Shin Okinawa Izakaya (Torrance)

Considering the number of Okinawans living among the Japanese American population, you'd think a platter of sauted bitter-melon (aka, goya) would be served alongside teriyaki bowls here in Southern California. Yet only recently has Shin-Okinawa Izakaya hit Torrance's dining scene, dishing out a bountiful selection of crave-worthy comfort food like tempura-fried sweet potato, juicy chops of pork belly (rafutei), and a hot bowl of soba with sliced kamaboko (fish cakes).

Soki-soba

rafutei


tofu tsukune

I might've said this before and if I did then I really mean it this time: It's like you're in Japan when you're here, whether it be the flavor of the broth, the brush-stroked wall menu, or the bar-snack offerings of sliced pig's ear and monkfish liver (an kimo). I associate pickled squid and grilled innards with smelly-drunk businessmen, which is probably why I never touch the stuff, but every other Japanese person I know can't seem to get enough of it.

So for the rest of us there's all kinds of carb-heavy treats like Okinawa Soba, somen champuru (stir-fried vermicelli and vegetables), and for dessert, everyone's favorite Okinawan donut, sata andagi -- a fist-sized ball of sugary dough deep-fried until golden.


sata andagi


Arabiki pork sausages


Red Sweet Potato sticky balls

Like most izakayas, each plate runs between $5 to $8 at portions meant to accompany a mug of beer. Though it's also worth trying their selection of cocktails mixed with awamori, the island's poison of choice. Few places outside Japan serve stuff like this, so get it while you can.


Hiraya Chi (savory pancake)


Grilled pork sausages




Shin Okinawa Izakaya
1880 W. Carson Street Suite #A
Torrance, California, 90501
(310) 618-8357

Kan Izakaya @ Torrance

I'll have to blame my lactose-free regimen cause I'm in a nutrient-deprived haze at the moment. All I can think of now is cheese and how much I miss it. Last night I went to an all-you-can-eat Italian food and wine fest held by Wine Expo. I consumed a good share of reds and whites and turned a nice shade of pink in the process but when the food came out, well, you can only imagine how depressing it was to scrape off melted cheese from a brick oven pizza.

Last month, I visited one of Torrance's 10,000 gastropubs, Kan Izakaya. I'll have to admit that the most of the dishes failed to reel me in, but the interesting thing about this place is that they offer an array of regional ingredients like this one, Handa Somen of Tokushima prefecture:

In a drunken stupor, I tried getting the sushi chef (we were seated at the counter) to explain why this noodle was called somen when it obviously looked more like udon. I realize sometimes it's best to keep quiet and just enjoy a good thing while its in front of you. *My favorite of the night.

The buta kakuni also had an interesting twist to it. See the two dark blocks on the side? Yep, that's konyaku, a.k.a., Devil's Tongue. So it was part braised pork belly and part oden of sorts. Overall, a tad dry.


Potato salada in a foil. Ran out of plates, perhaps?

I'm drawing a blank on this one but it was a tasty appetizer of masago (smelt roe) and other chopped animals of the sea scooped onto a crisp potato chip. Hmm, okay maybe they did have plates.

Finally we decided trying the seafood pizza. It was the most westernized dish I could find on the menu. (Hey, why not?) Topped with bits of oysters, green onions, bonito flakes and shredded seaweed though without sauce nor cheese, it was like being in a desert with a lot of hot-looking people but no swimming pool. (Hah, what great metaphors I think of when I'm delirious!)

A definite plus for Kan is that they're open til about 1 am. Talk to the sushi chefs and they'll tell you about their nocturnal sleep schedule. They're actually a friendly bunch, especially when Rameniac is there to bond with them about regional ramen. Then it becomes a rave and rant fest. ...That's when you know you're in for a long night.

Kan Izakaya
2755A Pacific Coast Hwy., Torrance
(310) 530-7888

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Lactose Intolerance Log:

I've started documenting my experiment with going 38 days without dairy while taking a powder called Lactagen which supposedly guarantees to cure my lactose-induced agony once and for all. Here it is. (Warning: Log contains explicit details of abdominal discomfort.)

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• Remember the Japanese government official who proposed having a Sushi Police? Well that may not happen seeing that he recently hung himself.

Musha @ Torrance

Several months ago, the Japanese government wanted to establish a "sushi patrol" to root out rice-packing poseurs passing off mayo-drenched hand-rolls as the real deal. Well, that's yet to happen, and so as I began taking it upon myself to decipher the blurred line between real and fake, the thought occurred, "Should authenticity really be the mark of a good meal?"

And does Japan have any right to criticize others when the country itself is a major perpetrator of food bastardization?

Some of the country's best eats are so culturally-disassociated that you just sorta end up calling it Japanese food. Pizza-la, for example, has this great "Bomber" pizza topped in segmented quarters with tomatoes and scrambled eggs; seafood; teriyaki chicken and asparagus; and potatoes and bacon. (Hey, don't knock it 'til you try it!) So how would you classify this unique combo? Italian? American? I'd say it's uniquely Japanese.

To generalize a bit, it's the older Japanese generation, mostly males, who prefer the more "authentic" fare. Shio-kara (salted and fermented cuttlefish) comes to mind. I can't stand it but old men love it with their Asahi beer.

And then there's food for the 18-35 demographic, which they serve to no end at Torrance's Musha. I headed there the other night with Rameniac, who'd heard the place gets lively with young, hot Japanese people on the weekends. Well, they were no where to be found, but at least the food was good:

Here lies a Japanese/Korean hybrid. Yes, for the first time in modern history, the two nations amicably unite to bring you buta kimuchi, a medley of soy sauce-flavored pork, mushrooms, onions, and spicy, pickled cabbage. It's accompanied by Japanese Kewpie mayo in case you can't handle the heat of solidarity. (4 out of 5 stars)

Takotama is Musha's signature dish. Filled with octopus, onion, shiitake and layers of scrambled egg, some might call it a noodle pie. Others describe it as egg foo yung. I thought it was an okonomiyaki. It might as well be called a U.F.O., unidentified funky omelette. Drenched in mayo and homemade soy-based sauce, it's on the sweet side but I still found it addicting. (4 out of 5)


Musha's Fried Chicken (M.F.C. for short) is one of those dishes that'll make you do the happy dance in your seat, 'nuff said.

The Japanese word for this dish is chikin katsu, or chicken cutlet. According to Wikipedia, cutlet was introduced to Japan during the turn-of-the-century Meiji period, in a Western cuisine restaurant in the ultra fashionable Ginza district of Tokyo. Yet another uniquely non-authentic dish. (4.5 out of 5)

These yuba rolls stuffed with cucumber and crab were a great refreshment to my oiled and greased palate, though it doesn't pack much punch. Definitely skipable.

Yuba is the byproduct of boiled soy milk. Soy is native to both Japan and China, but these most likely came from the latter cause imports are cheaper. During the anti-carb craze, yuba-wrapped sushi gained popularity at Los Angeles roll factories as the low-calorie alternative. So again, not authentically Japanese. (2 out of 5)

And finally there's the tanshio (cow tongue), which most likely came from Australia or, dare I say, the U.S. ("E-coli on the side, please!") Though according to an authentic Japanese person, this dish is definitely an old man's beer companion.

I enjoyed it. It's lightly seasoned and comes with a buttery dipping sauce. Oh and yes, you cook it yourself on a mini tabletop grill. Ooh~ It's always nice to have an extra hot tongue in your mouth. (^_<) (3 out of 5)

Musha
1725 W Carson St
Torrance, CA 90501
(310) 787-7344



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