horizen gourmet (west hollywood)

horizen gourmet
8385 beverly blvd
los angeles, ca 90048
(323) 653-0470
www.hirozen.com

few years ago, my cousin and i stumbled upon this little treasure hidden inside a mall complex at the corner of orlando and beverly, and to this day, it is still my favorite sushi place to go.

on this particular visit, these are what we ordered (yup, we skipped breakfast to have a satisfying ‘branch/lunch’ :)

ankimo (monkfish liver) – yummily good, if you like the texture :)

toro & foie gras tower (layered grilled foie gras, toro & banana with black bean sauce) – this is good, and who wouldn’t love foie gras! although after learning how foie gras was produced, i no longer allow myself to indulge in such cruelty since four years ago :(

nasa soboro (eggplant, minced chicken with snow peas) – my cousin didn’t really like this one, but i love eggplants, though the minced chicken with snow peas tasted like a homemade dish i’ve had. this was probably our least favorite that day

uni (sea urchin), ikura okizuke (smelt eggs), and kobashira (scallop) – omg, just look at those uni and tell me you’ve had plumber ones! d best uni i’ve ever had! thinking about it and looking at the pics made me drool all over again :D the kobashira are so fresh! this is my favorite ‘combo’! :)

variety roll (tuna, salmon and white fish) – pretty good :)

apple sushi – very creative… it’s the first time i’ve ever had an apple sushi, so it was an interesting surprise :)

purple yam pudding – yam-mily good but nothing new

sauteed banana – they’re good, but i’ve had better ones :)

green tea

the owners are very nice and knowledgeable. (they do consulting work, too!) i’m so bad with names and i feel so embarrassed about forgeting the name of the lovely lady who came by and chatted with us. she was first curious on why i was snapping food shots each time a dish was served to us, and probably thought we might be ‘spies’ :p but she was very gracious knowing that taking food shots has been a ‘hobby’ of mine, and even after learning that my cousin’s family is in the restaurant business. :)  all in all, i heart hirozen….lots!!! :) all the staffs are super friendly and attentive. and their wide variety of small dishes on the menu never ease to gastronomically surprise and satisfy any picky palette. :) ingredients are fresh, the flavors of the dishes are well balanced, and beautifully presented. a lovely small dining place, so don’t forget to make reservations, and i wouldn’t recommend it for large groups. if you wanna save on valet parking, find a street parking instead. :) hmm hmm hirozen-licious! :)