Omakase at Sushi Noguchi – Restaurant Review and Happy Mother’s Day

A few months ago, my Hubby and I celebrated our 11th Wedding Anniversary at Sushi Noguchi.  Boy oh boy, how time flies!



We tried the Hiro’s Omakase (Chef’s choice - literally means 'I'll leave it up to you') at Sushi Noguchi.  This restaurant became one of our favorite Japanese restaurants in the Orange County.  Have you check out the video above yet?  You can watch Chef Min in action while he prepared the Omakase dishes!






We started our meal with Sake Sampler.  You can definitely taste the different notes and aromas in each one.  Cheers!



Our very first course (picture above) was this amazing appetizer with Japanese Yam (the white strands) along with seaweed soaked in dashi broth; it’s topped with uni (sea urchin) and salmon’s eggs, served chilled. This appetizer was so refreshing.  I love the natural sweetness from the uni that contrasted perfectly with the savory dashi and salmon eggs. 



The next course consisted of quite a few component. Each one is unique and amazing.  From yellow tail sashimi, tuna, to abalone.  All fresh and amazingly prepared that matched with different sauces and seasonings.  When you enjoy the omakese, the sashimi and sushi are often seasoned and the chef would recommend you to enjoy them without dipping into soy sauce or wasabi.  If you’re not sure, it’s okay to ask the chef.



This picture above is the sweet shrimp.  The shrimps were super fresh!  Actually, the 'antennas' of the shrimp were still moving as it sat on the plate (2 pictures above).  You might see that in the video if you pay close attention while Chef Min prepared that dish! 



For the shrimp head, you can choose to have it deep fried, or to prepare a miso soup with it!  We couldn’t decide which one to pick so we tried both!






This Omakase dinner surely was one of the top 5 dining experience I’ve ever had!  (To check out the others, please click here, here, here, and here.)  In addition to the great food quality and presentation, their services were also top notch.  For example, I have never had a omakase chef asked me if there’s something we want to include or avoid in our omakase.  Yet, the chefs at Sushi Noguchi demonstrated the attention to details by asking such a simple, but important, question!  This is definitely a wonderful personal touch.



This asparagus with pouch egg dish (picture above) was the only one dish that I didn’t care for at all.  Maybe because my face look puzzled, Chef Min explained that this is a complimentary dish from the kitchen!  It tasted alright, but I just wished that it would be a traditional Japanese dish rather than an European/American dish that didn't quite match with the rest of our dishes.





You can definitely taste the freshness from each sushi.  In my humble opinion, they have the best sushi in town, no exaggeration!






This one above is one of my favorite!  Snow crab meat topped with Uni!  It had all the ingredients that I love.



Scallop sushi topped with yuzu!  Super refreshing.







Yes, we had quite many dishes!  They were all so succulent that we simply didn’t want it to end! 



As much as you wish you can eat these artistically crafted sushi all night long, when your tummy tells you that it's time to stop, you can simply tell the Chef and he’ll stop serving you. Otherwise, the food will just keep on coming (with additional charges).




Last but not least, we ended our meal with this delicious Mille Crepe Cake.  It’s wonderful and not overly sweet.  If you plan to visit North Orange County region, or do live around the area, I highly recommend this restaurant to you.  Be sure to call for reservation as the seating at the sushi bar is limited.

I want to take this opportunity to wish you all a wonderful Mother’s Day!  Go celebrate with your Grandmother, Mom, or Mother-in-Law!  Give them a big hug and don’t forget to thank them for what they did.  I’m truly grateful for all the mother figures in my life.  Until next time, please take care and have a wonderful week!


Sushi Noguchi
Address: 18507 Yorba Linda BLVD. Yorba Linda, CA 92886
Phone: (714)-777-6789
Web Page: www.sushinoguchi.com


Restaurant Reviews:
uTry.it restaurant reviews are solely based on our experience at each restaurant we visit.   They were just our opinions.  Unless otherwise stated, uTry.it and its owner were not compensated in any way to dine at these restaurants nor to write reviews.  We have no control over your dining experience at any given restaurant. Your experience will depend on the staff working that evening, the time of day, the cycles of the moon and many other things beyond our powers to influence.

Smoked Salmon Blossom Appetizer with Cucumber and Herbed Cream Cheese

I have been really into the Spring time spirit lately.  It's a wonderful time of the year; the weather is perfect, spring break is on the way, and I really look forward to spend some time with the kiddos for the time off.  It's always a great time to get together with friends and have a little party or gatherings as well.  And this Smoked Salmon  Blossom Appetizer is just want you needed to put on the menu.  It's easy to prepare, elegant, and super scrumptious!



For this Smoked Salmon Blossom Appetizer with Cucumber and Herbed Cream Cheese, I used crispy brioche toasts as the base.  (Click here to see the one I used.)  Then, topped with a spread of creamy and tangy herbed cream cheese, cover with a layer of refreshing and crunchy cucumber slices, and finally, the star of the show, a slice of flavorful and fatty smoked salmon rolled into a blossom.  The combined flavor is simply amazing and I love that it's like a beautiful garden on a plate.




It's really simple to prepare and here's the step-by-step pictorial and a few tips for your reference.

1) In a small bowl, stir the lemon juice, sour cream, and chopped dill with the cream cheese until well combined.  The key is to use room temperature or softened cream cheese.  That would make it a lot easier to mix all ingredients together.

2) Spread a thin layer of the herbed cream cheese on the each toast.  You can also use your favorite cracker as well.  Just make sure that you assemble these right before serving so the crackers won't get soggy.

3) Top the cream cheese with a few thinly slices of cucumber on top, let the cucumber slices to over-lay each other a little.  I used Persian Cucumbers for this recipe.  The skin of the cucumber is tender and edible; it's pretty much seedless and perfect for this recipe.  You can use a mandolin to thinly slice the cucumber, but I found that a sharp knife did a way better job.

4) Last but not least, roll the smoked salmon into the shape of a rose.  Simply pick up one end of the salmon and roll it tightly, starting from the center.  it'll form into a blossom easily.  Of course, you can garnish with a small spring of dill on the side as well.



I hope you'll give this beautiful appetizer a try.  I'm sure you and your guests will love it.  As they are so easy to prepare and so much fun to eat.  Until next time.  Please take care and enjoy the nice weather of Spring!

Yuzu Shrimp and Halibut Ceviche

Ceviche is a dish typically made from fresh raw fish marinated in citrus juices such as lemon or lime, and sometimes spiced with onion, salt, cilantro, and chili pepper.  I got some beautiful Halibut from my In-Laws and first thing that came in mind was to make a ceviche!   It’s fresh, clean, flavorful and fun to eat.  Best of all, it requires no “cooking” and best serve chilled.  This is such a perfect summer dish to enjoy!  



Although it required no heating up the stove to “cook” the fish, the acid from the citrus juice actually “cooks” the fish.  You’ll see the flesh of the fish turns from translucent to white color when it’s done.  Pretty amazing, huh?  It’s the best summer party dish because you can prepare the ceviche the day before you plan to serve it.  Don’t you just love dishes that you can make ahead for gatherings and parties?  I definitely do.



Instead of using traditional lime and lemons juice to marinate the ceviche, I used Yuzu juice and Meyer Lemon juice.  I adore both of these citrus and they were a wonderful combination in this ceviche.  Many ceviche calls for raw onion but I didn’t want the strong flavor to overpower the sophisticated and clean flavor of the Halibut.  Therefore, I used a shallot instead for the milder oniony flavor and it works well.  If you’re into spicy food, feel free to add a finely chopped Jalapeño for a spicy kick.  I serve them as a side salad for a family gathering.  You can definitely serve this with some Tortilla chips to scoop with and present it as an appetizer.   

Marx Foods Challenge—Hijiki & Star Fruit Salad; Mochi Rice & Adzuki Beans Sushi Balls

I love Marx Foods Challenge.  Why? It’s because I can guaranteed the results are always scrumptious, fun, and exotic.  Don’t we all love a little excitements in life?  The theme of the Marx Food Challenge this month was “East Meets Delicious”. 



What is it all about?  Marx Foods sent me (and a few other bloggers) some samples of (see descriptions and picture below):

1) Organic Millet—was first domesticated in China over 7000 year ago.  This ancient cereal is very nutritious and gluten free.
2) Dried Star Fruit—a.k.a. carambola or blimbi.  Fresh star fruit is tart, tangy and refreshing.  The dried version concentrate the sugar content and it’s a wonderful snack and/or trail mix ingredient.
3) Mochi Rice— also known as glutinous rice or mochigome.  It doesn’t contain any actual gluten and is perfectly safe for people on gluten-free diets.  Instead, it is extremely high in the starch amylopectin, which makes it exceptionally sticky when cooked.
4) Hijiki—a.k.a. Hiziki.  It’s a brown sea vegetable high in calcium. It has a crisp, mild and nutty flavor.
5) Dried Maitake Mushrooms—a.k.a. Hen of the Woods or Kumotake.  They have a rich, woodsy flavor and the firm base helps these mushrooms hold together during the cooking process.
6) Adzuki Beans—a.k.a. red oriental beans.  They are small reddish-brown beans with a single distinctive white stripe.

My task was to create an appetizer and an entrée using at least four of the ingredients mentioned above.  There will be two winners chosen for this contest, one through the public vote and the other through an internal poll of the Marx Foods staff and the participating bloggers.  The stakes are high for this challenge because each winner will receive their choice of either 4 Kobe Tomahawk Steaks or 5lbs of sushi grade Yellowfin Tuna.  (drooling…)  Click here for official rules.



With these wonderful ingredients, I created the Hijiki and Star Fruit Salad as appetizer and Mochi Rice and Adzuki Beans Sushi Balls as entrée.  Boy, both were so simple to prepare and fun to eat.  I’m going to get down to the details with you in just a minute. 
     


Before we go into the recipe, here is a list of the additional main ingredients used in these two dishes besides those from Marx Foods’ (as shown in pictures below).

1) Powdered Sushi Flavoring—Simply mix it with steamed rice and you get sushi rice
2) Rice wine vinegar—I used it to flavor my salad.  Also, if you can’t find the powdered sushi flavoring, simply mix the rice vinegar, sugar and salt and you’ll get sushi rice as well. 
3) Sake—I used it to rehydrate the dried star fruit in my salad.  Of course, I can’t help it but to pour myself a shot to enjoy along with my creations.
4) Rehydrated Hijiki—Simply beautiful!
5) Sesame Oil—It adds so much flavor to the salad
6) Dried Seaweed—Another ingredient I added into the salad
7) Nori—Seaweed in sheets form that I cut it into stripes to decorate the rice balls
8) A closer look on the dried seaweed used in the salad
9) Rehydrated Seaweed—crispy, mild in taste and perfectly matched with the Hijiki
10) Shiso leaves—a.k.a. Perilla.   I love the slightly minty flavor and aroma from this herb.  Goes perfectly with my sashimi squid balls.





First off, the Hijiki and Star Fruit Salad.  I finely diced the dried star fruit and rehydrated them in some sake.  The dried star fruit absorbed so much flavor from the sake.  Then, I rehydrated the Hijiki and seaweed in water, drained, toss them together with some rice wine vinegar, sugar, salt, red chili pepper and sesame oil along with the sake-rehydrated star fruit.  The natural sweetness from the star fruit was wonderful and balanced well with the tartness from the rice vinegar and spiciness from the chili.  The texture of the Hijiki was tender crisp and contrast well with the slightly chewy star fruit.  This Hijiki and Star Fruit Salad will definitely boost your appetite as it’s so light and refreshing.  Below is a close up of the salad.



Isn’t it a beautiful salad?  I love the color and flavor combination.  You’ve got to give this salad a try.  It’s light, yet flavorful.  Packed with tons nutrients as well.   

Next, the Mochi Rice & Adzuki Bean Sushi Balls.  Traditionally, sushi are made with sushi rice or short grain rice.  But the slightly chewiness and stickiness from the Mochi Rice gives these sushi rice balls it’s wonderful texture.  The adzuki beans adds a hint of sweetness to the rice.





To make these mochi rice and adzuki bean rice balls.  I soak the adzuki beans over night, cook them on the stove for about 45 minutes until they are tender, then drain.  I cook my Mochi Rice in the rice cooker with the sushi rice setting (assuming that you have such an option from your rice cooker).  Otherwise, cook them in regular white rice/short grain rice setting.  When they are done, remove them from the rice cooker to a large plate and mix with seasonings.  Let them cool to room temperature.  Then, gently fold in the adzuki beans.




To form the sushi balls, refer to picture above: 1) Line a kitchen scale with a small piece to plastic wrap. Place 2 tablespoons of seasoned rice on top. Mine measured at 30 gram (1.1 ounce) each. 2) Wrap it tight and form a ball. 3) Place a piece of squid on the plastic wrap, top with half of a shiso leave and the rice ball and wrap again. 4) Or, place a piece of fish on the plastic wrap and a rice ball on top.  Wrap them up to form the shape. The fish is very delicate. So, I like to form the rice ball ahead of time before wrapping them together. That way, I don’t have to handle the fish as much.



Your choice of sushi topping is endless and only up to your imagination. I love Uni (sea urchin), salmon, tuna, salmon roe and squid and that’s what I used. You can make them vegetarian by topping them with a thin slice of cucumber, avocado, or blanched carrot slices, etc.



I love the vibrant colors from different seafood that make these rice balls so pretty.   They are perfect compliment to the white and red rice balls.  Simply serve these sushi rice ball with a little bit of wasabi and soy sauce and you’re all set.  Hope you like these recipes and will try them out in your own kitchen as well.

Ohshima—Restaurant Review

[Warning: If you're not comfortable seeing live or whole seafood ingredients: including heads and tails, you might want to click away now.  Otherwise, keep on reading for some good eats.]




I used to live just 15 minutes away from a Japanese community in Los Angeles and pretty much surrounded by authentic Japanese restaurants.  After moving to the Orange county, I haven’t really had Japanese food until my visit to Ohshima.  Ohshima offers a wide variety of Japanese cuisine, both cooked and raw, a full menu from appetizers to desserts.  But if you plan to dine at this place, “Omakase” at the sushi bar is highly recommended.




Omakase (お任せ) is a Japanese phrase that means "I'll leave it to you". The expression is used at sushi restaurants to leave the selection to the chef.  The chef will generally present a series of plates, beginning with the lightest fare and proceeding to heaviest, richest dishes.

As noted on the menu, the nigiri sushi of the Omakase already came seasoned.  You don’t need to dip them in the soy sauce, really!  You can truly taste the natural sweetness of the fish/seafood and all of them were awesome and super fresh.  My husband and I both ordered the 12 pieces Omakase…and we ended up having more than 12!   

We’ve been to Ohshima in two separate occasions.  On our first visit, we enjoyed the Omakase at the sushi bar.   The second time we sat at the table and ordered from their regular a la carte menu and both were excellent.  First, I’ll post the pictures of the Omakase.

Please excuse the quality of these photos.  As they were taken from a cell phone, not my regular camera.

First, we started with a small plate of complimentary pickled veggies. 



A glass of cold sake for each of us.



The chefs working behind the sushi bar, busy preparing our food!  They were very friendly and attentive.



We started off with Diver’s Scallop.  Super fresh and sweet.  The tangy Yuzu is a perfect match for it.



Up next was Sea Bass. Refreshing and sweet.



Spanish Mackerel.  You can really taste the ocean from this Mackerel.



Toro (fatty tuna) charred with blow torch.  Any food involved a blow torch is just delicious.   Charring really added a nice smoky flavor to the fish.  I love the contrast of texture from the charred and raw flash.



Baby Yellowtail. Another "melt in your mouth" goodness.



Cherry Salmon.  Not your usual Salmon.  It's flown in from Japan.



Amberjack.  Sweet, fresh and great texture.  The flash is a bit firmer from the rest.



Sweet Shrimp Inari.  Yes, it was still swimming a minute before it was served.  The flash was still “moving” when it was on our plate.  The Chef was behind the counter holding the tail of the shrimp so we could take a picture.



Sweet Shrimp Inari.  It's about the freshest as it can get.



Deep Fried Sweet Shrimp heads. So crispy and light.  I love it because it’s not greasy at all and you can eat the whole thing including the tentacle.



Bonito Nigiri.  Great flavor.



Albacore with Secret Garlic Sauce and Chips.  So pungent, rich and flavorful.  The crispy garlic chips on top made a nice contrast in the texture and add another level of garlic-ey deliciousness.



Black Cod charred by a blow torch.



Uni (Sea Urchin) was super fresh and melt in your mouth.



Blue Crab Handroll, a nice way to conclude the savory part of our dinner.



Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Smoothie.  The chocolate cake was moist and delicious.  Perfect pairing with these Vanilla Smoothie.



All the seafood were made with quality ingredients and super fresh.  However, it’s a bit on the pricey side.  But you really paid for what you get.  Our bill for two including sake and dessert came a bit under $160 total, including tax. 

Up next, our second visit with a la carte items.

We started off with Home Made Marinated Uni.  Fresh, sweet, rich and delicious.  The seaweed salad on the bottom made a nice contrast on the texture.  The fresh wasabi on top compliment the Uni nicely.




Seaweed Salad.  A very refreshing salad.  I love the crunchy and bouncy texture from different type of seaweeds in this salad.  The amount of dressing was just perfect.



Baked Scallop Crabmeat Wrapped in Salmon.  It’s wonderful and unique.  The Crabmeat and scallop “stuffing” is chopped and wrapped with a piece of salmon fillet and baked to perfection. You can really taste the crabmeat and scallops inside.



Miso Duck and Forbidden Rice.  The duck was beautifully done.  The blackberry sauce was divine and compliment the duck nicely.  The duck was succulent and juicy. The Forbidden Black Rice has a great texture similar to brown rice and a mild nutty flavor, the perfect bed for the duck.



Last but not least, the Amberjack Collar.  I had yellowtail collar many times before so I opted to try the Amberjack Collar this time.  This fatty fish collar was perfectly done.  The collar was boiled to perfection with a minimal of seasoning.  It’s served with grated daikon, along with some light soy sauce and a wedge of lemon.  The portion was generous.  Basically, it was half of the fish head along with the collar instead of just the collar.



We also ordered Udon noodle soup and a Toro cut roll (nothing special on these two).   The total bill was low $70s after tax.  We didn’t order sake nor desserts this time because the kids were rushing us to go home after they were done.

Conclusion: Ohshima is an authentic Japanese restaurant that serves fresh and quality seafood and many unique a la carte dishes.  The dining area is rather small though.  There are only about 12 sushi bar seats and less than 10 tables all together.  You might want to make a reservation before you go or be there early to avoid the line.  Also, there’s no high chair nor booster seat available at the restaurant.  Despite these drawbacks, My husband and I DO plan to go back there again in the future. There were quite a few more other items on the menu we would love to try on our next visit.    

Ohshima

1956 N Tustin St
Orange, CA 92865

(714) 998-0098

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