So I am really behind on my updates for this blog. I know I know, really shouldn't make excuses for this but I've been really swamped with work from work and even my extra work on the side. I will however write this entry because it is special. Dinner was at Musha Izakaya in Torrance, CA with my special foodie friend Angel. She wanted to try this place and I had been a few times so of course I gave her my recommendations for this place. Schedule was set and we called up the homies John and Casey to join us as well.
Aburi Shimesaba
Seared Mackerel
Judgment: Fish is definitely fresh and the saltiness it is cured in is enhanced by the quick cooking done tableside. The waiter came with a blowtorch and literally seared the fish in front of us. The flavor is delicate and with a squeeze of lemon it is delicious.
Tuna Poke
Traditional Hawaiian Poke
Judgment: This dish was not too memorable other than it was not that good. The fish was plain and the flavors just really weren't there. All in all, you'd enjoy the Ahi Tuna Poke from Yardhouse Happy Hour more than this one.
Tanshio
Grilled Beef Tongue. Seasoned with Salt and Pepper.
Judgment: This was DELICIOUS. Angel commented that this was heaven. I definitely agree. The beef tongue was fresh and when cooked to a nice light pinkish color (you definitely don't want to over-cook it) it has a juicy and wonderful taste. The sauces weren't even necessary if you're a real lover of beef tongue.
Buta Kakuni
Braised Pork Belly with Potato and Hard Boiled Egg, a touch of ginger and parsley
Judgment: This is one of those dishes that I definitely have to order when I come here. The braised pork is so tender that you can break it with your chopsticks. Don't even bother with the knife and fork because everything in the bowl literally melts in your mouth as well. The sauce has a slightly sweet taste to accompany the saltiness of the sauce.
Gyu Hire Ponzu
Beef Tenderloin seasoned with Salt and Pepper, with Scallions and Ponzu Dipping Sauce
Judgment: making the most use of our grill, we ordered the steak as well. This was definitely something to get here as well. The charcoal smokiness from the grill really adds character and flavor to the meet we grill on it. Especially with traces of the beef tongue we cooked before, the steak was definitely a hit with our group.
Cheese and Mochi Eggroll
Traditional Eggroll wrapper with Cherry Leaf, Mochi and Cheese filling
Judgment: We totally overlooked this during the initial scan of the menu. I know Angel loves her Mochi and she approves of this one. The Mochi itself is pretty tasteless but with the hint of sweetness from the Cherry Leaf inside and some mystery sauce, it was pretty good.
Cheese Risotto
Traditional Cheese Risotto Served tableside out of a block of Parmesan Cheese
Judgment: The Risotto was one of those dishes that had a really traditional taste to it. It's something like if you know how to prepare risotto properly with broth and cheese and whatever other ingredients you'd like to add, it will taste pretty standard. The presentation is definitely impressive though. It was finished table side and scooped out of a block of cheese so there's some extra cheesy flavor in it.
Maple Syrup Créme Brulée
Maple Syrup Creme Brulee where the sugar was toasted table side
Judgment: Very delicious creme brulée. The custard portion of it had a rich sweet flavor to it and the sugar crust was a little too burnt so it had a hint of bitterness to it tonight. I thought the combination was pretty good.
Conclusion: All in all, Musha is a restaurant I definitely see myself returning to. Especially with a good group of friends to enjoy the evening of sharing a family style dinner. There are plenty of other people that go and get drunk regularly so reservations are definitely recommended.
The Restaurant gets an A-Rank.
Bonus Material:
Angel and John
John, Angel and Casey
Me and Angel
So after the AniMaid Cafe Meeting on saturday, almost the entire gang at the meeting decided to go to Gaja to celebrate one of the maid's birthdays there. I discovered Gaja thanks to Kchan and a random tuesday night happy hour there. For those people that don't know what Okonomiyaki is, the easiest description I could think of was inspired by a friend of mine. It is basically an Asian style-Pancake/Pizza thing. As my friend Marc would call it: Slanted Pizzas.
Modern Okonomiyaki
Modern Consists of Cabbage, Mountain Yam, Ginger, Yakisoba, Pork, Egg, and a plethora of other ingredients.
Side Note: This one was cooked by yours truly. I didn't think to make smaller portions so I just made 1 giant one on the griddle :D
Judgment: The okonomiyaki's ingredients were fresh and you can tell when you just bite into it. For not cooking Okonomiyaki that often, I felt I did an okay job cooking this one. I had recruited the assistance of Koto to mix up the ingredients and I think she did a great job. The Okonomiyaki was flavorful and it was visually acceptable. 7 / 10
Modern Mix Okonomiyaki (I think)
Similar to the ingredients of the Modern Okonomiyaki but with seafood as well
Side Note: This Okonomiyaki was cooked by Mio-chan of AniMaid Cafe. It was portioned and sized to fit the small dishes we were served and she did a great job with it.
Judgment: I thought this Okonomiyaki tasted better than the one I had prepared probably because these young ladies of the maid cafe had more experience in cooking these things than I did. Again, the ingredients that the restaurant provides was fresh and delicious. 8 / 10
Cream Puff Eclair Parfait
Mixed Fruit, Cream, Ice Cream, Chocolate Syrup, Honey Corn Flakes, Ice Cream, Whipped Cream, Eclairs, Cream Puff and Pocky
Judgment: I had a hard time deciding which dessert I had wanted. I was stuck between the Deluxe Japanese Parfait and this one. The only reason I didn't go with the Deluxe Japanese one was because they had that An-Pan Bread thing that Doraemon eats on it and I wasn't feeling it. I went with the Eclairs and Cream Puff. To my dismay, the Cream Puff and Eclairs were too frozen when I received the dessert. Also, this was stacked so majestically, I didn't even know where to begin other than the Pocky. I wished the pastries were softened a bit, I would've enjoyed it a lot more. 7 / 10
Conclusion: So this restaurant specializes in Okonomiyaki and Monjayaki, and it is very DIY encouraged, but for the lazy or just simply don't know how to cook, the restaurant does offer to cook your meal for you so you don't have to go through the hassle of trying to figure out what to do with all the ingredients. The restaurant itself is pretty small and cozy, especially when you have large parties like the group I went with, everyone's gonna be sitting real close to each other. The parking lot is almost terrible for the people with very low cars like mine. I recommend getting a ride with someone with a normal car when you want to visit this one. Otherwise, it might be a good idea to park a little further away and walk over to the restaurant.
The Restaurant gets an B-Rank.
