I’m back in Los Angeles, California for a little bit to spend time together with friends in the area. I haven’t been blogging much lately since my trip to the East Coast because everything I’ve been doing so far in LA has either been a private event or not blog-worthy, but I managed to squeeze in a catch-up dinner with one of my friends at a sushi restaurant with a multi-course meal.

We decided on ikigai in the Eagle Rock neighborhood. I saw that they had an option for omakase, so I ordered the premium omakase for US$120.00. My friend wasn’t quite as hungry as I was and opted for the standard omakase for US$80.00 instead.

Our meals started with some miso soup.

As my appetizer, I received cucumber salad with two large slices of tuna sashimi and two large slices of salmon sashimi.

For my beverage, I ordered a matcha oat milk latte for US$6.50.

My friend received all 12 of her nigiri pieces at once on a wooden tray. I assumed that my 16-piece main entrée would be served the same way, so I didn’t take a picture of hers because I figured that mine would look the same, but bigger. However, when I realized that mine was being served four at a time, I quickly snapped a photo of hers, though not before she had already finished a third of it.

My first set of nigiri had fluke, snapper, and striped jack. I don’t quite remember what the fourth piece was, and I can’t seem to tell precisely from the photograph, but what I do recall is that there was a shiso leaf underneath the fish and atop the pillow of rice. This was a good opener, as it had solid middle-of-the-pack flavors—not too mild, but also not too intense.

My second plate was the rich and fatty set—seared sea perch, seared mackerel topped with wagyu, and seared salmon belly. Again, I don’t quite remember what the fourth piece was, but it fit the theme of intense umami. I also liked the generous portion of salt on the nigiri, in addition to the extra sprinkle of salt on the plate; salt is great at enhancing rich flavors, and there was a lot of flavor in all four of these pieces of nigiri.

The third collection was a much milder set compared to the second plate. It had scallop and yellowtail surrounding two pieces of whitefish (I don’t remember what exactly the whitefish were).

As the grand finale, and my favorite set of the nigiri service, I was served four pieces of very “iconic” sushi—sea urchin, tuna belly topped with chopped wasabi stem relish, sweet shrimp topped with salmon roe, and tuna topped with sturgeon caviar.

As the final course of the omakase before dessert, I was served an eel hand roll.

For dessert, I had the opportunity to pick among some ice cream and sorbet flavors, so I selected mango.

Here is a photo of the bar area.

I usually sit at the sushi bar when experiencing omakase service so I can watch the chef preparing my food and sometimes get a chance to listen to them tell stories from their time in culinary arts, but I opted for a table this time due to it being an easier environment to have a conversation with my dinner companion.

With that being said, if you’re ever at a Japanese restaurant knowing you are getting omakase, I always highly recommend the sushi bar for the full experience.

One thing I particularly liked about this sushi restaurant is the fact that they integrated combinations, both with multiple fish options and garnishes, and did so in a way that worked well. For example, I think putting caviar on a milder and fleshier cut of fish like akami was good because the flavor of the fish did not overwhelm the caviar; and adding the intensely fatty flavor of wagyu atop a very fishy mackerel allowed both strong flavors to work together without one overshadowing the other.

Cost-wise, I thought this was a very reasonable pricepoint considering the quality of the fish and the cost of living in Southern California. My waiter accidentally added an 18% large party service fee to my bill, which would’ve acted as a mandatory gratuity for groups of six or greater. He apologized for the mistake and said he would remove it, but for logistical ease, I told him to leave it on there in lieu of an extra tip.

If you’re looking for a relatively lighter and lower-commitment omakase experience in Los Angeles County, I think ikigai is worth considering.