Sushi Fumi

I thought long and hard about blogging about Sushi Fumi, whether it was a good idea to keep this hidden gem, well hidden. As you can tell, I never really learned to share in kindergarten. Sushi Fumi is a relatively new sushi restaurant that opened a little over a month ago on La Cienaga Boulevard. The omakase is a complete bargain for the diversity and quality of fish the chef offers. At $60, the omakase is not only a delight to my palate, but a steal! (Well, in the context of fresh high caliber sushi, since good sushi costs a pretty penny.) Nevertheless, I love how Sushi Fumi is a great bargain for the quality.

The best part is, since Sushi Fumi just opened not too long ago, it isn’t well known yet, so there’s practically no wait. I was able to sit in at the best seat in the house – at the sushi bar near the chef. Not only was I able to watch the sushi chef prepare my meal; I was able to strike up a conversation and I was able to ask a billion and one questions about each dish.

The sushi chef goes to the fish market at 5 am each day, except Saturdays where he goes at 6 am to pick out the fish for the day, so the fish is almost as fresh as if you had gone out to sea and caught it with your own bare hands. Not only is the food great, the service is impeccable; the staff exude friendliness with a touch of warmness.

Onto what went in my belly!

1. SEARED BLUE FIN TUNA – I knew the omakase was off to a great start when I had my first bite of the seared blue fin tuna. The red peppercorn gave a hint of spice to the dish while the truffle oil added a touch of lovely aroma and perfectly complimented the yuzu ponzu.

2. RED SNAPPER – Thinly separated from the rice by a layer of shiso leaf, the red snapper tasted citrusy from the yuzu kosho and had a slight punch from the wasabi.

3. GOLDEN EYE SNAPPER – The golden eye snapper tasted warm and fresh. The rice was in between, not too cold not too warm.

4. SPANISH MAKEREL – The Spanish mackerel was pretty tasty; it was topped with a bit of ginger and onion which enhanced the flavors well.

5. SCOTTISH SALMON BELLY – The Scottish salmon belly was glazed with nikiri soy sauce, which is a sake based soy sauce. The sweetness from the glaze worked harmoniously with the salmon, which dissolved in my mouth.

6. YELLOWTAIL BELLY – For some reason the shape of the yellowtail bellow reminds me a pale yellow-white caterpillar. Luckily – it did not taste as it looked. It was fresh and tasty.

7. BLUE FIN TUNA – The blue fin tuna glazed with nikiri soy sauce had a buttery texture and tasted rich. Glad to have more blue fin tuna after the first dish.

8. ALBACORE SUSHI – Topped with garlic ponzu, the albacore was sweet and simple delish. I really like albacore, so wish I had more than a bite.

9. GIANT CLAM – The giant clam was very fresh and had a crunchy texture. It wasn’t my favorite of the night, but still pretty darn good.

10. TORO – This was probably one of my top dishes of the night. The toro was glazed with truffle oil and garnished with a jalapeno pepper. It melted in my mouth and tasted luscious. I want more.

11. SANTA BARBARA UNI – I love uni; it was fresh and super creamy. This would be the milk of the sea if such a thing existed.

12. FOIE GRAIS SUSHI – My absolute favorite dish. The foie grais tasted rich and buttery; definitely did not have that weird liver taste. Thank goodness it’s legal in California now and I can get my fix! It was amazeballs. I’m wiping away my drool as I reminisce.

13. BLACK COD – Oh the cod! It was sweet and delicate. Shall it rest in peace in my belly.

14. BLUE CRAB HAND ROLL – This was the last dish and a great way to end the meal. I have nothing bad to say about blue crab. I can eat this all day long.

Sushi Fumi exceed my expectation in both quality and price. The service was superb, friendly, and inviting. I had gone to Sushi Fumi in good company, and though I ordered the omakase, he ordered the sashimi platter. The second he ran out of rice, the waitress swooped in to refill the bowl, like a hawk. Talk about service. My tea was refilled at no additional cost each time I ran out. The service was very responsive without coming off as intruding or too responsive. After my experience at Sushi Fumi, I will definitely be back.