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Categories: Japanese, Asian Fusion
Neighborhood: Santa MonicaMon-Sun. 6:00 p.m. - 11:30 p.m.
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we went for the first time last night and I can't believe I haven't been before. It is right in the neighborhood, so its a quick walk from our house. We walked in to be greeted and quickly seated. It is kind of small, but you're not sitting on top of one another. The place was pretty full, which we figured was a good sign.
We opened the menu to find some of it handwritten in Japanese with explanations in English, which makes it look like they change out their specials daily.
My husband, who is a vegetarian, was shocked to see how many vegetarian dishes they offer - tofu fries, tofu nuggets, combination platters of pickled veggies, sweet potato fries with dipping sauce and so much more.
I got the lobster roll, which was amazing, really full of meat and no nonsense filling of rice. My husband got the Buddist feast of veggies and soy meat. We both shared the pickled vegetables and salads.
The only thing I would recommend if you are tight on cash is to skip the appetizers of salads and pickled veggies - they were really small portions for the almost the same price as our entrees. They were still really good, but just a note if you want to save some money.
Since we are so close, and even if we weren't, we will definitely be back. Another couple near us, had this grilled meat platter where it looks like you grill the meat and veggies on your own personal grill they bring out - I definitely want to try that next time.
This is one of our favorite finds.
I find it very hard to recommend this place because I just don't feel it does enough justice to be labeled an izakaya type place. Maybe an asian-fusion place, but not izakaya. I'm not a native, but I've had some great experiences with my japanese friends at more traditional izakaya places like Honda-Ya.
-The place itself is somewhat small and noisy. Because of the size, reservations are a must during peak hours.
-Food itself seemed to be good to high quality, but I hate asian-fusion. Guess I'm just an old-school kind of guy.
-No asians. I can't believe the place was packed and I don't think we saw any asians while we were there.
-Parking can be tough. Typical LA: street parking or parking garage only.
-Menu seems very limited for an izakaya type place. (No yakitori???)
-No large communal table where you can sit with random strangers or bring your larger groups. (Although there are rooms in the back it seems for large groups).
-For the Beef Tongue they brought out a small little grill so we can cook ourselves. No vents so there was an uncomfortable amount of smoke. (I'd prefer the chefs prepare it just right so we don't have to). Since we are not the best cooks, we burned it a little bit. If I wanted to burn my own meat, I'd got to a k-bbq.
Quality is good, but I can't find a single reason to go back.
I love this place because it's open late, until 11:30pm, and it's some good izakaya style (japanese tapas) food! my fave dishes, thus far:
1) tofu & veggie dishes, particularly the "pure tofu" is silky soft and so yummy with the accompanying salt, chives, ponzu sauce and ginger to top off.
2) lobster roll is probably the closest you'll get to a sushi roll. a bit on the pricey side, and the roll is a bit thin, but it's freakin' tasty!
3) soju cocktails TO. DIE. FOR. particularly the guava soju. FILL 'ER UP!!
4) edamame which you can't really F-up, right?
5) seaweed salad nom nom
6) ok, so my friend had some meat dishes, and they were just as yummy!
So if you're looking for dinner at 10pm and are in the SaMo area, head to Musha!
Upon a recommendation, I decided to bring my date here on a Friday night a couple weeks ago. After reading the reviews on how busy Musha gets, I felt fortunate to secure a reservation calling in on the same day. In fact, I called in at about 2pm and requested a reservation for two @ 8:30pm.
Sure enough, the place was packed. Even though we had a reservation for 8:30, we weren't seated until about 8:45. One thing I didn't care for was that our table was a little too close for comfort with the tables on each side of us. They were definitely trying to fit in as many tables as possible.
Here's what we ordered:
Pure tofu: The consistency of the tofu was amazingly soft. Top it with some kelp salt, bonito flakes, diced onions, (I want to say it was) ponzu sauce and we have a winner. Very refreshing.
Yellowtail sashimi (hamachi): No complaints here ... tasted fresh
Rib eye steak: They bring a charcoal grill to your table so you can cook your steak, which is cut into small cubes. It's served with a garlic soy and ponzu sauce. Both flavors tasted great.
Pork belly (kakuni): The pork belly is served with a boiled egg and sliced potato pieces. The pork was delicious and the tenderness was excellent.
Garlic and butter clams (asari garlic): The garlic and butter sauce was tasty and added a nice flavor to the clams.
I wasn't expecting the dishes to be as large as they were, so we didn't end up finishing everything (might also have been the drinks). When I return, I'll probably go with two dishes per person. Along with the check, they brought melon and hot tea - a nice touch.
Service was pretty good considering it was packed, but I'd like to come back on a slower night.
Two thumbs up. This place was great. I was visiting friends in LA and they said this was one of their favorite places. After eating there, I can see why.
The food is great, well priced and well presented. The staff is exceedingly friendly (almost has a Texas feel to the hospitality if I may say so myself) and attentive.
I'll certainly go there again when I head back to LA when the Longhorns are back in the National Championship Game (knock on wood)!
It was getting late on a Thursday night and my girlfriend and I were getting hungry. We had planned on trying out the BP Oysterette, but the place looked too packed and we were looking for something a little more intimate. We found that and much more at Musha.
We passed Musha on our way to BP Oysterette and decided to circle back and try it out, and I'm REALLY glad we did. Everything we ordered was great (especially the spicy tuna dip) and the servers were really friendly and attentive. Thursday was a perfect night to go since we got to avoid the weekend and the "dinner-and-a-movie" crowd.
Needless to say, we'll be coming back for seconds...
I was under the impression that I would be going to a Japanese restaurant that had the usual sushi rolls and other normal Japanese fodder, but instead I was pleasantly surprised by what they had on the menu! Japanese tapas, I believe.. not something I thought existed (please excuse me), but I have to say that it was pretty good.
Although everything we had was great (the dumpling soup, the sauteed mushroom and asparagus, tofu fries) a part of me still wished that I had a chance to eat some delicious sushi rolls (which me and my friend were kinda-sorta looking forward to). There were so many other interesting aspects of the place though: from the guy who torches a fish right in front of you to that mini little hibachi thing to grill your own food. But I loved the atmosphere of the place... it was kind of fun and stylish, and the host seemed to be a pretty cool guy. He was nice enough to cheer me on as I chugged my beer and gave me another one in a bigger glass. I like that guy. Except for the fact that he wore a Dodger hat, I think I'd like to be his friend.
The wait was okay... although sometimes it seemed like the dude saw his regulars and gave them priority over the people who just seemed to walk in. But at least he takes your name and number down, and calls you when your table is ready so you're not just waiting by the door.
Clearly I've been eating out way too much since this is my 3rd review of a restaurant I've been to in the span of 24 hours. Tonight I was craving Musha - a place I've taken out of town visitors to often. I didn't want anything too heavy and thought the izakaya style would have the kind of portions I could handle.
First off, I love the atmosphere - very cozy and quaint but not cramped. I've eaten at the bar and at the tables, both great experiences. The candles are also a nice touch and the server replaced the one that went out on our table really quickly.
Second, the service is excellent. Especially after my past few experiences at Japanese restaurants, I totally appreciated how attentive the staff were with ordering, delivering the food, and refilling our tea pot!
Lastly, the food was great! I have had a couple of dishes I wasn't too excited about so I stick with my tried and true favorites - spicy tuna dip, seared saba, kakuni (pork belly), and lobster roll. The rice crackers for teh spicy tuna dip are cooked just right - nice and crispy. The saba is seared perfectly and I love the flavor of mackerel. The kakuni was tender with a nice sweet sauce. And the lobster roll was light and refreshing. We ended our dinner with some green tea ice cream that had a nice hazelnut and chocolate wafer. Yummy!
This is my favorite izakaya place and it's pretty reasonable price-wise. But I know that I'm still going to drop at least $20, although tonight with all that we ate it ended up being $30/person (we left a good tip cuz of the service). Can't make this a regular hang out but I could definitely go every couple months and save up for it. =)
The find of my stay in Santa Monica so far. My friend cooked his steak over some coals while I had the freshwater eel smashed into a "hot bowl " of rice (is there a term for that? A "hot plate" that is a bowl!!)... Add the very reasonable price to that and I'm giving it 5 stars for what we had how we were treated.
I felt so fortunate that one of my friends recommended me to this Izakaya style Japanese joint coz' it's SMOKIN'! From their cold dish to the Shichirin grilled dish, Musha consistently bring the best stuffs to the table. Although this place is always jam-packed, I was delighted that finally there's a good Izakaya place that we can RESERVE, jeez...
OK, no further due, let me break it down what made Musha an Izakaya restaurant at its finest:
Aburi Saba a.k.a seared Saba - You'll watch a torching experience. the taste? DAYYYUMM! fresh Saba vinegar marinated melt in your mouth leaving salty, crispy, smokey Saba skin at end.
Cheese Tofu - mozzarella cheese, soy milk, cottage cheese, and cream cheese might not sound weird, but mixed together as a spread on top of baguette or crackers, pour a little bit of honey from the honeycomb stick - you get a hecka bomb appetizer. You can ask for extra crackers too.
Negitoro Tuna Croquette and Kabocha Pumpkin croquette - both are very yummy fillings and oh I love how crunchy they are!
Tanshio - thinly sliced and tender beef tongue grilled on tiny tabletop grill. The only bad thing about this meal is I can't get enough of them!
Takotama - It's a house special dish. It's a finely stacked scrambled egg, octopus, fried noodle, mushroom, onion drenched in mayo. Highly recommended!
Cheese Risotto and Spicy Tuna Dip weren't too striking. Although the way they prepare the risotto was interesting, a handful of creamy risotto being tossed in a gigantic block of Parmesan cheese, but the taste wasn't spectacular.
Oh, I can't wait to go back and tried every single dish on their menu. I heard their pork belly is a must try!
Eating at Musha's bar, it's all about Taku. If you're a table eater, you know Taku as the host who welcomes you and takes your name and number to call you when your table's ready. (There's always a line out the door). When you are finished with your meal, Taku is also the one who sends you out the door with a cheerful "Arigato gozaimasu" as he hands little bags of Japanese candy to the ladies. If you eat at Musha's bar, however, you quickly realize that Taku is a master of all trades.
He dresses your salad. He plates your sushi. He even torches your mackerel. Oh Taku, is there anything you can't do? My day had been stressful and I eagerly anticipated a good meal and a few drinks. I arrived early and ordered a carafe of sake as I waited for my friend. Minutes later, an attractive woman sat down alone two seats from me. She wore a shawl and her cheeks had a pinkish glow. Clearly a woman who knows what she wants, she orders without even a peek at the menu. My sake arrives in a pretty green carafe and the woman eyes it curiously. She motions to Taku while pointing to my carafe, hey...what's that?
Sake! says Taku.
A perfect eat at the bar moment. I offer her a glass. She accepts with little hesitation and offers me some of her green bean salad. I quickly learn that she's just taken herself to a nice massage across the street and came over for a bite. We talk about her consulting work with small businesses and venture capitalists. Again, I'm impressed. I love smart, hard-working women that also know how to treat themselves once in a while. This is a woman I can learn something from. Soon, my friend arrives, plus one, which made 4 at the bar. I find that 1-2 is the ideal number for eating at the bar, 3 the maximum. After that, it gets a little harder to converse. Plus, Musha's bar only seats 4 total. The conversation with my new friend at the other end of the bar lulled, but that didn't stop us from all sharing food.
We started with their delicious spicy tuna dip. I've probably had more spicy tuna in my life than I've had pizza and this one is exceptionally delicious. It comes with rice crackers that are thick and crispy. Then came the mackerel, raw except for the torched skin. It had the wonderful tanginess of Japanese mackerel but was not overly fishy. The pumpkin croquettes were greasy and amazing (I also recommend the tuna croquettes). We finished the meal with Musha's famous risotto. I know what you're thinking...risotto at a Japanese restaurant? It's made with soy milk, served in a giant cheese bowl. It's rich and tasty, but then again, anything with that much parmesan is bound to taste good.
By the end of the meal, my new friend had invited me to her house party the following week. All in all, Musha has great Izakaya style Japanese food. It's perfect for eating at the bar and sharing...Order lots of different dishes and try everything! This is probably one of the most unique, authentic restaurants on LA's Westside. Definitely order the spicy tuna dip, any of the croquettes, the seared mackerel, lobster roll, fresh tofu...shall I keep going? Lots of fun, very unique menu and perfect for the adventurous eater. If you're expecting a typical sushi bar with California rolls and dragon rolls, you better go elsewhere.
By the way, I want to punch the person that tried to order a spicy tuna or California roll here. I hate picky eaters who have a million and one special requests at restaurants. If you don't like what the chef's serving, don't come back and just go cook home and cook it yourself. F***ing whiners.
Great, friendly izakaya place with reasonable prices on food and sake.
Make sure to get the spicy tuna dip served on crunchy puffed rice bars- looks a bit odd but is SO GOOD. Mackerel torched tableside and the signature octopus omelet with soba noodles are also not to be missed. Green bean salad sounds a bit boring, but the dressing makes it quite delicious.
This place is always packed, so make a reservation if you don't like to wait. A little tip for large parties - they have a small "private room" for up to a dozen people and we were able to get seated right away without a reservation for 10 people.
Great place for Japanese tapas.
Cute little venue.
The food was very good but it was too crowded and the tables were too close together.
Gets very crowded so I suggest making reservation.
I would go again but on a off time.
Parking in Street.
Last weekend to LA to celebrate son's B-day. Daughter make reservation Friday night for 5. Izakaya style similar to Kappo Nami Nami by our home.
Seaweed salad, shrimp dumplings, spicy tuna dip, slow braised pork, garlic noodles, fried brown rice, torched mackerel, cheese risotto & takotama and Sapporo draft beer. Final bill was so reasonable that I was totally surprised.
Everything was delicious, service was fine but only the ladies
got the candy goodie bag as we leave. Gender discrimination!
My favorite izakaya place ^^
restaurant is small and always busy yet worth the wait.
must try:
spicy tuna dip
brown rice risotto
Steak (very tender!)
slow braised pork (amazing here!)
torched mackerel
lobster roll
kabocha croquettes
When I came to this place with some family and friends I was really fiending for sushi. The food was actually pretty good, but I have had far better sushi before. I know Santa Monica can get crazy and busy sometimes, but this place wasn't at the time. Yet it still took a really, really long time to get even the soup and even longer just to get our food. Sushi does take a while to prepare and can easily be noticed at any place you go that doesn't have it cheaply ready-made, but this was excessive. There servers were friendly, but the service was terrible.
When I take the effort to book a private room at a well known restaurant two weeks ahead of time, I expect them to be prepared for a party of 12.
Musha was a huge let down.
If you are thinking of booking the backroom for a special occasion think twice and.......
1. Bring a Gas Mask as they will try to smoke you out literally, our entire room filled up with smoke several times.......
2. Bring your own bottle opener, as they will take 20+ minutes to open each bottle your paying corkage on. "10 dollars each."
3. Wear something skimpy, as the ventilation and AC are almost non-existent.
4. Don't expect your food to come out in batches, expect it to trickle out.
For instance, an order of seared scallops came to our table by itself; it's about 4 pieces. The next item didn't come for another 10 minutes; this is not the way to serve a large party!! 12 people + 4 scallops = 8 hungry people. They waited till we were almost done with our meal to bring out the 12 bowls of rice we requested at the beginning.
5. Don't expect friendly service; our waitress rarely smiled, she was slow, and didn't seem to care if our party starved or was uncomfortable.
5. Don't expect special treatment of any kind when coming with a group for a celebration, no matter how much notice you give them. The chef nearly refused to make a standard tuna roll. I mean were talking tuna, rice, seaweed..... Saying this to me.
Chef "we don't make sushi rolls"
Me "but don't you have a lobster roll and several others on the menu"
Chef "yes, but we don't make a tuna roll with rice"
Me "do you have tuna"
Chef "yes, I can make you a fatty tuna roll"
Me "but we don't like fatty tuna"
Chef "we don't make tuna rolls"
Me "but you just said........."
Chef "you won't like a tuna roll"
After a few minutes of this mind numbing conversation he agreed to make a tuna roll without rice.
6. You may be asked to tip more then 20% and then when you call them on it you'll be given the "I don't understand look"
They asked for an extra 10 dollars past a tip of exactly 20% from the total bill price of 235.00 "essentially a 25% tip"
Either they're really bad with math or they are just being greedy.
I would recommend Musha if you're out with a date, the food is pretty yummy and the main restaurant has a nice cozy feel to it. However after this experience I won't be giving them any more business, I would highly suggest you look elsewhere for a place to celebrate.
This is one of the cuter little restaurant's in the area, which takes them up about half star. The… Read more »
This restaurant is SMALL! I guess it fits in with all the other local SM restaurants, but for some reason from the picture on the site here I thought it would be bigger.
We ended up ordering the scallop shumai, takotama, croquette, risotto, Tuna Yukke (or something like that) and ended up with the green tea parfait. This with a pitcher of beer for 2 was a pretty decent meal. In true Japanese food fashion, the servings were pretty small, but as my wife says... it was nice that we got to try a lot of different things. Or maybe another way to think of it, is you get to pay for many things...
Either way, the food we ordered was good. The service was also pretty good too. Nice warm hand towel to wipe your hands down first, and very attentive servers. We'll probably head back periodically.
Every dish we ordered was great! Must say I liked Musha better than Ronin Izakaya Bistro.
In order to avoid sounding like a redundant review...must simply say I AGREE:
Can't go wrong w/:
Ribeye on tabletop grill
torched mackarel
slow braised pork
spicy tuna w/ crisped rice squares
tofu fries
creme brulee
need to try:
risotto
croquettes (squash and/or tuna)
lobster roll
It's tiny and gets packed pretty quickly, so call ahead for reservations!
Took off one pt. for the slightly pudgy prices (considering its an izakaya)
Yay for Musha! My boyfriend and I were craving sushi on Saturday night, we were close to going to our usual Sushi King but instead decided to spice it up and try Musha after reading great reviews on Yelp.
We didn't get our sushi but the Japanese tapa styled dishes hit the spot! We had the tuna dip with crispy rice, the pork belly, the green bean salad and the tofu french fries. Everything was delicious, affordable and interesting. It wasn't straight japanese food, there's a twist to every dish which I appreciated.
The menu is kind of all over the place, not too organized, it was hard to look for the specific dishes I wanted to try.
All in all, great place, I highly recommend it!
"a japanese tapa place" is what ben g. described this to be.
unfortunately. i forgot this little tidbit while i rolled on in here for letitia W.'s birthday. completely, ravishingly, starving.
there were about 12 of us, in a room reserved in the back. it was hot, it was humid, though they said they did turn on the air conditioning, so be warned, and wear your skimpiest. also- no shoes allowed, so don't be busting out the manolo's just yet.
corkage fee is 10 bucks per bottle. meh. i look down on corkage fees. why not let the guests drink themselves drunk and keep ordering food?
since we ordered a huge array of food, let me attempt to remember some dishes.
highlights:
mackerel (they literally torch the damn thing in front of you, so you get a hot, burnt texture/taste on the outside, and then nice and cool on the inside). very very nice.
scallops shu mai. WHAT THE HELL. best dish of the evening. baked in some egg thing, and just melt in our mouth delicious.
spicy tuna on rice crackers. the sweetness and crunchiness of the rice cracker is perfect with the ground up spicy tuna.
seared albacore tuna salad. the dressing was amazing, a soy sauce, wasabi based vinagrette, but wayyy too much dressing, so salty! thought i was going to hurl. but aside from that, it was amazing.
just remembered: no brown rice. booooo.
the chicken leg was good, not amazing.
definitely was a good experience.
but the poor waitress was running our huge table of 12, (private party), PLUS the rest of the restaurant it seemed. and the smoke from the kitchen filled up our little room. so to her credit, i think she did the best she could, as fast as she could, but c'mon.... really now? they're trying to kill the poor woman.
blah.
i'd definitely come here again, but now when i'm starving, and not when there's only one waitress taking care of the whole restaurant.
note: it came out to be about 28 a person. so it was not too pricey. : )
This place was happenin' last night. I really liked the vibe in this place, but had no idea it was so popular. There was a wait at 7pm when we arrived. Luckily, we got a semi private room in the back the was available. So the GF and I got to have our own little izakaya party in the back. It was an odd set up where there was a booth that would fit 4 people with everyone facing the wall. But hey, instead of waiting an hour, this was a better option.
We had the following:
Lobster roll: Delicious and refreshing
Rib eye steak (A little expensive for the portion size), Normally they let you cook it on a grill, but we were told it just would totally fill the room with smoke, so they cooked it for us (To a perfect medium rare, nonetheless).
MFC (Musha Fried Chicken), perfectly fried portion of chicken in a tempura batter.
Eel Rice (Hot stone bowl of rice with Anago and that delicious eel sauce). This was the perfect finishing dish for the evening.
Thank you Musha for being a little gem of an izakaya spot in an unsuspecting locale. Hope to make it back to try more exotic fare another time.
Interesting and delicious food. Attentive service. Great ambiance and decor. Highly recommended. (Be sure to make reservations.)
My beautiful friends surprised me here a few weeks ago for a birthday dinner! I didn't even know there was a Musha in Santa Monica, I only go to the one in Torrance.
It's very small here, it somehow manages to be even smaller than the one in Torrance. And stuffy. VERY stuffy. I expected the menu to be the same, but it was surprisingly different. We ordered a ton of different things, as we were a big group, so we just passed the dishes around. The spicy tuna dip was deeeeelish, I'm a big fan of that. The shrimp dumplings in the tofu wrappers i was NOT too fond of, however. They say the wrapper is edible, but its pretty tough and kinda gross, if you ask me. The duck was great, chicken karage yum as always. My friend raved about the cheesy risotto, and it was cool how it came out cooked inside a huge hollow chunk of cheese. I didn't really like the taste of it though, but props to the staff for visual effects! I love the food at musha, but since its japanese tapas style, I usually leave still hungry. No buenos!
Rain, rain, go away,
come again, another day,
... when Dee has an umbrella...
... or stop 'til Dee safely makes it inside Musha.
Sans umbrella, I chanted the above on my drive to Musha. As luck would have it, after parking, the rain stopped. I embraced my break and enjoyed my fabulous 3-hour dinner DRY, not wiggling damp.
Musha serves accessible Japanese izakaya style dishes that should both satisfy those of you with Japanese homeland hunger pangs and correct the notion that other than sushi, the Japanese only eat yakitori, teriyaki and karaage chicken.
Here's what we had, all delectably presented:
1) Tuna tartare with rice crackers - Fresh tuna sashimi with delightfully crunchy rice crackers, I could've eaten this all night.
2) Torch-seared mackerel - They bring a fresh cut of uncooked blue-grey mackerel to the table and sear it right in front of you until the skin has transformed into a crispy brown. It is perfectly grooved into thin slices so that you can easily share right off the plate. The flavor was not too strong, as saba can be, just right. Really nice.
3) Lobster rolls - Very simple set of six rolls of lobster that I seemed to enjoy more than my friend.
4) Pork belly - Braised pork belly accompanied by boiled potatoes that you must consume with the special mustard to bring out the best flavor, my friend enjoyed this more than I did, but she did note that she thinks that the Torrance location makes it better (a venue she's been to countless times).
5) Cheese risotto - They bring out a cart with a bowl made out of cheese and mix it up right in front of you. Swell, as I am a sucker for tableside demonstrations. If you like cheese, this is your dish. It's fluffy, cheesy goodness.
6) Takotama - Since it was my first time at Musha, my friend said that I should try their signature dish, which is essentially a Japanese omelet atop a pieful of noodles and octopus. My friend noted that the Santa Monica version was heavier on the noodles whereas the Torrance one comprised of a thicker layer of egg, which to me sounds more like omurice. At any rate, this was my least favorite of the dishes. It was okay, but I definitely won't order it again, especially since there are tons of other plates I want to try.
Note: I really wanted to order the shrimp purses made out of skinned tofu (ew, that sounds obscene). But, thanks to friends who are allergic to shrimp, now I cannot fully stomach shrimp. Thanks, friends.
The restaurant itself is modest in size, but the atmosphere is really lively and comfortable. I can see this place having its faithfuls and the place clearly does, as the owner kept on patting backs like his regular crew was stopping by for their fix. Music is funnily enough, Latin, but goes with the easygoing, festive vibe of the place. Lastly, service is awesome, though possibly not everyone's cup of tea. I found our waiter to be a hoot. While he was taking our order, he would holler to the kitchen Bruce Lee style everything in Japanese without missing a beat-- loudly! Finally, on our way out, the owner gave us individually wrapped pouches of Japanese candies. Cute! A no-brainer, I'll be back soon.
I love this place - have been going here for years. The takena mashi rice is to DIE FOR - arrives in a hot rock. This last time I tried the pure tofu, which was delicious, and their miso soup - also great. I've had good luck with all the small plates and desserts. In the past, I've had the same experience as another yelper - we were waiting, and the chef brought us these delicious little drinks that were pink and plummy tasting. It was so nice, and made the wait tolerable. This is a fun place to go with friends, everything is made to share. Don't go if you want an intimate dining experience or a lot of space to lounge around.
ordered:
nasukani - this was the spouse of the lovely wedded couple and she gives you some soft squishiness, and no you cannot eat the tip( the part that looks like a hat/top) even though it may appear so.
aburi saba - this was the husband and he tells you what to taste and that everything will be ok, i will provide you with nourishment and omega 3 fatty acids, protein and a little increase in cancer when my skin gets slightly charred from the blowtorch. very flashy presentation; almost like flambee-ing back in the 50s i think?
butakim- not that good, stay away from me. i am poison for the enthusiasm in your heart. overly salty = hypertension, maybe if there was an accomplice of rice or more meat, it would be better but order at your own risk
risotto - this is also another flashy presentation. its like a crappy car with $3000 of shiny rims. the rice is the car, and the cheese block are the rims. the risotto was good and rich and had plenty of parmesan but it didnt really get me anywhere. probably wouldnt order again, and its not really japanese...
pure tofu - this was just ok. next time ill sneak in my own tofu for which i can pay exactly $1.09 at the market and eat it in the bathroom. haha jk.... the bathroom btw has mouthwash for you people who dont brush their teeth when going out or after eating garlic/onions.
tea - was ok, slightly sweet. i like mine bitter.
may come back for the two lovers.
Great location as it's walking distance to third street and I love the fact they take reservations- even on the day of, I was able to get a table for 5 at 6:30PM. The staff was super friendly and though it's a bit smaller than it's Torrance location, the food is delicious and my cousin from NY was loving everything. Our favorites included: cheese risotto (yum of course!), torched mackerel, tofu fries (it's alright), sweet potato fries, shu-mai (it's alright), squash croquette (yum), rib eye (served on hot coals, a bit pricey but good with the two sauces), seaweed salad (alright). We also had the chocolate souffle which is alright - insides flowing chocolate was yum but the cake was a bit on the stale side. It is a bit pricey but thank you to my bro for paying :)
It's really a 3.5, and I hope Yelp instills the 1/2 star option.
I've been hankering to try this place forever, with all the glowing reviews on Yelp. But, the food wasn't spectacular like I had read.
Service was decent, but there were times where we had to look around for someone to help us. It was pretty loud in there too, and the restaurant got packed soon after we arrived.
Food:
Miso soup- this was my favorite dish. It had bits of turnip which I loved and really appreciated. Best miso ever!
Tuna tartare with crispy rice- Tuna was good and a bit spicy. The rice crackers were a bit hard to bite into. Not bad.
Lobster roll- decent, tasty, but nothing awesome. *shrugs
Miso salmon- this was really good, till it became saltier and saltier. My friend agreed it was really salty too, so I know it isn't just my taste buds! We didn't finish it, but the sauce was good.
Scallop dumplings- I liked it! Puffy and soft egg on the outside, stuffed with a teeny tiny scallop in the middle. Yum.
Steamed clams- good dish as well, seasoned well, and not overly salty.
Chocolate Souffle- it was okay, not hot and creamy.. the ice cream it came with tasted better.
Chocolate Mousse- YUM!! I loved it! Mousse with strawberries.. perfect dessert.
We both had the Guava-Chu which was really watered down. I didn't taste any alcohol at all, nor did my friend. So, we had to get a bottle of sake. Yeahhhh!! Now, THAT is how we do it.
Dinner for two was $92 before tip. I'd probably come back, but in no rush to.
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I will come back here over and over. Big ups to Alex for bringing me here. It's great.
Some high points:
Cozy spot.
Lots of different food to try on the menu.
Excellent service.
Good music. (yes... an izakaya place the plays cuban music. what!?)
And it's affordable. (most dishes around $10)
I enjoyed these items the most:
kabocha croquettes
butakim - it's a braised pork dish
takotama - octopus omelette dish
and there's more stuff to try!!!
The dessert menu however is just okay. There's always room for improvement.
Probably one of the most delightful and unique Japanese places I've been to! I was looking for a place to go on my birthday and my friend recommended this place. I was told to try the risotto, but they ran out on my birthday. (sadly) Nevertheless, I told myself I had to go back and try it, and I am so glad I did! This time I went with the friend who suggested the place and he knew all the right things to order!
If you like plum wine, definitely give theirs a try. I like sweet wine, so I enjoyed it and it complimented food well.
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The torched mackerel is also good and fresh, not to mention very cool to watch them torch it in front of you. I seriously want to ask if I can torch it myself next time because the blue flames look so fun. :D
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We grilled our own beef on a little stone-pot fire grill and it was great with what I'm assuming was a yuzu sauce. I want to try the mushrooms next time! But make sure you don't dip the beef in the sauce before you grill it, or else you end up with a very nasty cloud of smoke billowing in your face as our neighbors at the next table had happen to them.
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Musha fried chicken was yummy as well. It's kind of like a tempura chicken. Moist, tender meat...almost like taiwanese popcorn chicken but perhaps not as bad for you. =P
Now the RISOTTO. Oh my god, I would go back for just risotto. It's cooked in a giant slab of cheese and has a rich, cheesy, hearty goodness to it. You HAVE to try this! Actually, I'm not sure if I could taste cheese all that much, but it adds a creaminess to the risotto that kind of makes your mouth want to die.
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And I'm not really sure what this Japanese fried rice was called again (as I didn't order), but it was good! Light and a touch spicy due to the pepper. My friend thought it was alright, but I liked it a lot! Not as much as the risotto probably, but it's still up there.
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I haven't gotten around to trying the desserts, but...there's always next time! Service is friendly and it's always busy and bustling, so account for some waiting time.
I guess my one complaint is that the place is kind of small so you're really close to your neighbors. If you want to have a private conversation with someone, this probably isn't the place. Other than that, the food is delish!
I am a SM local and I've passed by Musha multiple times without even thinking about trying it. Well, my parents were in town and in the mood for some Japanese (not sushi). So, I jumped on yelp and found the great reviews about Musha and decided to give it a shot after checking out the photos.
First, the service is OUTSTANDING! They really go out of their way to make you feel welcomed. When we got there they said there was a 10 min wait. After 11 minutes the sushi chef poured the 3 of us a courtesy Draft Sapporo in champagne glasses because we were not seated yet! A+++++
Onto the FOOD! I tried the Mackerel, Tuna Tartare, Beef Tongue, Portabello Mushrooms. Our first reaction was to the beautiful presentation, I love the way everything is presented in such a raw and basic fashion ( it pairs so nicely with the taste of the food). As per the recommendations on Yelp, the foods flavor was truly life changing. The flavors are so minimal, yet, so grand.
For dessert we chose the Green Tea Ice Cream and Creme Brulle ala Musha. Both were intense and totally distinct to other green tea and brulle desserts I've tried.
The green tea ice cream comes topped with red bean paste/whip cream and garnished with CORN FLAKES and these clear minty gummies!!!???!! The combo makes for an extremely unique medley of textures.
As for the brulle, my mother's favorite dessert in the world is creme brulle and she just could not stop talking about it after we left. It's texture is perfect and the temperature of the dessert was perfect inside not cold like most.
Well, all I have to say is that this is one my current favorite restaurants I have been to in a LONG time. Its innovative flavors and back to the basics style of cooking won me over.
MUSHA I LOVE YOU!
Love!
Cute little restaurant, not good for groups, but they do take reservations.
Must:
Spicy Tuna dip w rice crackers- Nice blend w the right amt of kick.
Flame grilled Mackerel- They take a mini-blow torch and do a little show at your table!
Cheese Risotto- I had my doubts at a Japanese restaurant, but it was so creamy and delicious.
Okay:
Fried chicken cutlet- good but not great
Fried shrimp w mayo sauce- also good but not great
Good sake menu!
The menu is a little over whelming to look at, but the servers were pretty helpful and friendly.
4-5 dishes are pretty filling for a party of 2.
each dish approx. $8-12
Musha Musha Musha!! I finally came here tonight after hearing about how good it is. In order of how good they are, we ordered:
Takotama
Tofu Fries
Han-chu(?) fried rice
Ponzu Duck
I very much recommend the Takotama, their specialty, which is an omelette with octopus and noodles. Mmm. Tofu fries were something new and creative, served with a horseradish dip and a sweet and sour dip. The fried rice was ok, good for filling you up if you want to leave full. Ponzu duck was absolutely horrible! Thin slices of duck on top of some mashed vegetable soaked in an overpowering sour sauce. All you can taste is the sauce. Bleh!
plus Chocolate Souffle,
which was good. It came with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The souffle could've been a little warmer for the contrast in temperature.
Presentation of the food was excellent. Friendly atmosphere. The food came soooo SLOWLY, but most of the time they made sure our waters weren't empty.
Be sure to pick up a small bag of Japanese candies on your way out!
Dear Musha
I am soooooo sorry.
After finishing a killer round of finals, it became necessary for our group to have a few drinks before our dinner reservation. So by the time we arrived, we were trashed. Absolutely. Completely. Totally.
I would have understood if you denied us a table, based on the smell of rum and whiskey emanating from our bodies. But you didn't. You are a teeny-tiny restaurant with a million other people waiting for tables, yet you still somehow accommodated us, as our group of 10 grew into a sloppy group of 16.
I do realize that you are not a sake bomb type of place, and your sober patrons were annoyed (to say the least). But when you order 15 bottles of sake and a few large bottles of Asahi, it became fate. But then there were the spilled drinks. And loud cheers. And public make out sessions. Oh yeah, and the vomit in your bathroom.
I must say, your food is amazing. The sashimi was fresh and well prepared, as were your other tapas-style dishes. The grilled steak and garlicky clams were my favorite. The super tender braised pork reminded me of something my mom used to make at home. I could die in your arms tonight.
Once again, I'd like to apologize. You provided us with amazing food, and the classiest service a bunch of assholes could ever hope for. I promise to come back soon, but maybe after another stimulus check. Because that $800 bill hurt, especially when some people were too drunk to properly pay what they consumed (and threw back up).
Love,
Anh T.
My date and I were on the westside and decided to try this place out after reading Yelp reviews on a demo IPhone at the Apple store on 3rd street.
The place is small so we waited for a while. They serve alcohol while you wait so I didn't mind hanging out for my table to open.
We ordered (actually my date did so I may not have exact names) clam soup, boiled pork belly, fried chicken (two different types), beef tongue, and their special. I don't know the name of the special but it had noodle like texture with mayo based sauce over it.
Pork belly was my favorite. It came in a soy broth with two large potatoes and eggs. The pork melted in my mouth. The fried chicken was my second fav. It came with green paste that gave it a kick (no it wasn't wasabi) and Mediterranean flavor. The other fried chicken was more like chicken prepared tempura style. Funny, their special that they are known for was my least fav.
Price I thought was reasonable. All of the above plus 5 sochu with oolong tea came out to $86 and change for two. I will come back for more.
This place is absolutely delicious! They cooked fish in front of our eyes with a mini blow torch. They brought some spice, in the form of tuna, to a plane rice cracker and they threw eggs, vegetables and squid all in one bowl and made it a masterpiece. They brought Spring alive in April with some carrots, bean sprouts, shrimp and other goodies. Oh, and they made the most delicious fries out of nothing more than tofu!
Plus, some warm tea and fresh oranges as a complimentary dessert! I'll definitely be back!!!
The food was very good and the flame thrower on the fish was entertaining.
I would like to come back and try more dishes here.
However, it was not exceptional or spectacular, which is needed for me to give 5 stars.
I was such a big fan of thier Torrance location that I had to check out this spot. It didn't have the huge table like at its other location which I felt was its cherry topping therefore I'm giving this spot 4 stars. But its usual lively atmosphere wasn't lacking.
I like it! =D
Make reservations, it's a small place and fills up fast.
It gets hot and stinky in here ladies, so layer down and bring a bottle of perfume for later.
Cheese tofu-tasted like cheesecake? Very interesting....Served with honey? and club crackers+bead. The bread sucked.
Negitoro Croquette? - I could have passed on this one. =/
Torched Mackerel right in front of your eyes!
I liked watching it more than eating it...I'm not a big mackerel fan.
Beef tongue grilled on this lil mini stone grill. yummms~
Again I liked watching it cook.
This place is a great fun place to hang out with friends casually...
try various izakaya dishes +sake! wOohOo!
Free Tea + orange at the end of your meal.
They even give you this cute candy assortment when leaving.
Park at a lot around the corner, $3 flat after 6pm or something like that.
10 % off for Yelper
Los Angeles, CA
Happy Hour and Tapas Menu
Neighborhood: West Hollywood
Neighborhood: Santa Monica
Category: Japanese
Neighborhood: Torrance
Category: Japanese
Neighborhood: Santa Monica
Category: Sushi Bars
Moorpark, CA
Category: Restaurants
Neighborhood: Santa Monica
Category: Sushi Bars
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