Sushi Kimagure Ike (Pasadena)
Well, after mourning the loss of Ike in his old Hollywood digs, it's my pleasure to say that the man is back in new digs at Pasadena.
Located in the Gold Line building in Pasadena (in the same mixed-use complex as LGO, etc.) and where Philly's Best used to be (RIP), Ike-san has set up a nice small little shop.
Same sashimi, sushi, and of course the grilled octo that was at his old digs.
Finally, a decent option for sushi in SGV.
Sushi Kimagure Ike
220 South Raymond Ave, Pasadena
626-535-0880
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Tripeler
Sep 10, 2011 08:24 PM
Does this place make any effort to tell customers what "kimagure" means?
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Went last night and it was very good to see Ike San again. It had been almost a year for us since we've eaten at the hwood location. Ike san treated us to a very nice omakase dinner and noticed a few interesting changes.
The restaurant is now reservations only. No reservation means no sushi. We saw him turn away 2 sets of couples because they didn't have reservations even though the restaurant wasn't at capacity. There were even 2 open seats at the bar. Ike san told us that they are now doing this because he is going to be serving the bar by himself now and needs to manage the amount of people he can serve. He wants to be consistent in their restaurant policies for when they do start getting the bigger crowds. I thought that was interesting, not sure if it's the smartest decision.
Most of his offering are still the same. A few changes were that he no longer fries the head of the sweet shrimp, but rather grills them on the same pan he uses for the grilled octopus and seared salmon. While I prefer my shrimp heads fried, the grilled version was also very good.
No more salt on the red snapper and scallop sushi. He says he doesn't like the grainy texture that the salt gives, so instead, just seasons it with yuzu sauce.
He has different omakase options now on a menu, which he never had before in hwood. You can do a $80 sashimi + sushi omakase or a $60 sushi only omakase. We opted for the sushi only option and it was VERY filling. Only 1 piece for each fish is served.
Also, he is not allowing BYOB as he's currently in the process of obtaining his wine + beer license.
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How does it compare to Ichi (not far away on Arroyo)? Just curious as our reaction to Ichi was similar: "finally, a good omakase in Pasadena". Ichi does seem to be a bit pricier as it came out to around $70 per, but perhaps we were just extra hungry...
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I never made it to Ike...what's the pricing like here? Do they have non-sushi choices as well?
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re: Jack Flash
The omakase is $60 per person. It's good. He has some cooked dishes. The place is small, smaller than Sushi Ike was. You need to reserve to get a place at the bar which may be as big or bigger than the one at the old place. But the sushi tastes fine at the tables too. Still waiting to get the license.
