I don’t think I’ve seen food disappear so quickly!

This Friday is my dear colleague and friend Renee’s last day with the company (I’m so sad), so a group of us took her out to Katsuya for some drinks and great sushi, to celebrate the new chapter in her career.  Since we are all sushi addicts (we’re seriously concerned that we may get sick from mercury poisoning because we eat so much raw fish), choosing the perfect place for this soiree was a no brainer. On the boulevard that houses countless, countless sushi restaurants, Katsuya is, no doubt, a standout. And I’m not the only one who happens to think so.

If you ask any Angelenos to name the best sushi restaurant around, I guarantee you that this place will top the list. This little hole in a wall, tucked away in a shopping center in Studio City, is one of those rare places that actually lives up to the hype of being one of, if not the best, sushi restaurant in town. Sure, Katsuya’s repertoires consist more of those untraditional, “American” dishes that some sushi purists may not agree with but the ingredients are fresh and the flavor is out of this world. Anyone who experiences its popular crunchy tuna and seared albacore with crispy onion (both pictured below) will fall head over heels over this place, I’m sure of it.

The famous crunchy tuna thing

The crispy onion — the best!

Robert Roll (I have no idea who Robert is, but the roll sure was delicious)

White Fish Carpaccio with arugula and sun-dried tomatoes

Seafood Sunomono

Yellowtail Sashimi

Crab Meat Stuffed in Tuna Sashimi

Fried Green Tea Ice Cream

Green Tea Tiramisu (WOW!)

Oh, and how about some celebrity sighting for dessert? It’s not rare that you find A-list celebrities enjoying great sushi here, even during a week. But despite its soaring popularity among the rich and famous, as well as not-to rich and famous (like me), the restaurant remains dinky and unpretentious, and that’s what’s so charming about this place.

Just a note – this place doesn’t have a menu and all its daily specials are written on the board. If you’re going to dine there for the first time, it’s probably best to sit at a table where you can actually see the board on the wall, especially if you’re not too sushi savvy. The first time my boyfriend and I went to Katsuya, we sat at a counter and we could not see the menu worth a dam and struggled to order what we wanted.

Katsuya
11680 Ventura Blvd., Studio City, CA 91604
★★★★★