CATCH

On Saturday morning we woke up early and were on the road by 8:00. We made good time and arrived at our brunch spot early for our 11:00 reservation. The lobby to the building was empty with just an elevator, so we rode it upstairs and stepped out into a beautiful restaurant.

We were immediately greeted by walls of plants and a long beautiful walkway lined with rocks and large windows. A variety of plants lined the windowsills and vines hung from the ceiling, it was breathtaking.

The restaurant was mostly empty so we grabbed a drink at the bar while they prepared our table for us early. Sharon ordered a bloody mary and Taylor got the “detox”, which was green and refreshing. It included tequila, matcha, cucumber, mint.

Both drinks were delicious, and we sipped them as we were brought to our table at the back of the restaurant. It was right along the back windows, and the daylight was illuminating all of the beautiful plants that continued throughout the restaurant.

The first dish was the most decadent thing we ate all day, with flavor out of this world.

Truffle Sashimi – Tuna, Hamachi, Chili Ponzu, Caviar, Black Truffle Puree

There was a gorgeously large pile of tiny chopped scallions, that were soaking in the ponzu sauce and just begging to be layered on top. It was a little hard to get all the components together in one bite (especially the tiny caviar), but the struggle was so worth it. The delicious truffle puree made this dish.

Next we got two sushi rolls:

Catch Roll: Crab, salmon, miso-honey

This was an elevated California roll, filled with creamy crab salad and topped with fresh salmon, miso honey sauce, and a thin slice of jalapeño. It was blowtorched at our table in front of us to our delight.

Hellfire roll: Spicy tuna two-ways, pear, balsamic

This came recommended to us by the waiter, and we were sold on the uniqueness of the pear and balsamic. It was a good amount of spice (not too much), and the pear provided a delightful soft crunch. I’m not sure if we could taste the balsamic, and although it was yummy it was probably our least favorite of the 3 dishes.

SUGARFISH

SUGARFISH is a chain with many locations in Los Angeles, so we were a little surprised at how highly it was rated. We picked one of the locations and were pleased at the very simple, modern wood decor. The menu had a few omakase options that they recommended, but we decided to do a la carte because we didn’t want to fill up too much.

Of the various nigiri and rolls we ordered, one of our favorites was the salmon sushi. It had a super thin layer of kombu (kelp) on top, which added a wonderfully sweet taste. The best part of this restaurant was the rice – it had an incredible flavor to it.

DAICHAN

By the time we headed over to Ventura Blvd, we realized most of the sushi spots were closing up until dinner. Luckily one of our back up options, Daichan, was still open. It was an unassuming restaurant in a shopping complex on Ventura Blvd, but a hidden gem. The walls were covered in various Asian artifacts and art, which was wonderful and cozy.

We weren’t too hungry at this point, so we just ordered a few nigiri and maki. This place wasn’t as creative and trendy as some of the others, but still delicious. It had fantastic rice similar to SUGARFISH, and good quality fish. Taylor got some pork gyoza which were fine.

ASANEBO

After resting up at our hotel and waiting to get hungry again, we headed back to Ventura Blvd for dinner. Asanebo was another small quaint restaurant nestled among others. We knew from the 2 michelin stars on the wall, however, that the quality would be amazing.

We ordered a variety of nigiri, including some of their house specials. Our favorite of these was the bluefin tuna, which had a delicious marinade on it; upon asking, we found out it was rice vinegar, sake, and dashi.

ANIMAL

On Sunday morning we headed to brunch at Animal. It was a beautifully simple and modern restaurant, with friendly staff and not many people. Sharon started with a bloody mary, with sake as the alcohol (no liquor license). It had a ton of heat and a delicious salty tajin-ish rim. Taylor got a sake iced tea lemonade, which was also delicious. Our waitress recommended sharing, so we ordered 3 dishes to split.

The first beauty was probably our favorite, and did not include any “animal” like the others did:

Boniato yam, lemon creme fraiche, pepita, salsa verde, za’atar

We weren’t sure what to expect – Taylor guessed a baked sweet potato – but it arrived as a beautiful salad. The lemon creme fraiche lined the bottom of the bowl and was topped with deliciously crispy breakfast yams. The pepitas, salsa, and za’atar spice somehow blended beautifully into a flavorful and crunchy topping. It was easy to get every ingredient in each bite, and therefore each bite was heaven.

The second dish to arrive was the “boner burger”, with 420 sauce, jack cheese, poblano, and red onion. Our waitress explained that it was a rare burger with bone marrow, and described it like a patty melt. It came on rye bread, and was absolutely delicious. It’s hard to say what was in the 420 sauce, but it was packed with flavor and had a nice hint of heat from the pepper.

The last dish we were graced with was 2 small pork belly burgers, perfect for sharing. They were smothered in BBQ sauce and topped with a creamy and tangy slaw. The buns were soft but with enough crunch on top. When you got a bite of the soft bits of pork belly, it was heavenly.

All in all, it was an incredible weekend of food and we can’t wait to explore more that LA has to offer.