sushi in pasadena

[trolley]

on sunday i am going to end up in pasadena for dinner with my mother who will be visiting from out of town. she a bit on the old school side and can really only eat japanese food when dining out. is there a good sushi place in pasadena? from past threads there doesn't seem to be any good ones in the area. she's pretty picky about the quality of the fish which doesn't help on a sunday or in pasadena. please advise. thanks for the help!

[caitybirdie]

btw, i know that Z gets most of its fish shipped to them on tuesdays.

[go_bears]

hmm... toshi at z sushi told me that he gets his fish from the fish market downtown. although, i guess some of it could be shipped from japan (they list the aji and some other fish as being from japan). since there's no fish market on sundays you won't be getting the freshest stuff that day, but that should be true no matter where you go.

[ipsedixit]

,

[ipsedixit]

Sunday for sushi? Living dangerously ...

That being said, your choices are pretty limited in the Pasadena area for sushi. People on the board seem to like Z SUSHI in Alhambra, but I've never been a fan. YOSHIDA in San Marino is good, but not great.

You said your mom "can really only eat japanese food" ... well, maybe instead of sushi consider either SHIRO or MAISON AKIRA, both in South Pas and both offering very good Japanese fusion type dishes.

[trolley]

ipsedixit, why don't you like those two sushi places? and thanks for the shiro idea. i totally forgot about that place. i like maison akira but i think it's a bit pricey for what we want to spend.

[ipsedixit]

Z Sushi is all about quantity over quality. The nigri and sashimi are usually cut too big or thick. The rolls are Americanized, and huge - sort of like a Japanese mutant burrito.

Yoshida, has its die-hard fans, but the place is outrageoulsy overpriced for the quality of the fish.

If you really want sushi, give a place called THE SUSHI a try. It's in Temple City and literally a hole-in-the-wall. Dunno the exact hours and good chance they are closed on Sundays.

THE SUSHI
5835 Temple City Blvd
Temple City
[phone]

[calabasas_trafalgar]

what would you compare this place to? I drive by all the time and have been curious, but it seems to be closed a lot.

[go_bears]

i been to Z sushi 3 times and i've never noticed abnormally large or thick nigiri. i've always sat at the sushi bar and just asked them to give me whatever was good and what they would eat. the nigiri has always seemed to be sized appropriately and i've found the fish to be very fresh and good quality. i think its worth a try.

i tend to avoid rolls and i haven't eaten any rolls at Z, so it could be that those are sized large. personally though, a japanese mutant burrito sounds like it would be pretty good to me :)

[yinyangdi]

the big/fat/mutant burrito roll = futomaki

other types of maki:

hosomaki = thin roll
maki = regular roll
futomaki = thick roll
uramaki = inside out roll
temaki = hand roll (usually cone shaped)
hoso-temaki = thin hand roll (cylindrical)
gunkan-maki = battleship roll (oval)

[calabasas_trafalgar]

If you are willing to drive a short distace, try Yama in Alhambra for real "old school" Japanese food. Kiyosuzu in Arcadia, Futami in Monrovia, and Hanabi in Temple City are good too. But like ipsedixit says, sushi on Sunday is a real crapshoot.

[ipsedixit]

I would avoid Hanabi. Tried it once and as Edgard Allan Poe once wrote ... "Nevermore!"

[calabasas_trafalgar]

They are a sister restaurant of Hanashima. Just went there on Monday, give it another try.

[ipsedixit]

Ok, what do you recommend?

We tried the curry and udon.

[calabasas_trafalgar]

Chicken cutlet
Chashu ramen
California roll(ducks)
Yakitori

[Will Owen]

Maison Akira is on Green Street in Pasadena, not South Pas. Right alongside the parking lot for the Arcade, about a half-block east of the Playhouse.

I've not had his Japanese stuff, but if his French-style cooking is any indication, I'd certainly expect it to be equally outstanding.

[yinyangdi]

When I think of Shiro and Maison Akira, I think of them more as French Japonais

Maison Akira is in Pasadena proper, not SoPas

Maison Akira
713 East Green Street
Pasadena, CA 91101
[phone]

[Clare K]

Try Z's in Alhambra, on the border of South Pasadena. Not too far and great, fresh sushi.