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Hazuki Restaurant
Rating Details »
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good for:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
6 reviews for Hazuki Restaurant
4 stars
I went back to this restaurant recently with the same guys I went here with the first time a month ago. We ordered the Hirame (halibut) Sashimi in Ponzo Sauce, Buta Kakuni (pork belly), the Calamari Salad, Potato Korokke (croquette), the Shrimp Tempura, and the Tatsuta Karaage (fried chicken).
Everything was still very good like the first time except the shrimp tempura oil tasted a little old and recycled. The fried chicken was also pretty good but very heavy and greasy. The serving size of the fried chicken is pretty large so that's good for the value eaters out there.
I still rank this as my top Izakaya in LA for dishes they serve.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
7/12/2009
4.5 stars
First of all, a big thanks for Charles L for inviting me to try this place with him. He… Read more »
Let's get down to business:
We ordered 6 dishes: calamari salad, fatty pork tonkatsu, buta kakuni (pork belly), tori teba shioyaki (broiled salt chicken wings), sashimi moriawase (special sashimi plate), and shrimp tempura.
The reason I'm giving this place 5 stars is because all of the dishes above average out to an A-, AT LEAST. The winner of the bunch was definitely the pork belly though. A lot of people like the pork belly at Musha, but this kills it. Same with the one at Haru Ulala. Even if you don't like pork, you will like this dish here. It's that good. In fact, if you don't like the dish, yelp me and I will provide you a refund. (But, I will punch you in the face and call you a liar). The calamari in the calamari salad was excellent - no elastic chewiness. In fact, the calamari's outside was nice and crisp while the calamari itself was nice, soft, and so tenderly easy to bite through. The shrimp tempura was so on point with its perfect batter. The tonkatsu was also pretty good. If I were to be picky, the pork was a little bit too dry, and I would have liked a bit more fat on it, but again, it was pretty good, probably because the batter was excellent. The chicken wings were also good. It was simply as advertised/titled - broiled salt chicken wings. Lastly, the sashimi morawase was pretty much what you could expect - the freshest fish, cut up sashimi style.
There is a regular menu and then there's a "specials menu" which is only written in Japanese and not only that, it's written in friggin Japanese cursive. The waiter tells you exactly what each item is in English, though, so that helps.
The ambiance of the place is a little bit weird and cool at the same time. It's supposed to be an izakaya, but the place is set up like a restaurant. There is quite a bit of distance between the tables (our side of the restaurant only had 3 tables of 4), and there are wooden pillars in the restaurant which obstruct your view of others on the other side. It's hard to explain. The place felt very quiet not only because there was only one other party, but also simply because of the setup.
Service was great, but then again, there was only us and another table. Still though, every dish that came out, whatever dipping sauce there was, the waiter produced three separate small dishes of dipping sauce for each of the three of us. Same with bowls, etc...used for each dish.
Lastly, pricing was excellent. All three of us were pretty full and the total came out to only $68.00 - that's without alcohol.
Afterwards, we agreed that the place is probably the best izakaya in Los Angeles. I'm leaving LA in about a month, and I'm already determined to come back to this place at least once or twice more before I go. It's that good.
Word to the wise: this place is a bit hard to find. I just knew, from previous yelp reviews - all 4 of them - that this place is on the 2nd floor of the Japanese village plaza. But, it's not on the Oiwake side (why would it be - the horribleness of Oiwake would taint Hazuki just based on the close proximity itself). Rather, it's on the other side of the plaza, going up the stairs next to the shabu shabu house and ce fiore. I think you'll see a big sign for a restaurant called "Zenbu" but you won't see Hazuki until you walk all the way up the stairs.
All right yelpers, I really do not know why this place isn't more popular. With a place like this around, the Izayois and Honda-yas of this world shouldn't be in business.
3.75
Pleasant surprise. The food is pretty decent. And the prices aren't too bad. The frozen sear beef tataki was pretty good. it was in ponzu, with minced garlic, ginger, and scallions. Very flavorful. The shark fin Chawanmushi was good. for $6.90 it's a great deal. The Udon (thin noodles) was not bad. The Chazuke was good. (can't really mess up on that one. ) the grilled squid w soy sauce was a tad salty though. And so was the salmon rice ball. The anago tempura was good. (dip in salt and tempura sauce.) the meal costs about 62$ and the portions were a good size.
This is truely a Gem of a restaurant in Little Tokyo.
It's authentic Japanese food served Izakaya and/or Kappo style. They have a regular menu that includes the usual combo dishes with Udon and other side dishes.
However, if you really want to treat yourself to an authentic experience you have to order from the traditional Japanese menu. Or Oshinagaki. They change it weekly or monthly depending on what they can get from the fish market. But the Sashimi Moriawase is fresh. Of course the Oishinagaki is written in Japanese so you may need some help from the waitress/servers. They're more than willing to help you out if you have any questions. If you don't want to bother getting an explanation just ask what's recommeneded off the menu and they'll point you in the right direction.
Yes I agree it takes some time to get the dishes. But it's not your typical Japanese restaurant either. Not so highly recommended for lunch but more for dinner. You want to sit down and enjoy your dish with a nice cold beer, sake or shochu.
Located in the Japanese Village plaza (2nd floor), Hazuki is a hidden authentic Japanese restaurant.
The food is overall pretty good but it takes forever to come out. (I think they only have few cooks/wait staff at this restaurant) Also, it does get pretty expensive here.
Real Japanese food Restaurant where Japanese go to!
Jimmy is right...it takes forever to get your dish.
Lunch is okay, dinner is great.
My favorites:
Hakusai Tsukemono (Pickled vegitables), Renkon Shinobi-age, Natto Salads (Natto - fermented beans), and Buta kakuni (Japanese style pork).
It can get expensive...I usually spend somewhere around $25-30 (with a drink) including tip.
Those who eats a lot or drink more, it can be more expensive!
It is authentic Japanese.
Many of my American friends were a bit overwhelmed by the real "Japanese" taste...it is not so much like sushi.
