I?ve been to Yuta numerous times, mainly to rekindle my experience with the authentic Japanese food and cozy ambiance hat I?ve experienced before in Japan. With a small restaurant, small staff and personal service, this is exactly what I was looking for.
The sushi menu is small, but well-selected. Every piece of fish is excellent and well thought-out. They polish their own brown rice, which provides an excellent initial ?crunch? and a great nutty aftertaste, but leaves the middle a little soft. Still, better than 85% of the rice out there. The size is perfect ? one bite for the whole piece, nothing more and nothing less. In my opinion, each piece of sushi is a piece of art that requires its own composition. More is not necessarily better.
Where Yuta excels is with their appetizers and entrees. Never have I tasted more refined, authentic flavors. It?s not over-flavored and over-hyped. The taste is authentic and organic, but also complex and multi-faceted. All of their sauces are home-made. The more you eat, the more you enjoy, and it gets better with every bite. Unfortunately, this is the antithesis of most LA restaurants, which is a pity, because I believe every meal should be judged as a whole, instead of by a single bite.
If you enjoy Jinpachi, Urasawa, Asanebo and some of the other authentic sushi places in town, then I?d definitely recommend you give Yuta a shot. It?s both authentic in terms of sushi, but also good in terms of their fusion cooked dishes -- give Yuta a try, you won?t be disappointed. But if you?re looking for creative sushi rolls, tempura and bold-flavored sashimi, then this probably isn't the place for you.
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