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Category: Sushi Bars [Edit]
Neighborhood: Santa Monica
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You still got it, you gorgeous Hump, you! I enjoyed another wonderful meal here last Fri and I just have to share the new dishes I tried (and loved):
- spicy scallop roll- delicious and tender scallops in a spicy, creamy sauce.
- Dengaku- eggplant, baby scallops, rock shrimp, and crab all served in a sweet miso sauce.
- the HUMP ROLL- wow. It's like a fish orgy. In a single roll. I can't even remember all the different kinds of fish in this one now. It's too big to take in one bite, but its still good...
I also found two new drinks that I really liked. The Miyasaka sake is delicious, with delicate floral notes, a hint of plum flavor (which I love), and a nice balance of sweet and dry. The other drink is the Hitachino Nest Red Rice Ale. I had only tried the white ale before, but I think the red is way more interesting, with a complex and delicious flavor.
So, yet another wonderful Hump visit. Someday, someday, I will have the omakase here and stop staring enviously at neighboring diners.
Foodology (or Foodism) would have to be my religion. And I would belong to the sect of Sushi, among… Read more »
Went here on a Wednesday night at around 7:45PM. The place was not packed, so I was worried I had been ill-advised. However, as soon as we sat down at the sushi bar, about 10 more people came in, and that assuaged my fears a bit.
The food is wonderful, delicious, fresh, and well-prepared. The prices are ASTRONOMICAL. Special sashimi dishes are 20-35 dollars for 6 pieces of thinly sliced sashimi with whatever type of special sauce goes with it.
We enjoyed - fried oysters, hamachi special, maguro special, the mushroom dish (the name escapes me), and the salmon skin roll.
The couple next to us ordered the Omikase - that's the way to go. If you are a sashimi lover, go here, order that. You'll be paying a ton of money anyways, you might as well let him make what he wants (according to your taste guidelines of course).
Salmon skin roll was fine, but don't go here for rolls, go here for the sashimi, the sushi, the adventurous interesting stuff.
Service is good - losing two stars b/c it is SO expensive and they should guide you more if they are charging you an entire day's work.
Oh, and the sushi chef was a bit distracted, but I think that's only because of the pretentious d-lord monopolizing his time at the other end of the sushi bar. Some guy who worked in sports but yet his wife new better than he did what time the playoff game is on Sunday. Classic.
Fun location, good date spot - but not necessarily a first date spot.
Just yesterday I was having trouble scrounging up some money just so I could afford to get some tacos or maybe something from the value menu at Wendy's. Tonight, I dine for free at The Hump!
Serendipity called me, and I said yes to something I would usually hide from - a birthday party for someone I don't even know. I was rewarded handsomely for breaking out of my antisocial ways...
It was an open bar, for both sushi and alcohol. The Alaskan king crab, lobster miso soup, & salmon sashimi were definitely highlights of the evening, but the rest of the sushi I tried was all quite beautiful and very tasty. Everything was very fresh and well put together. Would I go back and spend an entire paycheck for a meal here? Only if they bring back the free play video games, photo booth, the 40 year old bottle of Whisky, and the birthday cake -- Probably not gonna happen, but it sure was fun while it lasted...
Went on a whim today to visit my good friend who is a sushi chef there, Ken-san. I shared an Omakase with my partner and it was one of the best omakase's i've had.
Scallops with marinated roe eggs and jelly fish.
Flounder with yusu and himalayan sea salt on one side and Flounder with black truffle, chives and onion gelee.
King Crab legs with ginger vinegar
tempura mix (prawns, kale and some unknown veggie which was amazing) that you dip in curry salt and lemon
toro hand roll, scallop sushi, spanish mackerel and one more which i cant remember the name :)
with red miso soup
pretty amazing food coz everything seems to be so fresh and well seasoned.
will definitely come back !!!
I would go back just for the awesome king crab legs. That was the sweetest, most tender delicious crab meat I've ever had. And now give me a moment to salivate....
Ok done. Now why the 3 stars? Well...aside from the crab meat everything else was just OK. And for the paycheck I plunked down for the meal...well automatically this place has to WOW me to hit the 4-5 star range.
I took the bf here for his birthday since he's a big sushi fan and the reviews were solid. We got the omakase and while it was all fresh and pretty good...nothing really made me go mmmm...yummy. I mean, I don't think my standards are crazy...I'm just asking for a little tango of the tastebuds. We got some interesting scallop ceviche type dish, a huge kinda steamed up mushroom dish, king crab legs, different types of sushi (eel was great!), and some other fiery thing. Like I said...all good, all fresh. Just not worth the almost $300 I plunked down for the two of us.
Best sushi on the west side. FULL STOP
Belly up to the bar and let the chef do the driving.
Bring your wallet and a co-signer.
The Hump is a sushi restaurant located in the Santa Monica airport, which is definitely an odd location (can you imagine yourself ever needing to be there?). Because there are so many good sushi restaurants in Los Angeles, I imagine some (like me) find it odd going to the Santa Monica airport for sushi.
Going into The Hump, I was kind of reminded of the Encounter restaurant at LAX. Planes flying overhead. An old, shabby elevator that heads up the restaurant on the 3rd floor.
The decor is not your typical sushi restaurant decor. It is a small space with an outdoor patio. There is a sushi bar as well as a few tables. The decor is kind of an odd mix. Brown wood table/chair combinations with a bunch of neat looking light fixtures (that vary across the room). The brown wood tables mixed with the brown wood rafters give The Hump a kind of cabin/country club feel to it.
They draw a little bit on the airport with a few pictures of planes on the walls. There are also a few tapestries hanging on the walls (not quite sure of the origin). The floor pattern is red stone floor pebbles. With the big glass windows, you also get to watch the small prop airplanes take off. Given the small space, I think the decor worked making it feel personal and a place for locals.
We went for lunch. They offered their lunch menu ($20 and below). They also offered their dinner menu, which was much more expensive. I went with their lunch sushi combination.
It started with a small salad consisting of frisee, thinly julienned carrots, radicchio, cherry tomatoes and a very light vinaigrette. The salad was very fresh and nicely seasoned (very light seasoning with the vinaigrette). The frisee made it slightly bitter. It could have used something to offset it.
Then came a bowl of piping hot miso soup. Very hot. I had to let it sit. The broth was very flavorful; the wakame and silken tofu were nice. It was good.
The sushi had 5 pieces and a cut roll. The portion size was small. I recently went to a place where the sushi was cut way too thick. The sushi at The Hump was cut more appropriately, but the overall size of the sushi was slightly small (especially since there were only 5 pieces).
The sushi was fresh. Unfortunately, the rice was slightly overcooked. I really liked the salmon. There was also a seared ahi, which was very good. There were two other pieces (I think it was yellow tail and snapper). They were not as good as the salmon or the ahi, but they were okay. The Hump puts a decent portion of wasabi on each piece. I kind of like that but be forewarned.
The cut roll was a inside-out spicy tuna roll. The spicy tuna was good though I kind of like mine to have more of a kick. From the a la carte menu, I got the seared scallop sushi (slightly expensive at $9 for two pieces). Lightly seared and wrapped with a thin band of seaweed, it was okay, but I would not get it again.
I saved the oddest piece for last. This nigri sushi piece had a dark purple / chocolate brown color to it. It was topped with some small onions, grated ginger and some of that broiled eel sauce (kabayaki). The fish did not have the most appetizing color. The taste was very strong. Very distinct fish taste. It was fine, but I am not sure I would want to have it again. I wish I had it earlier in the meal because it did leave a strong aftertaste. My friend thinks it may have been bonito; she also thinks they may have marinated it to bring out that distinct color and taste.
The Hump did not have much of a dessert menu (many Japanese restaurants do not). There was a chocolate cake and an assortment of fresh fruit. Instead, I went with the homemade ice cream. Served in a martini glass was a tiny scoop of sorbet and a tiny scoop of chocolate/mascarpone ice cream. Both the sorbet and the ice cream had a crystallized frozen malt texture. That texture is what you would expect with a sorbet but not with an ice cream.
The flavor of the ice cream (whether it was the chocolate part or the mascarpone part) was non-existent. Quite bland. It was also over $7, which was a bad value considering the size.
The service was very friendly and excellent. All-in-all, The Hump was a mixed big. For the most part, I enjoyed the food; the food, not counting dessert, would be in the 3.5 stars range. I would skip dessert if I came back. The one thing that I noticed in several Yelp reviews was that the food was overpriced. I definitely felt that was the case for dessert.
My sushi (not counting the seared scallops) was about $15. I thought it was a fair price (given the quality); however, you may need to order something else; if not, you could leave hungry. I am not sure I would come back and pay their dinner prices. Overall though, I think The Hump is a decent (but not great) sushi option for lunch.
Considering The Hump is at an airport, you would think parking would be expensive, but it is free and easy to find
Last Friday I came here for dinner, my brother in law and sister wanted to treat me to their favorite sushi place and who am I to deny such a treat. This is where they had their first date and subsequently many more. They raved about how amazing everything was and were excited that they we had time to go.
Driving up, it seems so obscure and out of the way, perched higher up, I had no idea what I was getting myself in to. We entered and sat at the bar, saying hello to the chef's with them greeting us back, apparently they have been here a few times. As we sat at the bar, I looked at how the place was a stark contrast to the outside of the building. Outside, gray and slightly cold, inside was lush wood, warm lighting and smiling faces abound. The men were busy at work but looked to my BIL as what to do, he said something about "we're in your hands" or something. Um, okay, thank goodness I'm not paying. Menus were taken away and three glasses of sake poured and off the adventure began.
Plates upon plates were brought out, lots of sashimi, steamed bamboo shoots, Alaskan king crab, Japanese edamame, (it really is sweeter!), tempura fried soft shell crab, abalone, yellow fin just to name a few. I certainly thought the quality of the fish was very good and the service was quick and even was ahead of the game on a few occasions. I still have to say I dream about the tempura fried soft shell crab, such a mouth full, but just so good.
One of the best reasons to sit at the bar is to watch these men create such wonderful and skilled works of edible art. Each dish was delivered with precision, timing and high level of skill. Some of the plates seemed to be worked on for what seems to be twenty minutes. Just the right amount of sauce here and things not only were tasty but just beautiful. Such a shame to eat it... nah. Just kidding.
I can only assume looking at the prices before hand that this was a pricey meal, but one that was well worth it. The dessert of sorbets were amazing, personally I enjoyed the truffle chocolate chip selection, but the banana chocolate chip one was excellent as well.
We had many goodbyes, a few bows and many smiles flashed at us when we left. Leaving was filled bitter sweet memories of tasty and amazing food shared with some wonderful people.... and a soon to be raging hangover in the morning. Sake and red wine is not a good combo.
So let me tell you a tail of how I felt when I fin-ished my dinner at this overrated sushi spot. First of all, if I were you I'd take advantage of the fact that it's at an airport and runaway. I'd love to share in the sentiment of everyone else and tell you I felt like I was eating out of the ocean, but the quality of fish served to me made me wonder when this place is going to tank.
With decor that's supposed to pay homage to WWII pilots flying over Mt. Everest, I think what's really going on is the owner just unloaded his attic and travel souvenirs into this disjointed restaurant. I'm sorry, but I just don't think the industrial lights juxtapose the cozy fireplace and bamboo matted ceiling in any coherent manner. For an establishment that charges 150-300 for omakase style I'm flipping out at the entry way into the kitchen...such an eye sore. Oh and even better you have to go into typhoon (the owners other restaurant) down stairs to use the porcelain whirlpool.
Anyway who wouldn't be reeled in by the potential to watch airplanes take off, so we sat down and gave these classically trained chefs a chance. Contrary to the boosting of other yelpers right off the bat I asked for my favorites kamachi and giant clam... but NOPE they didn't have any. I don't own a restaurant, but I'm pretty sure you're supposed to be able to offer what you have on your menu.
That's like the spaghetti factory running out of spaghetti, o wait that's already happened to me once.
Anyway here's the down and dirty-the restaurant was dead inside, there were barely any ppl. The fish was 7/10 out for freshness and flavorless. The seaweed salad was not much better than eating off the bottom of the ocean and was just a pile to seaweed. The crab cakes were perfectly crispy on the outside from the panko breading and had the most delicious creamy crab inside. Glad something kept them afloat.
What we had: Medium fat toro, yellow tail, albacore, salmon, salmon roe, smelt, tamago, squid, unagi, red snapper (all nigiri style), seaweed salad, crab cakes
Now just in case you want to tell me I don't know what I'm talking about then get in a leer jet with me and will jet set to Tokyo because the Tsukiji Fish Market is where my heart melted over sushi. With every bite I could taste the freshness flood my mouth as each piece of nigiri melted in my mouth. This is my standard and this is why I'm telling you the Hump is not where you'll get your amazing sushi experience. You know the quality is top notch when you savor ever particle of fish and I would love to share this experience with you if it meant I could keep you away from here.
I have been coming here since they opened back in the late 90's. This is probably the most consistent restaurant I have been to. And they do not disappoint! I love that aromatic mushroom soup they always serve during the fall. I have missed the timing for the last few years, but you usually can catch it in early Oct. Just try the omakase menu if you are a die hard sushi fan. I love their plump amaebi! (esp. when you see the shrimp moving while you are consuming their bodies-- it is a bit morbid but hey, it is just to show you how fresh your food is). I know the chawan mushi seems to be too simple, but I love the fact that they have ginko in it! I haven't had those since childhood. Overall, I think it is the best sushi place I have eaten in LA
Super cool place over looking the airport. The price is a little much for the experience. The elevator going to the place is not nice and takes away from the date night effect.
But the atmosphere and food might be the best on the west side for Sushi.
Flying in was Good.
Getting upsold on every thing we ordered was Bad.
Order "tuna sushi" waitress asks "blue tuna?" I say yes not $7 now $20
Order ice cream, waitress asks "with chocolate cake on plate?" now $20
I felt like I was in the closing booth of a car dealer.... I got the wax job here. Sushi and service were fine, not better than many I have been to tho... I would prefer getting what I ask for, not upsold into a much pricier item. It might explain why there were only two tables seated and nobody at the sushi bar on a beautiful sunday evening....
expensive, nice atmospere, did I mention you can do better?
Disappointed. Japanese Fusion. There wasn't even one standout dish. Unmemorable.
The fish quality was definitely not that great. They just drown everything in sauce. They use gold flakes, whoop dee. Bonito sashimi, and seared blue fin sashimi was mediocre. not fesh at all. and salty. The chawanmushi was just typical. There was no shrimp like the server told us but instead fish and gingko nut. The king crab legs were difficult to eat. They cut it for us and all but the meat stuck to the sides of the legs. The scallop drowning in vinegar w cherry tomatoes with a hint of wasabi was ok. All I tasted was the vinegar. We each got 3 spoons of seared tuna w uni, green onions, and black tuffle w black tuffle sauce. 3 spoons prepared the same way. Weird.
The sushi platter was just ok. The rice was a tad to vinegar-y. the engawa was not bad. Chewy. The sweet shrimp was mediocre. The tuna was good. the orange clam was mushy. The salmon, unmemorable. The 2 pc spider roll was hUGE. But nothing special. the khoada was ok at best. The kanpachi with green salsa (Serrano chiles) was nothing great either. The shrimphead came in the salty miso soup. Also they gave us special ginger with miso paste. Interesting. The ginger was too soapy tasting for me. The tuna with mountain yam, seaweed in miso sauce was mediocre. Too much sauce and salty. The quality of the fish was meh.
For 150$ omakase it better be DAMN good, but it wasn't. the dessert platter came with apples, cantaloupe, asian pear, kiwi, sour orange, small piece of chocolate cake (good), homemade raspberry ice crème, and cherry chocolate chip ice crème which was icy. The flavor was good, but I wished it was cremier.
Omakase @ the Hump was the most unique, exotic, and fresh sushi experience I've experienced - and this includes multiple trips to Japan.
Did my heart skip a beat when I was delivered the check? Yes.
But was it the most memorable, distinct, and quite possibly most enjoyable meal in recent memory? Yes.
Partook in the Omakase when I took fellow sushi-snob buddy ML there for this bday about a year ago.
The highlights:
Meal opened w/ shirauo (Baby White Fish). Live. Straight-up scooped one by one out of pet-fish-store plastic bag. Then dumped into martini glasses, where they wriggled around. Right before the glasses were served to us, the poured a ponzu-based cold broth over the suckers, causing them to 'swim' and resulting in a few of the fish jumping out of the glass and onto the counter in front of us. We had to cover the glasses w/ our hands to prevent a full on jail break. Then we proceeded to drink down the entire cup full of writhing fish. And you know what? It was delicious - including the crisp texture of the wriggling fish as you bite through them in your mouth.
Live eel - killed, fileted, and served just like they do at Tsukiji - with the eel wriggling around as a stake is driven through its head.
Hokkaido Hairy Crab. OMG. As sweet as advertised. Funny thing was, our neighbors were served almost-live lobster, freshly killed. I commented that I hope we were getting one too. The sushi chef remarked that we were getting something better - which resulted in the Hairy Crab. Served w/ the shell tops of each leg shaved off, allowing instant and easy access to the sweet meat.
Everything else was great - Toro, Uni, Amaebi ... all as fresh as can be.
Service is phenomenal. Really helps make it a very enjoyable experience.
If you get to be VIP or a regular there, you probably could get any type of sea life possible. VIP next to us requested that they have 'shamoo' ready for him next time he was there.
The omakase will definitely be a memorable experience. Just expect it to be memorable on your credit card too.
Came here for a midday lunch. I love sushi and this place was excellent! Got all the usual things (albacore, yellowtail, uni, sweet raw shrimp, spicy scallop, flounder..) and they were ALL delicious. Even the common spicy tuna was better than at other places. I like that the rice portion was just right.
I LOVE this place. Hands down my favorite sushi restaurant. This is a place for traditional sushi lovers. If you are looking for teriyaki chicken or california rolls I suggest you go somewhere else. As many have mentioned, you want to do Omakase at the bar. Then you can watch them work their magic. Some of the items are so exotic I need to do a google search when I get home to find out what I just ate. And I can't stress enough how fresh their fish is. Fish that you 'thought' was normally cloudy is clear when they serve it here. I really can't say enough about this place.
And, yes, it can be pricey. So if your idea of expensive is Olive Garden then this might be a little over your budget.
Consistent!
The food is always consistent, no variations.
Always fresh.
They are getting better with the reservations, I had to wait several time to be seated, even with reservation.
We can see they are also feeling the crunch! the slowdown in the food industry, due to the economic situation.
The service is always consistent.
Wit some in ovation they deserve a 5th star, the Japanese restaurant seem to fall asleep at the wheel, the soon as they develop a follow up.
Good restaurant.
The Hump is probably second to R-23 for sushi restaurant located in an obscure place.
Okay, I admit it. The sushi quality here is nothing particularly special. However, if you want to dine in a unique setting, then The Hump provides a refreshing experience. The Hump is located at Santa Monica Airport. On a weekday evening, this place has a special vibe. It tends to be less crowded. You are able to appreciate the little things like the sushi chefs performing their craft and the expansive runway just outside the restaurant.
I recommend reserving a table with views of the landing strip. The space is quite small. The sushi selection is very typical. Read my Sushi Gen review for my sushi recommendations.
http://www.yelp.com/li...
The chefs are very friendly.
I suggest reserving a table for two during a weekday evening. Although The Hump is widely publicized as a popular sushi destination, it has an "underground" feel b/c of its location. Take anyone new to LA to The Hump. You'll come off as a hip and intelligent sushi aficionado. Surprise your girlfriend or boyfriend by taking them to The Hump on a Wednesday. It provides a nice backdrop for you both to escape the clutter and monotony of mid-week work.
The Hump is on my Fave 25 for Sushi Restaurant with a Novel Dining Setting
Somehow I had my most expensive dinner in LA here. As in later that night, as I was flossing my teeth, the small bits of food stuck to my dental floss probably cost as much as my monthly cellphone bill.
The toro and uni were good - but I've had better. The crab cake was so-so.
But Mother of God, the Kobe beef almost made it all worth it - otherwise I'd only give this place three stars. You cook it yourself on a wood-fired hibachi, and it's probably the best animal flesh I've ever tasted. Tears practically rolled down my cheeks as the ridiculously marbled meat melted in my mouth.
For the dessert part of my girlfriend's omakase, she had an assortment of sherbet. They asked us if we wanted to try one made from dark chocolate and ... truffles. Sounded like something Morimoto would make up during Iron Chef, so we figured why not? It tasted as weird as it sounds.
OMAKASE means "it's up to you" according to wikipedia. the "You" in a sushi restaurant means sushi chef. We ordered the omakase for two people. it was a negotiable $90 per person. I felt like this would have to be spectacular. In Japanese culture, a spectacular sushi dinner left to the chef must mean that they will serve you a bunch of rarely eaten sea creatures that have been beautifully plated and very little of the familiar favorites. Now, I know that by Japanese sushi standards, this was a fabulous meal. I know sushi, and i can appreciate what they are trying to do. But they missed the mark with us. Almost all elements of the dinner were out of the norm...and tiny.
the omakase at the hump is both interesting and disappointing. The Japanese conch was nearly inedible. the taste and texture of this sea snail is like a chopped up rubbery turd. The albacore was amazing except that it was buried in the chef's spicy salsa, so the delicate flavor was lost. Some of it even tasted really good. The snapper was great. The sweet shimp (ama ebi) tartare was so laden with truffle oil that it was all you could taste. The gold dust was a nice touch. Nothing like passing some gold-speckled deuces and shouting "I'm rich, bitch!!"
Suggestion: if you are going to ask your guests to trust you, try to serve them something THEY will like, not something YOU would like to make.
I am still trying other Class A Japanese Restaurants in LA but by far from experience, this place is THE BEST. I tried the Hump a year and half ago and it was the best sushi experience.
The location was a bit of a surprise for me. This place does not attract much foot traffic because it is located in small Santa Monica Airport, where there are no commercial flights, only private owned planes. Because this place is located on the top floor, you have an amazing view of the landing strip from the patio. The interior decor reminded me of belonging in a cabin. They had a working fireplace which gave a cozy ambiance.
Food: We didn't want to dish out too much money on Omakase, because of the uncertainty of the final price, we tried something smaller called Moriwase, which is a three course meal compared to five for Omakase.
The first dish was a sashimi blow fish with Himalaya salt platter. Blow fish are known to carry a poison in them and people have died from eating this fish because it was not properly cut. It was an exotic experience for me because it is a high-risk dish, which many sushi man will not serve and I have never tried it before. The chef explained that he chose this as our first dish, because he wanted to start off with something light. This was a very tasty dish.
Second dish he prepared was three different yellowtail caught from the sea of Japan. They were presented as Young (wild) yellowtail, Wild yellowtail, and farmed yellowtail. The wild yellowtails had a stronger fishy taste compared to farmed. Farmed fish tastes lighter. I was able to taste what a wild fish tastes like compared to a farmed fish.
Third dish was the most over my head sushi platter that I have ever tried. The sushi master brought a live lobster and made lobster sashimi with the tail and lobster miso with the rest of the body. As he sliced the lobster and worked on making lobster sashimi, we heard the lobster make crackling noise, which sounded quite devastating, but just thinking about how fresh the meal was going to be made my mouth salivate for it. The ending dish was presented on a rectangular platter with radish mountain and gold-flaked lobster sashimi on top. Lobster sashimi and miso were UNBELIEVABLE! Major bravo to the chef.
We also ordered an eel roll where he banged the eel with the side of his knife and peeled off the bone in one try.
Next time we go there, I will make sure to order Omakase because my previous experience was that good.
Hump me baby one more time! This place rocks! How do you make me feel like I am in Tokyo but in a remodeled hanger looking building?
The fish looked and tasted fresh and the service was perfect on a Monday night right at 6 PM. I read a lot of reviews that said this place was always packed and by 7 PM it was over run with eager sushi lovers. I would highly recommend this place for a nice expensive date... The corkage fee was only $10.00 you can't beat that!
The sushi was a bit pricey but well worth the money.
Bobby C
I love it here! Totally not cheap but good sushi rarely is. I am Japanese and from Hawaii so I have had some pretty good sushi in my days... I think this might be one of the best places in Cali! My dad is super picky and every time he comes to visit me from Hawaii he hates the places we go to eat. I took him to the Hump and he LOVED it. The kanpachi we had was to die for and all of their fish/seafood is super fresh!
I also love the fact that it is on the SM airport runway. Its a great place for a date... Small and special:)
In my opinion this is the best place to go for sushi, its really fresh and the sushi chefs know how to cut the fish as well as form the sushi perfectly.
I love the Hump especially because they always have items that are unavailable in Japanese restaurants that I've gone to in L.A. like blow fish sashimi. (which was OK, i think the thrill of having it was better than the taste) My favorite dishes are live lobster sashimi, sazae soup, octopus sashimi with suction cups, and kumamoto oysters.
Keep in mind its not going to be cheap at ALL but well worth it.
$$$$$$ food is very good but it is a pain to get there. I would rather sit on a plane for 9 hour to Tokyo for Kyubei
Why is this place called "The Hump?" Why does putting centuries-old sea salt on sushi make it taste better? Why is it at a freaking community airport? Oh, the mysteries of The Hump. The place has enough seats to meet the needs of a single Mormon or Catholic family (like mine), and charges a ton for the privilege. Not a bargain. The sushi was fine. Knowing that the sea salt co-existed with Jesus and saw the fall of both the Romans and ABBA did not make the yellow tail taste better. The yellow tail was fine, don't get me wrong. But I did not gain super powers from it and paid dearly in treasure for the attempt. Overrated.
I have been here only once, but I was so pleasantly surprised and pleased that I HOPE I get to go back again. The Hump is tucked away in a private location at the Santa Monica airport. I had absolutely no idea where I was being taken as we approached the runway. Seriously, who would have known there was this hidden, AMAZING sushi restaurant there all this time! I lived in LA for at least 3 years before I had even heard of this place!
The restaurant was on the smaller side, but in no way was it too small. It's a cozy place. Found it interesting that I had to leave the restaurant to use the restroom though.
My date did the ordering and paying, so I can't add much on that end, except that everything I tasted was so fresh and so memorable! I wish I knew what I was eating so I could recommend it, but I have a feeling everything at The Hump is the right choice!
I usually review all you can eat sushi places, but this place is an exception. Food is exceptional, the view of the airport is wonderful.
The prices is not so good. It's actually expensive here, but don't
let that deter you from trying this place. If you want a nice romantic
dinner, then by all means come here.
This place has some really interesting unique fish selections, but is extremely over priced.
I did enjoy seeing the sushi chefs chop up live shrimp and it was crazy to see the eel squirming around as the chef nailed its head to the chopping board.
Fish was definitely fresh and tasty. If i was rich I'd come here to eat more often. Mostly I would come to try the interesting fish. i think they had whale, barracuda, shark?
Hump is good, but at $600 for 2 people, there are plenty better Japanese cruisine in LA. I feel I been ripped off because while I appreicate the exotic craftmenship for the 9 courses dinner, I simply don't feel there is enough substance/incredients to make up for $600 quality food.
To be exact, I had probably 3 slices of Toro, 1 Raw sweet shrimp, 2 scoops of Uni(decoration purpose only), and couple shellfishes to sum up the expensive material. $300 per person? I'd rather spend a little more and head to Urasawa in Beverly Hills.
Stay away from Omikase, I will now ask the range of "market price" at every high end Japanese restaurant.
The Hump is the Los Angeles branch of Japan's THE HUMP, an ultra-trendy elite sushi bar located in the recently revitalized Marounichi district of central Tokyo.
Whereas The Hump in Tokyo features incredible views of the Imperial Palace moat, visitors to the LA location are treated to views of the runway and hangars of the Santa Monica Airport, on the 2F above Typhoon Restaurant.
The chefs are veterans from the Japanese bubble days, and like crosstown rival Sasabune, the chefs recommend "omakase" service. By putting yourself in the chefs hands, they will cater the menu towards your taste, whether it be for hip California-sushi diletantes or towards more authentic fare.
The menu features many daily specials which change with the season... recently featured were Tai (sea bream) from Shikoku, Kanpachi and Kanburi (two types of yellowtail: young and old), Shimaagi (yellow jack), Hirame (fluke) or live amaebi (sweet shrimp) served wriggling as nigiri. The chef may choose to finish the meal with your choice of kani or amaebi miso soup, for a bit of a western japan flavor, ask for yours with "akamiso" (red miso).
The design of the restaurant is over the top. At once sleek and rustic, fit for a tropical rendezvous with your favorite sushi chefs. A huge glass panel behind the bar draws your immediate attention to the etching of a plane traversing the short ceiling above the Himalayas, a trip that inspired the unusual name of this restaurant.
This is a pretty special place, true sushi fans should have a blast here.
Fuck.
I mean that in the most over-the-top-knocked-my-socks-off-fireworks-explos ions kind of way.
I am definitely a sushi snob, as I previously pondered in my review of another good sushi establishment. The Hump goes above and beyond anything I've ever had. Believe the other reviews: the fish is FRESH (the sweet shrimp heads on the table next to us made the couple squeal. awesome.), it is cut to perfection to MELT in your mouth, and our hostess was EXCELLENT. She checked up on us throughout the meal and made us feel right at home. AndI got to top off my birthday with the best Toro I've ever had. If I were a rich woman, I would've said "Fix me up with a $1,000 worth of Toro and call me done!"
If you need to kill time, you can go downstairs to Typhoon's bar and have a cocktail. The owner walked around chatting up everyone to make sure all was ok and made sure we had been handled ok upstairs at Hump.
But, Fuck. The price.
So if you are a person of informed and discriminating taste, i.e, a connoisseur, it's worth checking out at least once.
This restaurant was sort of an inspiration for us to go to Santa Monica for the weekend. A friend of ours raved about it and claimed it to be the best sushi he has ever had.
I read the reviews on Yelp in advance and learned that this it was going to be expensive. It was interesting to read that so many people seemed to be surprised the final cost of their bill. Didn't these people see the prices and know what they were ordering?
Now I understand what they are talking about. You know what you are ordering but you don't always know what it costs. WORD OF ADVICE - Ask how much the specials cost, ask how much the MP's on the menu are and when the waiter says they can add something that seems minimal to your dish - ask how much! This is where the hidden costs come in.
Our waiter raved about the hairy crab special and how wonderful it is without mentioning the price until we asked. Hairy crab was $150. This was the one dish he did let us know about in advance and luckily we were able to make a decision whether we wanted it or not. The other dishes were were not so lucky.
I think this sucks. Why can't restaurants just let us know how much these things are in advance?
I asked the waiter about the shaved gold sprinkling that I had read about and he said he could add it to our tartar. That must of been the $40 mystery charge that we could not figure out what we paid for later.
Even without the crab our bill was $350 for the two of us. Now I understand what all the other Yelpers were talking about.
Was the food good? Yes - it was decent. I really liked the shrimp tartar and my boyfriend loved the sashimi.
Was the view good? Meh - we saw one plane take off.
Would I go back? No.
If I am in Santa Monica and am hungry for sushi, I will probably go to Sushi Roku.
I'm not sure how I'm going to eat sushi in Chicago after eating sushi this fresh! Although a sushi restaurant in an airport seemed a bit strange to me, I absolutely loved the atmosphere. I highly recommend Hump for a date because I found it to be a very romantic spot, which was probably wasted on my friend and I.
We thought about going with the chef's choice, but fortunately asked the waitress how much this would cost before placing our order. She said it would be $500 for the 2 of us! Crazy... personally I'd rather buy a purse than spend my $250 on a new purse!
Instead we ordered a few things off the menu...I couldn't get over how fresh everything was! Some of my favorites include the yellowtail, the fluke, and the monkfish liver. We also had a unagi roll and a shrimp tempura roll....they were both good, but I'd probably stick with the sashimi if I came back. For dessert we split a delicious flourless chocolate cake, which was the perfect ending to a delicious sushi meal.
My only complaint is that they don't serve crispy rice like they do at koi or katsu-ya, but this doesn't seem to be the place to go for innovative rolls. Go here for fresh sushi/sashimi that will actually melt in your mouth!
There were two huge melon-looking things sitting on the sushi bar when we walked in. I'm not sure what they were -- they looked like deformed canteloupes without shells. I really don't know what to make of them.
I also don't know what to make of the fact that there is no restroom -- you have to go to the bar downstairs.
I don't know what to make of the patio, which seems to just be overflow of idiots from that same bar (not a good bar).
I don't know what to make of the decor, which was fairly bland.
All that said, the food was damn good and the planes blasting around makes for an interesting venue. We had the unagi salad (amazing), sea bass (I think? it was slightly overcooked but still tasty), crab cake (really good, topped with halibut), toro tartare ($45 for the world's smallest portion -- gold flakes were an unnecessary touch), hump roll (rainbow roll, really good), young yellowtail (good), and pike mackerel with flowers (?)
My favorite was the unagi salad, hers was the pike mackerel. The mackerel came with some totally bizarre salad/garnish/something that basically tasted like a mixture of grass/dirt that you last tasted when you fell down with your mouth open as a child. It's possible it was only there for show and not for eating.
I'm sorta wishing we had done the omakase, just to see what they'd come up with. Maybe next time, of which there will definitely be one.
This is the place. It's the place you bring your parents to show them you know neat spots in LA. It's the place you go when trying to seduce someone. It's the place to go when you land The Peterson account.
OK, lets talk about the food: The sushi is almost intimidatingly fresh. If you order fresh sweet shrimp nigiri, the newly killed shrimp heads will still be moving on your plate. Not for the squeamish, but you can be assured you are getting the freshest sushi available. My friend got me hooked on the octopus sashimi, which is unlike anything I have had at other sushi restaurants (and I've tried). It is also unbelievably fresh, served with flecks of sea salt. The sashimi, the sushi - it's all insanely good, some of it is imported from Japan, but of course, you can expect to pay a lot for this kind of quality. Sake by the glass is also the way to go - they pour sake into glasses held in wooden lacquer boxes until they overflow... and then you drink what has spilled over into the box.
The ambience is it's own draw. The dining room is not extravagant, but looks like a little Japanese cabin. You watch little single-engine jets quietly take off and land right outside the window. Very Casablanca. At night, the combination of mind-blowing sushi, premium sake, and lights from the tiny ascending planes, all help make this one of my favorite restaurants in Los Angeles.
Amazing food here! The sushi is probably my favorite out of any I've had in L.A. You pretty much can't go wrong with anything you order. I've seen people get pretty bold at this place, get their food, look at it in a terrified way, and then devour every bite! The location is totally random, which makes it sort of fun to me. You're watching all of these private planes fly in, which makes me wonder how many drug runs go through this airport??? LOL. Anyway, I have no complaints, despite the location, and have never had a bad meal here. It is way expensive, don't just let a date go wild is all I will say: )
Everything extraneous about hump was great...service, ambience, location. However, I was not blown away by the meal, especially for the $600+ price. We got the omekase and I did enjoy the freshness and inventivness of the meal.
However, the first few dishes were a tad underwhelming in regards to taste. The japaneses kobe-esque beef was amazing but then the sushi to finish it off was not that great.
If the price was ~$200-250, I would have given it a 4stars, but for the sheer price of the meal, I expected an amazing culinary experience. However, I was not as impressed and thought the other sushi meccas in west LA, sasabune and masu, were better in taste and price.
The food is really good. Especially their seafood is very fresh and tasty. Nice place to go on a date.
However, Price is kinda high. I once paid $350 plus tips for two.
Not sure if this is first 5-star sushi restaurant, but this was truly my best Japanese food experience.
Ultra-hip out of the way location on level 3 of the Santa Monica Airport hangar.
I won't repeat all of the same things as other Yelpers, but think of live lobster flown in from Japan, cut up and dissected in front of your eyes and prepared sashimi, roasted and tempura-ed. The head is then used to make a lobster broth. A sight to behold and to eat.
Price is high but well worth it (be prepared to spend $250 for two) and by all means sit at the bar.
Neighborhood: Santa Monica
Category: Sushi Bars
Neighborhood: Santa Monica
Category: Sushi Bars
Neighborhood: Santa Monica
Category: Japanese
Neighborhood: Santa Monica
Category: Sushi Bars
Neighborhood: Santa Monica
Category: Sushi Bars
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