When you walk into a Japanese restaurant that serves raw fish, and you are immediately hit with a big bold fishy smell, that is a really bad sign.

Lesson: If there is a big fishy smell, do not eat the raw fish. Good fresh fish don’t have a smell.

I got a bowl of tempura udon, it was not good. There were a couple of shrimp tempura, a few string beans tempura, some cheap udon noodles, and an ok broth. That’s it. No carrots, no mushrooms, not even scallions.

The service was great, though. Too bad about the food and fishy smell.

workin’ man’s sushi. family-run business, fills up fast. dependable nabyeki udon and soba tenzaru.

I went to Sakura a few nights ago with a group of 8. The restaurant does take reservations for parties of 6 or more, but we still had to wait nearly and hour for the table. If you want to avoid waiting, pretend you’re over 60 and get here by 6pm.

The restaurant offered to give us separate checks which was way beyond the call of duty, so that was swell. I orderd the monkfish liver and chirachi. I have yet to have monkfish liver served the same way at any two Japanese restaurants. Here it is on the sushi list, so I expected a completely different version than what was served. Although one or two bites are nice and rich like foie gras, I would not order it again here as it seemed a bit overcooked and not well seasoned.

But the chirachi bowl is another story. I always believe the best value at any Japanese restaurant is the chirachi bowl. Usually for under $15 you can sample about 8 kinds of sashimi on a bowl of sticky rice. The chirachi at Sakura was one of the most artfully arranged bowls ever placed before me for $14.95. They also sprinkle some shredded nori on the rice for additional great flavor.

I tasted some of my dining companions dishes, and the spinach with benito salad was a nice neutral starter. The tempura here is also very good. One outstanding highlight to note is their ikura (salmon eggs) are slightly marinated and D-licious with a raw quail egg on top.

There is some really good energy in this place from the fine wait staff to the clientele, and definitely some very tasty food, but I don’t find it’s worth the wait. Get here early for total satisfaction.

This is another great find in LA! Considering the long wait (averaging 30 minutes), it is no longer a secret. The portion is good, fish is fresh, and the price is reasonable, so worth the wait. Besides, the Chefs are actually Japanese (not so easy to find nowadays)! Friendly staff will help you choose the food, whether you’re a sushi expert or novice. You’ll have to find parking on the street.

We had toro (fatty tuna), Spanish Mackerel, Shrimp Tempura, Spicy Tuna roll (got a nice kick to it), and we finished it off with unagi (Fresh Water Eel), which the Chef recommended eating last since it is sweet like dessert. We sat at the counter to enjoy watching the sushi preparation and talking with the Chef.

All the sushi was very fresh and full of flavors. We also had the Oyster shooters, and I have to tell you that I never have them like these before. There must have been 3-4 oysters served with a raw quail egg, wasabi, soy sauce, sake, and other unidentified ingredients. This was all served in a hefty glass, and it took a while to shuck it down.