OSEN IZAKAYA - LOS ANGELES, CA

Osen Izakaya has been really popular lately so I decided to check out the hype, and it lives up to its name! The interior makes you feel like you are in Japan with the sakura tree, all the Japanese writing, wooden seats and table. I especially loved the sake bottles they used to decorate the wall. The lighting in the restaurant is also very good so the pictures come out so nice haha.

We ordered the omakase and it came with soup and salad. The salad has a gingery sauce different than other Japanese sauce that I’ve tried before, I am not a fan of ginger but this sauce was good. My favorite from the omakse sushi GOT to be the uni (sea urchin) and toro (tuna belly). The uni is from Hokkaido and is sweet! I haven’t had Hokkaido uni in a long time and it reminds me this is how uni should taste. SWEET and smooth! The toro comes with a gold flake on top and it literally melts in your mouth! The uni and toro was so good we decided to add another order at the end! We also ordered scallop and unagi (eel) at the end and it was superb. The scallop tasted especially fresh.

Omakase

Sushi

Omakase

Another thing we loved was the king crab handroll which is wrapped in soy paper. It comes hot and taste best when it’s hot. It’s loaded with king crab meat and not stuffed with rice like some other places. It’s the first time I ate sushi wrapped in soy paper, I think its very innovative and tasty.

We also got the cod roe and some kushiyaki (grilled skewers). Not many restaurants in US have charred roe but it’s actually one of my favorite. It tastes harder and saltier than regular fish roe and a perfect snack/appetizer. I also really like the grilled okra! Lately okra is getting a spotlight in lots of restaurants, which I am glad because I love it! Also highly recommend the grilled seabass, the sauce they used to grill it is so YUM!

We wanted to also try one of their rice bowls and the chashu was recommended to us. They went overboard with the sauce which made the whole bowl a bit salty but it goes well with the rice. My favorites are still the sushi haha.

Overall, I highly recommend this place to all sushi lover or even Japanese food lovers in general. It is definitely worth it. Now I know where to get good sushi, I will definitely be back soon.

Price: $$

Address: 2903 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90029