More eats from the East these days. I went to dine at Hayakawa recently. It's located in the quiet city of Covina and I've actually wanted to eat there before but it was closed for lunch that day. And then recently, my friend Dennis mentioned it to me once again and reminded me that it's been a place I've been wanting to try. And if that's not enough of a reminder, I was flipping through Zagat's Survey one day, albeit an old 1998 edition, and saw Hayakawa once again. I think someone's trying to tell me something.

So I went. Finally.

I ordered a few pieces of nigiri sushi to share and also a dynamite on the side. Shown above on the left is the House Special Roll (tuna, salmon, yellowtail, whitefish and crab all rolled up in one giant makizushi), Unagi sushi and Scallop sushi and on the right is the dynamite with some pretty raspberries on top. It's such an up close photo because I was already eating half of it before I realized I need a photo. :P In the Zagat Survey, it was rated 29 for food out of 30 but with very few votes submitted. But I can see and taste why it is spoken so highly of. The fish are cut with expert precision and very fresh. The size of the nigiri and other things aren't too too big nor too small. And surprisingly to me, their chirashi rice is not your typical sushi rice but instead a lukewarm sansai-ish rice. And the staff is indeed friendly and informative to answer any questions you have. The decor however was slightly unappealing but that's ok, we're there for the food anyway. It's definitely a place I'll be making a return visit to because their Chef's Menu Specials was filled with lots of interesting Neo-Japanese cuisine. Their food isn't cheap but it's worth it in my humble opinion. And don't let the exterior and interior fool you, even though it's situated in *ho hum* Covina, it's a surprising gastronomical treat.

Hayakawa
750 Terrado Plaza #33
Covina, CA 91723
626.332.8288
[off 10 freeway at citrus ave]

I also paid a visit to Tsukiji recently in Gardena. It's a very popular sushi bar with lots of local Japanese dining there daily. I went during a lunch session and it was crowded to the hilt. Luckily I didn't have to wait too long for a seat at the sushi bar (because that was all that was available that day). Their lunch menu consists of about 10 different types of sashimi donburis -- NOT your typical niku (beef) don, katsu (pork cutlet) don or oyako (chicken and egg) don. These were all donburis made from raw fish and other goodies in addition to a chirashi lunch or nigiri sushi lunch.

What's surprising was the prices. For lunch, it was extremely affordable, ranging from $8-13 for pretty high grade sushi. I got seated in front of the sushi chef making all the orders and saw him making these lunches for folks nonstop like a machine. He was barking alot at the waitresses and looked really grouchy but I guess that's because he can get away with that since business is so good. The food itself was very fresh and their sushi rice was just the right temperature (not too chilled like you get at alot of other places). The interior of this place looks like a very typical Japanese sushi bar with a few tables along the side and a tatami area for those seated on the floor. Decor-wise, it's not anything too fancy but again, we're there for the food.

This is another place I'll definitely be back at for lunch since the prices are so reasonable for sushi/sashimi. I've never been there for dinner but I assume it's not cheap. Personally, between the two, I like the food at Hayakawa better but if I happen to be in the South Bay again for lunch, I'll make a stop here -- preferrably after 1:30pm when the lunch crowds have dissipated. So if you can't make it to the Tsujiki fish market in Tokyo for some sashimi, I guess you can always go to the one in Gardena.

Tsukiji
Tozai Plaza
1745 W. Redondo Beach Blvd.
Gardena, CA 90247
310.323.4077
[on the corner of redondo beach blvd and western ave]

Unfortunately, no photos because the sushi guy had a really sharp knife in his hand and I was only a slice away from being decapited.

:::

[#$*!@ cable modem company] By now, most of you should know that my cable modem is down due to the whole excite.com bankruptcy and I've resorted to using the local friendly internet 'minus the cafe' place for my web addiction. It's actually been good because I can spend more time doing other stuff instead of sitting on the computer all day. I pay my $3 and after one hour, I'm outta that place. Sure I miss the convenience of it at home and I could install AOL for a trial dial up period and then cancel later but nah, too much trouble. I never realized that those internet places are filled with so much kids playing games after school. It IS december 4th isn't it? It's nowhere near winter vacation time, so do parents even know that their kids are at these places after school?

Shit, I dunno about you but when I was a kid we didn't even know what computer was. And the only games we had were UNO, Clue and Life. :P Plus, if we didn't go home right after school, those feather dusters with the bamboo handle came out of the closet and were put to good use. Life sure is different now and I don't think young'uns even know how lucky they are to have all this technology at their fingertips.

Anyway, hope to be back up online eventually. I'm sure you guys miss me lots. :P

Ha. Who am i kidding?

I'm out.