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

*Disclaimer*

Zojirushi Rice Cooker--Product Review

We’ve been using this “new” rice cooker, almost every day, for more than 12 months now.  Before we purchased this new baby, we used an older model of Zojirushi rice cooker for more than a decade!  Yes, they do last that long!  That’s why I love Zojirushi’s products.  Luckily Unfortunately, the non-stick coating of the inner cooking pan of the old cooker started to come off.  That’s why we have to consider getting a new cooker.  Another option was to replace the inner cooking pan of the old one, which would only costs $35 to $40.  Why did we spend that extra $250 or so?  There are a few reasons, and I’m telling you, it’s worth every single penny! 

First of all, we’ve been eating brown rice for a few years now.  However, the texture of the brown rice varies quite a bit with different brands.  Some could be quite rough and chewy (especially true for the cheap brands).  This new rice cooker features 2 options for brown rice, a regular brown and GABA Brown (aka germinated brown rice).  It cooks the rice to a perfect consistency and texture every single time.  For the GABA Brown option, it takes a lot longer to cook though and here’s the explanation why.  If you’re interested to learn more about GABA rice’s health benefits, simply click here.
 





Another reason that convinced me to get this new cooker was because my daughter started to eat solid food, and this cooker has the porridge option!  Cooking porridge on the stove top is time consuming and needs a lots of attentions to prevent the rice from 'burning,' or to prevent the ingredients from sticking to the bottom of the pot.  With this rice cooker, making porridge is a breeze.  Simply chop and dump all the ingredient into the cooking pan, press a button, and you're all set!  It’s that simple! 










Also, this rice cooker comes with sushi rice, mixed rice and sweet rice cooking options.  There are quite a few recipes that come along with the user menu for reference as well. 

Last but not least, you’ll hear the twinkle twinkle little star melody when you press the “cooking” button!  Of course, I didn’t know about this feature until the first time I cook with it.  My kids just love the melody whenever I cook rice!  hahahaha…. 
 

High Tea--Smoke Salmon and Brie Crackers

In Hong Kong (where I grew up), "tea" denotes a light meal served in mid-afternoon from 2pm to 6pm.  This is a practice that Hong Kong people adopted from the British concept of Afternoon Tea during the late period of British colonial rule. Afternoon Tea is common, although not a meal served daily (oh well, it is served daily in my home though). The food taken consists of some light meals or snacks such as sandwiches, toast, or more substantial fares served together with milk tea, coffee, Horlicks, Ovaltine, yuenyeung, lemon tea for Western style food, and Chinese tea for Chinese style food.  Elaborate versions of English-style Afternoon Tea is often described as "High Tea" by Hong Kong people.



Whatever you want to call it, High Tea, afternoon snack, or light meal, you name it, we'll take it.  As long as I can continue to serve it at home.  I can skip lunch (if I had a huge brunch or breakfast that day), but I can never skip the afternoon tea.  It’s more than a ritual, according to my stomach.  When the clock strikes 4pm, you bet I’ll be in the kitchen area looking for snacks.  Today, I have some companies over at my place.  So, I prepared something more elegant this afternoon.  Don’t let the look trick you though, they’re super easy to make.  They’re best served with a cup of black tea or lemon tea.  This is such a perfect afternoon!     





Smoke Salmon and Brie Crackers:
Makes: 16 Crackers

Ingredients:
16 Crackers (whatever brand you preferred)
8 Pieces of Smoke Wild Salmon
1/2 Lemon
2-3 Ounces of Brie
2 Tablespoons Capers
Dill (fresh or dry)

Spread a teaspoon of brie on each cracker. Top with 1/2 a piece of salmon each and squeeze a few drops of fresh lemon juice over the salmon. Top each salmon with a few capers, sprinkle some dill on top and enjoy.

Note: I think this could be the easiest recipe, ever! LOL

Salmon and Garden Vegetable Farfalle (Bow Tie Pasta)

Recently, some of my girlfriends (who are also moms) shared with me that they are struggling to put veggies into their kids’ diet.  Let’s just say, I’m very fortunate that both of my kids love vegetables (and seafood, isn’t that weird?)  In this post, I just want to share this delicious recipe with you all that you can “trick” your kids into eating more veggies.  This Salmon and Garden Vegetable Farfalle not only tastes good, it's also healthy.  For example, salmon provides your body with a great sauce of omega 3 fatty acid, which is essential for kid’s brain development.  (Read more Omega 3 health benefits from here) 



Kids are very simple, they like to eat delicious food (who doesn’t?).  So, besides making a dish delicious (and nutritious), make it fun, and make it colorful.  Also, get your kids involved in the cooking process.  That would certainly makes a difference.   This dish is so simple to prepare that your kids can definitely help out in some of the steps.  So, what are you waiting for?  Let’s get cooking!





Salmon and Garden Vegetable Farfalle (Bow Tie Pasta):

Servings: 6

16 ounces mini Farfalle (bow-tie pasta)
1 Onion, diced
16 ounces Salmon, cut into bite-size pieces
1 (14.5oz) Can Diced Tomatoes with Basil, Garlic and Oregano
1 Cup Fresh Mini Heirloom Tomatoes (or any cherry tomatoes)
1/2 Cup Sweet Corn Kernels, frozen or can
1 Cup Asparagus, diced (save a few tips for garnish)
1 Teaspoon Dry Dill
1/2 Cup Sour Cream
2 Tablespoon Olive Oil

Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, according to package instructions. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water. Drain pasta, and set aside.

In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and sauté the onion until soft, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

In the same skillet, add another tablespoon of olive oil, sauté salmon for a minute, then add the canned and fresh tomatoes, sweet corn and asparagus until warm through.

Add pasta and reserved onion into the pan. Toss, and continue to add the reserved pasta water a little at a time, to create a thin sauce that coats the farfalle (you may not need all the water). Season lightly with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream until well combined. Sprinkle dill on top and garnish with asparagus tips. Serve and enjoy.



This Recipe is linked to:

Sharing Sister Sunday
Family Fresh Cooking
This week's Craving

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.