Gonpachi 1st Year Anniversary Party

I got a last-minute invite to Gonpachi's 1st anniversary party. Food poured out buffet-style with sushi, sashimi, soba, and grilled skewers of shrimp, beef and tsukune (ground chicken). They earned bonus points with the hijiki (the black mass) stir-fried with edamame and atsuage (fried tofu), and the soy sauce-sweetened gobo and renkon (burdock and lotus root). If we only had hot rice:

The sushi was replenished as quickly as it vanished.

I got there really early (i.e., on time). See those girls in short skirts? I later realized they weren't party crashers; they were hired eye-candy.

The desserts were hit-or-miss. The matcha pudding was yummy. The brownish pudding was, uh, brown. The crepe rolls were interesting -- filled with anko (red bean) strawberries and shiso(!) Didn't work for me. Of course you can't go wrong with Japanese cookies.

I'm glad I arrived early. No sake cocktail would've been strong enough to tolerate the line out the wooden gate.

Another fanciful creation. This one actually worked for me. It was topped with a shiratama (the white mochi thing), anko, sesame paste and a slice of orange. Fun~

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In Other News: Hot red-bean cakes are coming to Beverly Hills! They're called ima-gawa-yaki, and they're round and tasty. Not sure when they're opening, but I can't wait.