Asanebo

Asanebo
11941 Ventura Blvd, Studio City, CA 91604
818.760.3348

www.yelp.com/biz/asanebo-studio-city

I've been living in the Valley for a few years now, and I rarely get a chance to dine in the local area. I've been wanting to splurge on a great meal for quite some time, and I've read many reviews (some bad, but mostly good) about Asanebo. After some research, I've discovered that Asanebo's chef-owner studied under Chef Nobu Matsuhisa for many years before opening his own restaurant. I've never had a bad experience at any of Nobu Matsuhisa's restaurants so I figured that this alone would be a good indication of what I should expect at Asanebo. The restaurant also received 1 Michelin Star in 2008 and 2009 which was also a very good sign because Michelin stars are only awarded to a small number of restaurants that are of outstanding quality. So with a little convincing on my end, I got my husband, cousin, and mother on board and made a reservation. Yay!!

Asanebo is located in Studio City along Ventura Blvd, and like most restaurants in the Valley's "Restaurant Row", it is located inside a strip mall. Upon walking in, you notice that the restaurant is very small, but quaint. I liked it. We were seated at a table for four in the corner which gave us a little privacy. As much as I love taking pictures of the food I eat, it's not the most comfortable situation. It's hard to be discreet when you are trying to take a picture of every single dish you eat.

This is a view that we had from our table. You could see the Michelin Star Award hung on the wall. 

Asanebo offers three choices for their omakase dinners: "Omakase A" runs $75 -$100, "Omakase B" is $100-$125, and "Omakase C" is $125+. Since Omakase A does not include sushi, I knew that it would be a choice between B & C. I reminded myself that I was there for an experience, and chose to go with C. At the moment, I was crossing my fingers cause it's not easy entrusting someone with your hard earned money. Anyhow here goes:

We started off with a bottle of Nigori Sake (unfiltered sake). This is my favorite sake because its sweet.

1st course: Chawanmushi and Ikura (Japapenese egg custard, and salmon roe)

I really liked this dish. My cousin normally doesn't eat Ikura but even he enjoyed this dish. The custard and the fresh wasabe was a good combination with the roe. 

2nd course: Seared Butter Fish with sweet onions in ponzu sauce

This is the first time I ate butter fish without it being cooked all the way through. The sweet onions was a nice touch. 

3rd course: Goma tomfu (homemade sesame tofu) with warm dashi broth, eggplant, and shredded nori

This was one of my favorite dishes of the night. The last time I had goma tofu was when I visited my family in Okinawa, and it reminded me of the first time I tried it. It was prepared a little differently then, but this preparation was wonderful. I loved the warm dashi broth. 

4th course: Duo of Kumamoto Oysters

I love Kumamoto Oysters. The one on the left had chives, ponzu, and grated radish with red pepper. (This was my favorite of the two). The one of the left had Hawaiian lava salt on it. I enjoyed them both. 

5th course: Hirame (Halibut) Sashimi and Baby Amaebi (Sweet Shrimp) with Black Truffles

Truffles are amazing and you would think that it would be a little overpowering with such a delicate fish like hirame, but it was a great pair. Amaebi is one of my favorite things and I normally like to eat that plain, but I thought the truffles complimented the sweet shrimp as well. 

6th course: Momotaru Tomato with Ankimo (Monkfish Liver), Grape seed Oil Dressing

This was a good dish. The natural sweetness of the momotaro tomatoes, the silkiness of the ankimo with the grape seed oil dressing and the shiso leaves were a good combination. All the flavors played well together.

7th course: Kanpachi Sashimi with Yuzu Shoyu  

I could see the Matsuhisa influence in this dish. I'm a big fan of yuzu shoyu so this was a no brainer.

8th course: Oyster Tempura

We all agreed that this was our least favorite dish of the night. The sauce was thick. It reminded me of the thickness of sweet and sour sauce at Chinese restaurants. There were red chili flakes in this sauce. I'm not too sure if this dish was thought out very well. I could have skipped this course all together. 

9th course: Grilled Alaskan King Crab

The crab didn't seem to have much texture to it, but the flavor was okay. My mom thought hers was a bit too salty, but the lemon helped drown out the saltiness.

10th course: Sushi course: maguro (tuna), toro (tuna belly), hirame (halibut), ebi (shrimp), and kohada (gizzard fish)

I was hoping that the sushi course would be a little stronger than this. The toro and kohada were the stars in this dish.

11th course: Miso soup with Bunashimeji

You can't tell by looking at the picture, but there were tiny little Japanese bunashimeji mushrooms in the miso soup. It didn't change the flavor of the miso soup. I enjoyed it, but it wasn't the way I wanted to end my meal. 

Dessert #1: Green tea flan

Dessert #2: Creme Brulee

Since dessert was not included in the Omakase Menu, we decided to order two desserts for the table. The flan had a subtle taste of green tea. It was good. The creme brulee was good. Both desserts fulfilled our sweet tooth craving. 

Based off this experience, I would say that that it was a good meal but I was definitely expecting more. I was hoping that there would be more of a selection on the sushi course. For the price we were paying, I was waiting for the uni (sea urchin) to make an appearance, but it never did. That really disappointed me. After a bottle of nigori sake, hot tea, and dessert our damage came out to $180 per person (which included the tax & tip). I can't say that it was the best omakase menu I've had (nothing can really top Urasawa), but I would definitely return here to try their regular menu. 

Side note: I just want to say "thanks" to my cousin Bong who took the pictures for me with his new iPhone.