Eat Sushi with L.A. Celebrities

By: Lucy Chan Derby

Posted: 1/1/01

January 2008

    No doubt, hands down, one of, if not the most, popular restaurant on La Cienega, is Koi.
    This sexy sushi bar and restaurant features stellar Japanese-Californian fusion cuisine that keeps Hollywood coming back for more. The décor boasts of a lush Zen stone patio, an outdoor fireplace, and waterfalls to convey a serene, yet exotic atmosphere.
    On the menu front, Koi seduces diners with their creative menu. The spicy seared Albacore with crispy red onions, is a melt in your mouth paradise of albacore with golden slivers o fried onions drizzled with ponzu sauce. The Hamachi fusion soy citrus truffle essence is served with thin slices of yellowtail with citrus ponzu and truffle oil around a seaweed salad. The kick from its thin jalapeno slice is softened by the buttery yellowtail. A guaranteed favorite that will leave you craving for more is their crispy rice with spicy tuna. Minced ground spicy tuna with jalapeno, resting atop sushi rice that i seared to a crunchy perfection brings forth unimaginable flavors as you chew through the crispness.
    For hot dishes, the roasted duck breast with shishito peppers has amazing flavor and is best medium rare. For fish, try their miso bronzed black cod, a moist filet of rich, buttery cod with a hint of miso essence. Also, their creamy rock shrimp tempura, with plump rock shrimp battered and fried in tempura, and lightly tossed in spicy mayonnaise is both creamy and crunchy with intense flavor.
    One of the Chef’s specials, the Kobe beef sushi, is just slightly seared to capture its juices and flavors, as you experience the delicacy and tenderness of red meat the way i is meant to be eaten. The best sushi rolls are their baked crab hand roll and BSC roll. The ever popular and succulent baked crab hand roll consists of fresh and tender, sweet, cra meat rolled warmly in a translucent soy paper roll. The crab meat, mixed with a slightly spicy but tangy sauce, perfectly compliments the subtle flavor and chewy consistency of the soy paper. The “BSC” (baked scallops on California roll) comes with sizzling scallops baked in a creamy dynamite sauce over the classic California roll.
    Food and drinks tend to add up quickly, but the experience is well worth it.
    Located at 730 N. La Cienega Boulevard.
    Dinner nightly. Reservations highly recommended.
    Visit koirestaurant.com for more information.