Katsuya, Studio City

Continuing from yesterday's sushi post, we'll cross the Pacific from Kai in Manila to Katsuya in Studio City. I've been to the beautifully designed [by Philppe Starck] Katsuya's in Brentwood and Hollywood and also the sushi bar Izakaya, all under the Katsu-ya Group. Now to add another location on my list is Studio City. I went for lunch and let me tell you, don't let appearances fool you. The restaurant is located in the corner of a strip mall along Ventura Blvd, and it doesn't ooze off any sort of "happening" vibe whatsoever. However, the restaurant is busy busy busy. The smart ones made reservations and the rest, well... they had to wait. A packed restaurant can only mean 2 things: cheap food or good food. I can attest that the latter of the two is true - everything we ordered was great. I would recommend ordering off the Specials Menu; all the goof stuff is on it! My favorites are the yellowtail hamachi with jalapeno and the spicy tuna on crispy rice. Chef Katsuya Uechi is on a (sushi) roll!

Izakaya by Katsuya

Another friend visiting town = another catch-up dinner in place. This seems to be my second week in a row being the third guest joining a couple for a meal. It always makes me happy to see people - especially my friends - in love, so I don't mind at all. Plus, the dynamics of a relationship always make for fun conversations, right Corde? ;) Dan and Cordelia know about my blog and apparently were nervous about choosing a place for an early dinner. I guess they thought if I didn't like it, I wouldn't write about it. They texted me a few options the day before and I chose Izakaya by Katsuya. My favorite is to try new places and I felt like some underwater fishies for a change after all this recent meat consumption.

Izakaya actually means a Japanese drinking establishment that serves small plates to accompany the alcohol. A Japanese tapas bar if you will. This WeHo neighborhood sushi spot is run by sushi master Katsuya Uechi, also behind the more upscale and trendy Hollywood and Brentwood locations. Izakaya is the casual, less expensive relative of the SBE/Philippe Starck/Katsuya Uechi partnership. Don't get me wrong; the menu is similar, the food upholds the proper quality standards and the place is popular. To avoid crowds, come early or make reservations. We made a reservation and still had a little bit of standing time before we sat. The food definitely hit the spot, it was prepared well and the bill didn't clean out the wallet - that's always lovely!

8420 W. Third Street

Los Angeles, 90048

Shishito Peppers

Creamy Rock Shrimp Tempura

Salmon Sushi

Miso Cod

Lobster Dynamite

Crispy Rice + Spicy Tuna **MUST ORDER**

Creamy Salmon + Shrimp Tempura