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Categories: Sushi Bars, Japanese [Edit]
Neighborhood: Studio CityI'm late I'm late I'm late to yelp this plate?? (ok i know im bored leave me alone)
I visited this small sushi spot almost a year ago, but the memory of the great sushi still lingers. I usually don't like trying a new sushi place without a recommendation (yes I know I'm a wannabe sushi snob) but my friends and I happened to be adventurous this particular evening.
I got a sushi combo plate
- various types of Sashimi (perfectly sliced raw fish) as well as sushi (different variety of fish but same perfection on rice)
It also came with a sweet egg something or other.. not my fav but I can forgive them I really enjoyed the sushi / sashimi
I haven't had a chance to return to this little sushi spot in Sherman Oaks, but I think I will try to visit again the next time I stop @ the Psychic Eye.
We did have a heck of a time finding this place. Bizen is indeed a small, but long restaurant nestled between a psychic store and a Shaolin Temple on the north side of Ventura Blvd.
We came here looking for some good sushi eats. What we got was some great eats, some smeh eats, and some eats I wish I hadn't ate.
Let's start with the tasty stuff.
Halibut Carpaccio (flavored just right, served with a slice of jalapeno, tasty, and hit the spot).
Baked blackcod (cooked to perfection, yummy to boot!).
Broiled Squid (large squid, grilled, and cut into nice round strips).
The uni was very sweet and the beef tataki was enjoyable.
I'd say everything else (salmon, yellow-tail, toro, octopus) was just okay. Nothing rip roaring great about them, but nothing bad either.
I didn't care for the unagi (WAAYYY oversauced, also crunchy which I didn't particularly like). The squid nigiri was incredibly tough and chewy. Also, as we were wrapping up our meal, I asked the waitress for two other recs and she pointed us to a seared tuna nigiri with a toasted (?) slice of garlic and a red snapper (?) nigiri with sea salt (?). I didn't like either of these all that much. I thought the tuna was too salty and the snapper was just eh.
We capped our meal with banana tempura which was okay. Service was nice and attentive.
I have this weird habit of only reviewing places of my childhood, and this restaurant is no exception. My father wouldn't stand for me being a picky eater and has been taking me to eat the raw stuff since before I was in double digits and Bizen was where we frequented most.
It's literally a tiny hole in the wall and if you're not looking for it, you won't find it (which is great for me because it means I don't often have to wait for a spot).
It's also very stripped down; you won't find a menu full of wacky rolls or a ton of hot entrees. Instead, Toshi (owner) comes up with clever and tasty sashimi style dishes; my two favorite being the Albacore Tataki and Halibut Carpaccio. I could eat multiple plates of both and wish I had the funds to do so! I have dreams about the tataki and imagine that if I were to get pregnant, I would have to kidnap Toshi so he could make it for me every night.
Toshi also does very yummy things with nigri itself; a squeeze of lemon here, a bit of sea salt there. Nothing ever overpowers the flavor of the fish, but is just a simple enhancement.
Of course, he also does straight up, good ol' sushi. He keeps a pretty wide selection of fresh fish and has never disappointed with a chewy or tough slice. He has no problem providing recommendations so don't hesitate to ask for something of his choice. He'll be sure to give you something delicious.
Basically, I love this little joint and think you will too.
Can somebody please get me a cute Japanese grandmother for Christmas?
You know how they say a sandwich always tastes better when someone else makes it for you? Well today my lunch box was named Bento and was served to me by the most adorable little lady I've ever come across.
I'm not sure how long Bizen has been a part of Ventura Blvd's anatomy, but from the looks of it, they were making sushi before you could even pronounce "ponzu". The menu is simple - a variety of sashimi, nigiri and rolls without many frills but without stripping quality either.
I ordered the bento with teriyaki chicken and sashimi a) because I friggin LOVE food in a varied option, separated portion container and b) if I could eat salad with chopsticks for the rest of my life, I'd die happy. Bento = best of all worlds. The sashimi was varied bites of tuna and red snapper, and the chicken was as expected, but I love that their sauce wasn't the consistency of maple syrup like most places. I don't need a sugar rush with my chicken.
Bonus points for the vegetarian menu too - I mean, I love me some fishies, but finally someone realizes the Cucumber Roll isn't the only option veggies should have when it comes to sushi. The Daikon roll and the pickled ginger came out with a pretty sweet neon color too. Hey, I'm all for aesthetics!
Four stars, Bizen. Well done. But next time I'm putting in an offer of another star if I can keep that adorable server of yours!
I hesitate to write this review, as I want to help keep this place a tiny hidden gem... I have been looking and looking for a no hype, super fresh, easy parking, no waiting sushi restaurant in Sherman Oaks and surrounding areas since November '08... I am sure there are others - BUT - I think I don't need to look any further - this place is it. Super fresh and delicious sushi, rolls, sashimi, great prices, the best service, etc. The halibut is amazing, the yellow tail - i can never have just one order, the spicy tuna roll - the seaweed is never too chewy! and flavors are perfect. As I type, I am wondering if I can brave a sushi lunch solo...??
I had wanted to try something different from my usual and luckily looking for a new sushi place on Ventura Blvd is like throwing a calloused foot into a tub full of garra rufka. Feeling lazy and not wanting to travel too far outside of Sherman Oaks either I hit Yelp-dom to try to find something near and good. Review after review of this place is glowing so my sushi crew and I head over with a optimistic outlook for rolls and fresh fish.
Enh. Optimism can turn to pessimism so quickly, no?
We arrived to a restaurant that was small and narrow but fairly long. They sat our party of six at the very first table which was in a small alcove so as a result our voices bounced off the top of the what I think was concrete and I was having echo in the conversation all night (Can't you just hear it : "How's your fish - your fish - your fish?") Come to think of it that is all I really remember of the decor a concrete wall that blocks off the front restaurant from the sidewalk and this concrete mini-cave where we were sat.
Our waitress was fairly attentive, a little slow but nothing too bad and as we looked down the menu I was hoping to try this veggie roll that everyone was raving about. I asked our server and she said yes, but they didn't have tomatoes for the roll. I didn't know any differently so I said OK to it. We ordered other dishes -tempura, albacore tataki, a few rolls here and there. Honestly I am having a hard time remembering all of it because it was really that boring - not bad, mind you, but boring. There was nothing special about any dish that at this moment of trying to remember I can conjure up except the fact that I remember being disappointed by the oft-praised veggie roll. The way everyone was talking about it was like the second coming of Morningstar Farms on a stick (or in a roll) and....menh. Not so much. Maybe it really did need that tomato.
As far as the prices, they were decent, maybe a little less than what we would normally spend but not enough to make me crave this place one bit. I honestly don't remember on that too except I wasn't offended by the bill or anything.
It may be some people's bag, but I think there's better if you aren't feeling lazy and want to drive just a bit further down the Blvd.
PS - want to know what I am referencing in the first sentence? Check this out, now when they get this in LA I will be the first in line to Yelp-it:
http://www.styledash.c...
I used to live within walking distance of Katsu-Ya, the Studio City joint that's supposed to be the alpha and omega of sushi places this side of the Hollywood Hills.
Went there once. You could go once, also, just to say you'd been there. If you're all about seeing and being seen, Katsu-Ya is for you. And the sushi's OK.
But if you just want:
- good sushi and a calm place to eat it
- sushi chefs with imagination and confidence who will go off-the-menu to prepare unique and flavorful items just for you
- fine and friendly service
- and a far more reasonable total on your check,
then Sushi Bizen is the place.
Head chef Toshi-san (ask him how his golf game is) benevolently presides over the small, L-shaped, two-chef sushi bar, and there are six or seven tables and booths. There's a full Japanese menu, including some of the best tempura I've had. Not only does one leave feeling well-fed, but also with a feeling of well-being. It's a comfortable place.
But here's the real reason you should go to Sushi Bizen: My girlfriend loves it. This is the girlfriend who, 18 years ago, had a nightmarish sushi bar experience too painful to recount here, and swore she would never again eat any fish that wasn't well-done. A visit to Sushi Bizen, gently presided over by Toshi-san, quickly erased the old, bad memories, and she now thinks of it as "her" place for sushi.
What more can you say about a sushi bar with the power to save taste buds?
I will start this review off by admitting something...I am not a vegetarian. I have many friends who are, I have dated many a vegetarian and from time to time I will even dabble in the vegetarian world and see what it has to offer. Without fail though, I come back to the dark meat side and have at it like a tried and true carnivore.
With that out there and on the table, I took my mom to lunch today and she is pretty much a vegetarian or I guess a vegequarian or a chickatarian. Jesus, I don't know. She doesn't eat red meat, let's put it that way, so that's pretty much a veggietarian to me.
Anyhoo, when thinking about places to go, I was trying to figure out a happy compromise and bam, SUSHI! Of course she doesn't eat raw fish either because she thinks it gives you worms (even if it does, I am okay with that, it's friggin good!!), but I remember Zach B mentioning how rocking the veggie rolls were here and since it's in my hood, I figured, what the hell!
When we sat down, I told the chef to whip up something for the vegetarian ova here and he went to work, combining the normal roll staples like rice, cucumber, avocado and carrots, but then started adding things like tomatoes, marinated eggplant and a few various Japanese roots. It then arrived to the table and I tried one and oh my gosh, this was amazing!!!
The texture of the marinated veggies totally acted like a delicious substitute for fish and the surrounding edible elements were super deelish too! Needless to say, I was impressed!
I also ordered the yellowtail sashimi and I have to admit it was a little gummy, but that happens depending on the cut. I also tried the halibut sushi (yum), the scallop sushi (soooo good!), the marinated black cod(simply amazing) and the shishito peppers with the bonito flakes. This was by far my favorite part of the meal, not cuz they were amazing, but to watch my mom's reaction when it showed up and the bonito flakes were moving, hahaha, she thought it was something that was still alive. Priceless (love you Mom)
Overall, the service here was really great, the chef was a total sweetie and the prices were fair. I would totally come back here for the veggie rolls alone and to actually get me to write that down and hit 'Post It' is quite an accomplishment!
Well done Bizen, you dazzled a hardcore meat eater today and you should be proud!
I'll warn you, I'm a vegetarian. But my roommate isn't. Even a carnivore from Silver Lake travels to Sherman Oaks just for this place. Do I need to say more?
Sure.
It's small and narrow. You don't feel you're in L.A. The smooth jazz kinda sucks though. The chefs have knifing skills. They can cut you a roll like no other. Just trust it.
My all-time favorite sushi! No fancy rolls, just straight forward, delicious sushi. Like Zach B. said, not a lot of room so this isn't a place to bring a big group of friends.
I highly recommend sitting at the bar, not only are the chefs very talented but friendly.
I think this tiny little sushi bar might be some of the better sushi you are going to find in the valley. Everything was exceptionally good. The service was a bit dodgy and slow, and the bathroom looked ike a crime scene, but as far as the sushi goes, this is A+ stuff.
Okay so I stumbled upon this place by accident right after moving to the valley. Toshi the sushi chef is so awesome and he always remembers you. The people that go here are regulars who love chatting with him so you know it's good. I eat a lot, lot of sushi and have eaten at so many places and this place has by far the best fish. So fresh! The best menu items are the tuna tataki, the halibut carpaccio (both sashimi dishes) and the snapper and anything with salmon. Ask Toshi for recommendations and he always has the greatest suggestions. Oh-the oysters are awesome too-get them on the half shell or in an oyster shooter-so yummy!
Ig you are the type of person who only likes the deep fried type of "sushi" rolls then maybe this place isn't for you but really, it has something for everyone. The servers there are always super nice. It gets very busy on the weekends so I'd say the best time to go is around 5 or 6 PM if you can or anytime during the week. By far a hidden treasure-you will never want another sushi place again!
sushi.. so so... service was horrible... restaurant and bathrooms were very dirty... and very expensive for what it was! i will never go back.
Wonderful. This is a small, family-owned hole in the wall, the kind of place you could easily pass 100 times on Ventura without noticing it. But the cuts of fish and the preparation are the best I've ever had. Really. The chefs and owners are very friendly, also. I would go on a weeknight because the seating is limited, but this place is really a treasure.
This place has amazing food!!! The albacore sashimi was thinly sliced on top of thinly sliced lemons and swimming in ponzu and garnishings. The roll selection is very basic, but everything is delicious. Even the cucumber rolls, usually bland filler rolls at most places, had an amazing flavor because the cucmber is cut to resembel grass and is marinated. The place is small and tends to get loud when people are getting drunk but its nice because it seems like most of the patrons of the restaurant are partying together. Over all a great vibe. If you like to substitute ingredients, don't bother because they are very proud of the flavor of their items on their menu and are not willing to customize stuff. Don't worry, just try it you will not be disappointed.
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