Waka Waka Wakasan!

I think we have a new favorite in West LA! In addition to a great meal for under $40, we spotted Harrison Ford spending an intimate night out alone on the town with Calista Flockhart! Yes, my first star sighting was a double.


The server is telling J that we're going to have a 20 minute wait. Sigh. Look at my hat! Also, at Wakasan you don't order. You just sit down and wait for food to come.

First course: blanched baby bok choi marinated in bonito stock and topped with bonito flakes. This was surprisingly flavorful for something that looked so plain.

Second course: marinated root vegetables and clear noodles (we think).

Third course (from left): halibut, tuna, and amberjack sashimi. The fish quality was very good, probably the best I've had in LA proper so far.

Tempura fried fish cakes. We all wish they hadn't served them floating in the dipping sauce because it made them soggy, but otherwise they were good.

Egg custard mixed with seaweed.

Grilled and then marinated pomfret with onions. I could have used some rice with this, as it was both salty and vinegary.

Grilled miso salmon with a miniature gourd. The gourd tasted like a giant caperberry, and the salmon came just as we were wishing for some more hot food after several cold dishes in a row.

Oden (Japanese stew) with fishcake with chestnuts, poached chicken, and daikon. Not to brag, but I think my oden is better. I probably use more sake than they do.

Soft tofu with salmon roe. The tofu was silky and clean tasting, but the real surprise was the giant salmon roe. If you look closely you can see they have a darker orange center. They were very fresh and popped in my mouth. Towards the end I couldn't eat any more because they gave so much per bowl that it was too much saltiness for me. I'm not complaining--better too much than too little!

I forgot a photo along the way. Each person was given FOUR deep fried whole shrimp! They weren't the best fried shrimp ever, but it was perfectly acceptable and a huge portion.

Egg custard (chawan mushi). Perfectly smooth, piping hot, and full of goodies on the bottom like shrimp, mushroom, fish cake, etc. A great hot dish to end the meal.

The final dish was plum ice cream with crunchy bits of sweet candied plums throughout. We joked that it was so good even Calista was seen scarfing it down.

Total damage per person was $35 after tax and tip for twelve courses plus dessert. Incredible, no? Beer was $4 for a large mug, or just $12 if you can finish a 60 oz. pitcher. Definitely one of the best values in LA.