Blutusk

I had Blutusk bookmarked since my buddy Matthew T. was the first to review their business. I was intrigued by the tusk shaped dessert and I knew I would have to try it for myself. The small little dessert shop was on the second floor above Daiso. The guy working there was so welcoming and informative about the product, I was so excited.

So many options, but I wanted to try their most popular products. I decided to try their Vanilla Tusk ice cream ($3.50) and their Deli Manjoo ($6.99/12 piece) half custard and half red bean.

The Vanilla Tusk ice cream is good for pictures... however the cone/tusk was incredibly STALE!! In my buddy Matthew T's defense, he probably liked it while the tusks were new and not yet state. The ice cream itself was powdery like the soft serve they have at cheap buffets. The cheap sprinkles topped at the end made it even worse. Not to mention how the shape itself makes the dessert messy to eat. It was dripping all over me... gross!!

The Deli Manjoo was just about as disappointing. These were premade and not nearly as fresh as other places who sell them. The filling was a bit lacking, but that didn't matter because it tasted so bad I spit it out and threw the rest away.

This 2 star is probably too generous. The passionate service is the only only thing saving this place from a flat out 1 star rating. Come and try it for yourself if you like, just don't expect much...

No word better describes this place than "meh."

The tusk ice cream cone is super overrated and stale. Each bite just felt like really old cornflakes that had been left out far too long and needed to be tossed. I'm guessing they buy either the cones or the cornflakes to make the cones in bulk and they've had that cone for a long time. The soft serve ice cream was good, but it's hard to enjoy with such a stale cone.

The fish manjoo was not bad. While the custard could have had more flavor, I enjoyed it. But they were lazy with it. Instead of making it fresh, as other places do, they made it way in advance and heated it up.

The atmosphere of this place is terrible. I would feel really depressed working here- it's claustrophobic and sterile.

This place could do a lot better if they were not so lazy.

I am struggling to write this review because I was expecting so much more from this place. With a plethora dessert options on Sawtelle, I was hoping for yet another winner. Walked in and the decor was sterile and clean. It reminded of a hospital waiting room. Sipped on the complementary Coway filtered water and proceeded to order. I tried the tusk with chocolate ice cream and the four Deli Manjoos. It was part of a $6 combo.

The tusk is shaped like a candy cane and it's filled with chocolate ice cream. On one end of the tusk is a single red raspberry. I am not sure what to make of it. The tusk reminded me of a Korean corn or rice popped snack. It was crispy, but lacked flavor. The chocolate ice cream helped add flavor, but it tasted like gas station soft serve. If the quality of the ice cream was better and there were additional ingredients like fruit or mochi in the tusk, I think it would be a much better dessert.

For the four Deli Manjoos, I tried custard and red bean. I have tried these fish-shaped desserts at other eateries and what lacked here was quantity of the fillings. Too much air and not enough filling. In addition, some places I have been to make the Deli Manjoos per order, but here, they pre-make it and warm up per order. I expected more from a West LA establishment.

Located in the heart of Sawtelle! (same plaza as Nijiya Market & Beard Papas- right above daiso)

Heard all my friends talking about this cute store and had to give it a try. Reasonable prices for delicious desserts!

My favorite was the tusk ice cream. Makes sense because it's their speciality! It's definitely different from that of other ice cream shops. The employee did half chocolate half vanilla on my tusk- personally, chocolate was a lot creamier and more flavorful. The vanilla didn't woo me but it was still good. 10/10 would recommend trying.

The taco ice cream.. interesting concept, similar feel to the tusk cone but was differentiated by the toppings I chose (strawberry& honey)

Deli manjoo! These things are dangerous. I always wait for the Korean festival to come around so I can get my hands on these. But, finally a place that sells them regularly! Had to order 2 batches because they were so good. The custard ones are better imo.

The only downside to this place is the parking. Since its in a very popular plaza in Sawtelle, you either have to valet or get there before valet does. Other than that.. I'll definitely be back! :)

The shell/cone of the blutusk had no flavor and tasted like fried flour mixed. The ice cream was the cheap kind that you can buy at the store and added it to any ice cream machine to make. If the ice cream was flavorful or a better taste, it could make up for the tusk but it didn't. The small fishes weren't good neither. They are stall toward late afternoon since probably they are made in the morning and just heated up with you order them. The filling inside was were stuck on one side and thick. I came here nexus se of the interesting look and shape but that's all the store had going for them.

I stayed a bit to work on some things and it doesn't get that busy. They should rethink on making so much product early. It would be better fresh. I left disappointed. Not worth the extra calories or sugar

QUICK HIT: Try it for curiosity or for a good insta pic, but you'd be better off satisfying your sweet tooth with higher-quality wares at B Sweet or a nearby boba house.

FOOD: Ice cream "tusk" with 4 Deli Manjoo cakes.
- The tusk was far more enjoyable as a humorous instagram post than a dessert item. The puffed shell was crunchy and a bit stale, like Corn Pops cereal. Choose either chocolate, vanilla, or half-and-half soft serve to fill your fascinating object and then enjoy. It tasted like a cheap dessert I'd buy for $3 at a county fair. But since that's about what I paid for it, perhaps that's to be expected.
- Deli Manjoo custard cakes were tasty; especially enjoyed the fish-shaped spongy outsides. The red bean flavor didn't impress me. Both cakes had scant filling, however.

SERVICE: Excellent. Cashier was helpful and warmed us the custard cakes were hot, and that we shouldn't burn ourselves.

ATMOSPHERE: Second floor of an Asian plaza; predictably quiet. Place was clean and sold a few wares on the side; looked like coffee and protein powder mix!

While much more a novelty than really tasty, I could not pass up on the desserts at Blutusk. Decor is super cute and I really loved the service. Sign up to get free deli manjoos which we did. We went with the combo of six of the cute little fish, half red bean filled, half custard as well as a half chocolate, half vanilla tusk to be able to sample everything. The tusk a bit stale, I would have also preferred the fish fresh and not reheated, but fairly priced and fun to try.

Rating: 22/100 pts

Admittedly, the awkwardly suggestive shape of this dessert is what drew in myself and a group of buddies that were seeking humor more than fine eating. Still, I went in with an open mind, but I found the food quite terrible.

We got the #3 combo ($6.00) that included one of the eponymous "tusks" and 4 "deli manjoo".

The tusk is a long and curvy corn puff filled with ice cream and topped with a raspberry. The corn puff base tasted like stale breakfast cereal, and there was nothing special about the ice cream inside--it tasted like generic soft serve ice cream. After one bite, I was done.

The deli manjoos (which I know as taiyaki in Japanese) are small fish-shaped waffle-like cakes filled with your choice of red bean paste or custard. The taiyaki I'm used to getting in Japan are baked fresh to order, filled with paste and still teeming with steam when you bite into them. These, unfortunately, are not. They are not made fresh, giving them a stale texture, and further, the filling is scant and airy.

I could go on about there is no logical way to hold the tusk + deli manjoo combo (the tusk is handed off directly, and the deli manjoos are placed in a cup--how do I hold and eat this??)--but let's just stop here and suffice it to say that I do not recommend Blutusk.

I had a nice streak going. I really haven't written a bad review since the start of 2016 but that could have been because I was a bit generous to some of the places I've been to. Well, streak over. Blutusk is the culprit. I've seen this kinda funky dessert before at night markets but never really tried it until this particular day.

First off, walking in we were greeted by a very friendly owner who seemed so proud and joyous of his product. I was broken hearted that I had to write this review but damn his stuff was just not good at all. The Chocolate Tusk was absolutely atrocious. The chocolate tasted really bitter upon first bite but got a bit better in terms of the bitterness after. I quickly realize that this was not ice cream at all but rather frozen yogurt. The sprinkles added to it was just as bad. It gave me a bad cough afterwards too. The J shaped cone was super stale and I was completely done but then he brought out my second order.

The Deli Manjoo was my least favorite of all. I took one bite of it and could not even finish it. We quickly went outside being completely finished with these treats and proceeded to locate the nearest trash can. It was not fresh as I had originally anticipated. There was a lack of custard on the inside and overall the presentation was not up to par. Needless to say, I couldn't eat another bite.

I'll give the owner a nice grade for effort but his product did not do it for me. I probably won't be returning. Still he's really nice and friendly and the place was super clean with plenty of seats.

PS Located upstairs

Really enjoyed the vanilla soft serve. Not so much the tusk cone. It's like a bland corn breakfast cereal - not really my liking.

Staff was really friendly and put time into your tusk creation.