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.

Sushi Yosuke Restaurant Review

Chirashi Lunch Box

After this post here, and that one, oh, and this one as well, I’m sure you probably know that I love Japanese food!  Today, I want to take you to one of my favorite Japanese restaurants in town.  It sure is a hidden gem for authentic Japanese good in the neck of my wood.  Our family usually go there a few times a month.  As little as we dine out, this got to be the restaurant that we frequent the most! 

Delux Lunch Box includes Matcha ice cream 

The pictures in this post are a collection of many visits to this restaurant.  We tried many different items from the menu and there are always a couple of them that we would order again!  The Deluxe Lunch Box (see picture above) is one of them.   The lunch set also comes with a bowl of steam rice and miso soup, as well as a Matcha ice cream (see picture below).  They charge this lunch set for a little less than $16!  I say, it’s great value.  Plus, the food they served is always fresh.

Matcha Ice Cream

Sushi Yosuke also offers combination lunch boxes, such as the one below.

Combination Lunch Box with Teriyaki Beef and Sashimi

My kids love the udon from this place (see picture below).  This is one item that they always order when we dine here. 

Hot Udon with Vegetable Tempura

For a light lunch, a sashimi salad would be a wonderful choice. 

Sashimi Salad

Lunch Combination with Shrimp Tempura and Yellow Tail Sashimi

The service at this restaurant is always wonderful. Servers and the sushi bar chefs are always friendly with a wonderful smile and ready to serve you.  Since the price of this restaurant is considered reasonable along with great food quality, there’s often a line during busy lunch and dinner hours.  So, I suggest that you might want to visit early to avoid a long wait.

Lunch Combination with Shrimp Tempura and Sashimi Salad

Please also note that the lunch menu and dinner menu is quite different.  There are more selections for dinner compared to lunch.  When we dine here for dinner, we always start our meal with the Oyster Shoot as an appetizer.  The raw oysters in it are always sweet and fresh!  There’s also a raw quail egg yolk in it for some richness.  This oyster shoot is a little briny, a little spicy, and perfect with the boozy sake.  It’s garnish with a spire of asparagus and carrot.  Very refreshing and satisfying.  

Oyster Shoot

Tuna Rose wrap with scallops is another appetizer that we love.

Tuna Rose wrap with Scallops

Delux Sushi Dinner Set

Combination Dinner with Oyster Katsu and Sashimi

I’m happy to report, so far, we love all the food that we’ve tried at this place.  If you happen to be in the area, you’ve got to give this place a try.  Last but not least, the Deluxe Dinner Chirashi (see picture below) is our favorite item to order for dinner.  The box on the left consists of sushi rice topped with imitation crab salad, some marinated mushrooms and pickles.  The box on the right consists of assorted sashimi, and they are always fresh.

Delux Dinner Chirashi

Information of Yosuke Sushi:

Address: 136 South Fairmont Boulevard, Anaheim, CA 92808
Phone: (714) 921-4002

Please visit their Facebook page for operating hours:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Yosuke-Sushi/172056599493647?sk=info&tab=page_info

Thank you so much for reading and I can't wait to share more of my favorite restaurants with you in the near future.

Restaurant Review Disclaimer: uTry.it restaurant reviews are solely based on our experience at each restaurant we visit.   They were just our opinions.  uTry.it and its owner were not compensated in any way to dine at these restaurants nor to write reviews. 

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.

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

It was Daddy’s birthday yesterday!  As usual, we celebrated with food!  To be exact, Japanese food, which is one of Daddy’s favorites.  In the past ten years, our family seldom purchased any fish from the supermarket.  Not that we don’t like fish.  It was just because we always have the freshest supply, free.  Yes, I said FREE!  That’s because daddy loves fishing!  If you’ve ever tasted a piece of sashimi from the fish that was just swimming in the ocean minutes ago, you know what is fresh.  The sweetness of the flesh, and melt in the mouth texture is indescribable!
Back to the birthday celebration, we went to RA Sushi Bar Restaurant in Torrance.  I rated this place 3.5 to 4 stars out of 5.  I picked this restaurant because it’s closed to our house and they have pretty decent sashimi and rolls.  Plus, I know they have high chairs available.  This place is spacious and usually not packed.  Also, it’s in the Del Amo Fashion Center, so, there are plenty of parking spaces available.  Of course, there are many other (better) sushi restaurants to choose from in Torrance if you don’t have to consider high chair availability, wait time and parking distance. 
Let’s see what we have ordered…

Assorted Sashimi Set Lunch—Tuna, Salmon and Yellowtail Served with Salad, Miso Soup and a bowl of white rice

The Set lunch is good value, but the fish wasn’t top quality.  I would rather order a la carte next time.

Sushi—Tuna, Uni and Ebi

The Uni sushi are great, very fresh and sweet.  Didn’t try the other 2.

  Seared Tuna with Ginger Sauce

This one is yummy.  Something different.  I love the greens on top adding a little crunch.  The ginger sauce is flavorful but not too strong.

Garlic Citrus Yellowtail 

The citrus dressing is very light, very refreshing.  It’s perfect with a dab of wasabi.

Yellowtail Sashimi

Good quality, better than those from the set lunch. 

Salmon Sashimi 

The salmons were just okay.  Not fat enough for my liking.

Spicy Tuna Roll

Not bad, tuna is spicy enough.  However, I think I can make the roll prettier that this! 

  Shrimp Tempura Udon

Shrimp Tempura Udon

The Udon is very flavorful, lots of bay scallops, carrots and mushrooms make the broth very sweet.

Beef Tataki Roll

This is one of my favorite, the dipping sauce is great too, a little sweet and a little tangy.  The beef is fresh and melt in your mouth.  The asparagus adds a little bit crunch. 

Scallop Sashimi

This is my favorite of the day.  Fresh, sweet, melt in your mouth goodness.

So, what’s the damage……drum roll please…

Just a tip for you, if you want to try RA, go during their happy hours.  You get discount on beers and sake (not sure how much though), appetizers and rolls are 50% off!   That’s not a bad deal at all.

We had a great time.  I’m sure my little ones enjoyed the lunch, too.  There were lots of laughter, noise and mess from them.  Nothing is better than spending quality time with family.  (Too bad my hubby couldn’t join us this time.)  To me, food is the most delicious when shared with family and love ones.  Happy Birthday again, Daddy!  I love you.