them.
04:52Exactly.
04:54And thank you.
04:55Have a nice day.
04:56Thanks a lot.
04:57Take care.
04:58Let's go this way.
04:59Sushi number two.
05:00Let's go.
05:01I just was straight up like, give us a mixed box of seven pieces.
05:09Very nice.
05:10That's pretty.
05:11Yeah, it's a pretty box that one.
05:12Good to go, right?
05:13I'm a fan.
05:14You good there, man?
05:15Okay.
05:16I'm going.
05:17Salvage it.
05:18Yeah, you're good.
05:19Mmm.
05:20Mmm.
05:22Uh-huh.
05:23So it's the Kansai style style of sushi.
05:26Emphasis on the freshness of the fish.
05:28So you use a lot more vinegar.
05:30So you taste it.
05:31I'm tasting that.
05:32Yeah, yeah, yeah.
05:33It's got that kind of like vinegary, slight tang to it.
05:36Also kind of sweet though.
05:38You can definitely tell they're adding maybe a little sugar to the rice as well here.
05:42Would not surprise me getting that kind of like kombu richness as well to the rice.
05:46And yeah, that fish is like super fresh, super tender.
05:49So the emphasis on this type of sushi is fresh fish from the Pacific Ocean, which we're currently on.
05:55So everything really that they're doing here is based on getting the freshest fish possible
05:59and preserving it long enough to have the flavors and the freshness in the sushi.
06:04I guess that also makes sense as to why they're adding a bit more vinegar to the rice.
06:07Because then if you're wrapping fish in a slightly more vinegared rice, it's going to have that kind of preservative effect.
06:13As well as also tasting really good.
06:15You'll also notice that there's a higher ratio of rice to fish to balance out the flavors.
06:20Nice, right?
06:21Yeah.
06:22The rice has such a good texture to it.
06:23It's got that nice kind of satisfying chewiness, holds together with these pieces.
06:27I know you made a slight hash of the chopsticks, but you know, we can't all have the mad skills that I do.
06:32This is going to be a long day.
06:35This type of sushi from what I read online, the sweeter flavor, is what a lot of Japanese-Americans are more used to.
06:43Hey, that fell apart right there.
06:45How come we're not all like his ass about that?
06:48I was trying to bite that one in half and it didn't want to go.
06:50Not so easy, is it?
06:51Oh yeah?
06:55He's learning.
06:56One bite baby.
06:57The apprentice has become the master.
06:59If you've ever watched TV shows where there are sushi chefs talking about how to make their food.
07:04Yeah.
07:05There's so much emphasis placed on the rice, which I think is something that's wasted on like a lot of people.
07:08But if you think about it, like what?
07:10Usually at least 50% of your mouthful is going to be rice.
07:13So there's no point in having this delicious fresh fish and then putting it on just like bland, tasteless rice.
07:18Absolutely agree.
07:19I feel like here they're really taking that seriously.
07:21They've put a lot of emphasis on the way the rice tastes, the kind of structural integrity it provides.
07:25Yeah.
07:26Super tasty.
07:27So this place has been in the family, the Tani family, since the 60s, right?
07:31And all the recipes and the style of sushi that they serve has pretty much gone unchanged.
07:36The menu has pretty much stayed as is since the 60s.
07:40They added the California roll, I think, in the 80s.
07:42Other than that, they're really sticking tradition with this sushi.
07:46Yeah.
07:47I like this tofu one.
07:48It's really good.
07:49Yeah, it's nice.
07:50There's something very L.A. about the experience of just like taking sushi to go.
07:53Yeah.
07:54This is kind of like quite an affordable box of sushi as well, right?
07:57Eleven bucks.
07:58Yeah, that's really good.
07:59Eleven bucks for this, yeah.
08:00That's a crazy deal.
08:01Cash only.
08:02So when you go here, cash only.
08:03And they have signs everywhere on the door that's like, it would be really helpful if you called ahead of time and put in reservations.
08:09Sure.
08:10So if we're blowing up their spot, call ahead of time, bring cash, be nice.
08:14Don't be disappointed.
08:15Yeah, yeah, yeah.
08:16I love this.
08:17Could have demolished this whole box.
08:18I mean, I guess I have two pieces left.
08:19Do you do as well?
08:20Uh-huh.
08:21Yeah, yeah, yeah.
08:22Okay.
08:23But I got another spot I want to take you to.
08:24So I'm going to head to our next spot?
08:25Yeah.
08:26All right.
08:27I still have room for a little more.
08:28I hope you do too.
08:29We're on our way to Sherman Oaks to a place called Sushi Note.
08:32Their omakase menu is on the Michelin star guide.
08:36So if our boy Mishi says it's good, if a tire production company says that this is a great restaurant, you know it's a great restaurant.
08:44I do love the idea of like a tire company being like, oh, you know, here's your tires.
08:48We've changed those for you.
08:49Also, are you looking for a food right around here?
08:51Because we got you.
08:53My man.
08:55We're going to be doing the omakase menu that they offer here.
08:58Sushi Note does a full omakase, a half omakase, and of course they do a la carte pieces.
09:04We're going to get a little bit of the half omakase.
09:07For those who don't know or haven't had one before, do you want to give a quick rundown of what we can expect?
09:11So the way the omakase works is that the chef is going to be picking, hand curating, mind you, various pieces of sushi and they come out one at a time.
09:21So you have time to taste it and enjoy it and think about it.
09:24I like that because it does feel like pretty much every time you come here, you would get a unique experience depending on what the chef is feeling on any given day or what fish was looking good at the market that morning.
09:34So yeah, it's really like a unique curated experience, which I love.
09:37Hungry?
09:38Very hungry. Let's go.
09:39Let's do it.
09:41Ah, fantastic. Thanks.
09:44Cheers. Starting with some miso soup.
09:47I've never seen miso soup as the full meal, right? It's always like before on the side.
09:53I think more typically as a side. Yeah.
09:55I mean, it's very tasty.
09:58Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm.
10:02Yeah, in terms of ways to open a meal, I always love these as a one-two punch.
10:07What's better, this or chips and salsa at a Mexican restaurant?
10:10Ooh, man.
10:11Yeah.
10:12That's a real tough choice.
10:13Yeah, I didn't think you had the hard-hidden ones this late in the show.
10:16Man, maybe this, you know. How about you?
10:18Wow.
10:19Other way around.
10:21Yeah, I think I'm more of a chips and salsa guy.
10:23Interesting.
10:25Nice.
10:26So we recommend you from left to right.
10:28Thanks so much.
10:29This looks amazing.
10:30So we have snapper.
10:31Boom, snap.
10:32Halibut.
10:33Hey.
10:34Lean tuna, which I was just saying, one of my favorite pieces.
10:36I think you manifested this plate.
10:38I really did.
10:39I need to, yeah.
10:40We should just dive in and eat.
10:45Mmm.
10:46A little wasabi, right?
10:47A little wasabi.
10:48A little wasabi.
10:49You get the yuzu, that's citrus.
10:51The texture of the fish is perfect.
10:53Right?
10:54Buttery.
10:55Mmm.
10:56Not overly fishy again.
10:57Oh, that's so good, man.
10:58I'm in trouble here.
10:59Okay.
11:00On to the next one, halibut.
11:01A little halibut.
11:02Just for the halibut, let's give it a taste.
11:03With the house-made soy sauce.
11:04House-made soy sauce.
11:05They're soy-ing this sauce in-house.
11:06I don't even know what non-sauced soy looks like.
11:10Right?
11:11What are you imagining?
11:12Beans?
11:13It's beans.
11:14They ferment beans, yeah.
11:15Yeah?
11:16Yeah.
11:17Mmm.
11:18Okay.
11:19Mmm.
11:20Even better.
11:21A little wasabi in there, too.
11:23Subtle, flavorful.
11:25The perfect bite.
11:26The perfect bite.
11:27Even with the wasabi and the soy in there.
11:29Yeah.
11:30Such a delicate mouthful.
11:31Yeah.
11:32So impressed by that.
11:33I think the next piece, the last one, the lean tuna.
11:35Look at the color.
11:36The hairy curse.
11:37The concentration.
11:38Mm-hmm.
11:39Now that's lean.
11:40Mm-hmm.
11:41That's amazing.
11:44Every piece was better than the one before it.
11:46There's something about the flavor of that lean tuna that just gets me every time.
11:50Obviously, it's a fish, but it really does have that red meat, like, steak-y effect to it.
11:54Yeah.
11:55I know exactly what you mean.
11:56But just a bit lighter.
11:57That's wonderful.
11:58So wonderful.
11:59Everything's so flavorful, yet well-balanced.
12:00Mm-hmm.
12:01Not only with the fish and the rice, but also the wasabi and the sea salt or soy, depending
12:06on the piece.
12:07It's, like, so brilliantly considered.
12:09It's such a deceptively simple bite each time, but it's actually quite complex and just delicious.
12:15You can tell that Chef Seto is a master that comes through this.
12:18Yes.
12:19Because, like you say, those bites were just, like, perfectly harmonious.
12:22Really hit a good note, if you will.
12:27I'm ready for the next one.
12:28That was so good.
12:29All right.
12:30Thank you very much.
12:31Thank you so much.
12:32This also looks incredible.
12:33The smells.
12:34You smell that?
12:35That's the truffle oil and salt and this piece of scallop.
12:38Salmon with the soy sauce again.
12:40House-made.
12:41House-made soy sauce.
12:42And bonita fish with some onions.
12:44And we did confirm.
12:45Fresh wasabi here.
12:46Yes.
12:47Real wasabi.
12:48Which, a lot of the time, you're not getting when you get sushi.
12:49All right.
12:50All right, man.
12:51All right, scallop heads.
12:52Let's do this.
12:53I love a scallop.
12:56Mmm.
12:57What is up?
12:58Oh, yeah.
12:59I think I'm eating this stuff too fast.
13:01I just savor it more.
13:02What's the point of the omakase, man?
13:04You're supposed to slow down, enjoy yourself.
13:06Scallop.
13:07So tender.
13:08I often find truffle a bit overwhelming, but that's used so sparingly.
13:11Yeah.
13:12You get it kind of on the nose, but then most of what you're tasting is just that scallop,
13:15the rice.
13:16Obviously, the chef up there used it just the right amount.
13:19It just kissed.
13:20Mwah.
13:21An accent of truffle.
13:22Oh, yeah.
13:23I love how this piece looks.
13:24Mm-hmm.
13:25Even just these little cuts that he's making on the fish, on the scallop, now on the salmon.
13:29Yeah, yours has a little slice through it, right?
13:30Yeah, yeah.
13:31Same with yours.
13:32Why did he do that?
13:33I think it lends itself to a slightly better mouthfeel.
13:35Also, when you do add the soy sauce on top, it kind of penetrates the salmon a bit more.
13:39Oh.
13:40Every element of this dish seems very considered.
13:44Fantastic.
13:45That's my favorite bite so far.
13:47That's been the best one.
13:48Yeah.
13:49So they're dry-aging the salmon in-house again.
13:51Two-week dry-age.
13:52Two weeks dry-age in that.
13:54Oh.
13:55You really do get that kind of slightly intensified salmon flavor.
13:58And the soy sauce is really like bringing out the flavor, like giving it a fuller body.
14:03It doesn't taste like sodium.
14:04No.
14:05I feel that sometimes people with sushi especially, they overdo with the soy sauce because they're
14:10dipping every piece into...
14:11Or like something that I do.
14:12Like if I buy pre-packaged sushi from a supermarket in the UK.
14:15Well, yeah.
14:16The quality is so bad that you need the flavor from the soy sauce.
14:19I agree.
14:20Next bite.
14:21Last bite.
14:22Before the roll that Connor's really excited about.
14:24Last nigiri.
14:25All right.
14:26This was Benita.
14:27I've never eaten Benita in my life before.
14:29With a little onion on top.
14:30It's a trophy fish, so it's pretty big.
14:32It's kind of big.
14:37Mmm.
14:38Mmm.
14:39Something about wasabi with fish like that just works so well.
14:42Yeah.
14:43What it does is it like, almost like in a weird way it lights like a flavor fire underneath
14:48like it just, the, I guess intensity of wasabi in small amounts, all it's doing is like supercharging
14:54the flavor.
14:55Yeah.
14:56Wasabi's like kicking the door down.
14:57Yeah.
14:58And then the flavor just walks on through afterwards.
14:59I'm going to be straight up.
15:00I'm glad that guy's doing it.
15:01Because I'm like, just put a little on there.
15:02I'm like, was that enough?
15:03Spoonful?
15:04Yeah, was that enough?
15:05I don't know what I'm doing.
15:06I've really kind of understood why that wasabi belongs on fish so well.
15:09Yeah.
15:10Just because, yeah, like the way that you kind of experience the flavors in these waves.
15:13Yeah.
15:14Is so phenomenal.
15:15Yeah.
15:16Oh, man.
15:17The Nagihama hand rolls, yellowtail scallop.
15:19Nice.
15:20Ah, ready to bite?
15:22Yes, sir.
15:23Okay.
15:24He said you could maybe do this in like two bites.
15:25Uh-huh.
15:26A little soy dip.
15:27A little bit.
15:28Oh.
15:29Oh, no.
15:30Bit too much soy on that bite.
15:36Let's go for number two.
15:37Go for a little bit.
15:40Mmm.
15:41That's so fresh.
15:43How's it so fresh?
15:44Amazing.
15:45When you think about it, like, we are eating fish with a load of rice.
15:48Yeah.
15:49It shouldn't be like a light, delicate bite, but it really does somehow end up like one.
15:52It's really packed in here, too.
15:53Mm-hmm.
15:54And just if you don't, if yours doesn't fall into the soy sauce like mine.
15:57Yeah.
15:58There's like a little soy kiss on there.
16:00Mm-hmm.
16:01Mmm.
16:02This is such a fantastic roll.
16:04Even the care in the assembly here so that you are getting some of the fish, some of the rice, and some scallions like all throughout in every bite.
16:10Yep.
16:11So impressive.
16:12Ah, so tasty.
16:13I don't want this meal to end.
16:15Coming in here, I was like, we've eaten a lot of sushi today.
16:17Yeah.
16:18I'm glad we're only doing a small course, but now I'm like, full.
16:20Actually, yeah, I'm just like, yeah, we could just do the whole thing, right?
16:23Mm-hmm.
16:24Well, my man.
16:25I took you to three fantastic spots, starting off at the Yama Sushi Market.
16:29After that, with the Sakai Sushi.
16:30And we ended with another paramount sushi experience at Omakasa here at Sushi Note.
16:36So, which was your fave, buddy?
16:38If I had to pick one, I do think it's a slightly unfair comparison on the rest, because this is a special, unique experience.
16:46But Sushi Note has absolutely been my favorite of today.
16:49I will say, I was really impressed by Yama.
16:51I thought Yama was excellent.
16:52Incredible value for money.
16:54Yeah.
16:55Quality was extremely high.
16:56Yeah.
16:57But I think for me, the experience of the Omakase at Sushi Note has been absolutely worth it.
17:01It's kind of blown my mind.
17:02I don't ever want to eat prepackaged gross supermarket sushi ever again.
17:06And we never will.
17:07Yeah.
17:08Yeah, I agree.
17:09This was the best one.
17:10I really loved it here.
17:11Everything tasted delicious.
17:12Wherever the place we went to was, like, top tier.
17:15We'll take anyone to.
17:16We'll definitely go back.
17:17Absolutely loved.
17:18Had amazing sushi, but this was just next level.
17:21So, yes, this was also my favorite.
17:22Well, I'm glad that we've ended the trip on a high note.
17:25Yeah.
17:26And we've both agreed, which doesn't happen all the time.
17:28Doesn't happen all the time.
17:29This has been wonderful.
17:30Thank you, Jared.
17:31You're welcome.
17:32Cheers.