Okane Umi

I recently noticed a new restaurant in Lomita. The restaurant has been there but it has changed ownership and it now has a new name. I mentioned it to several of my friends; sushi and non-sushi lovers. The nice thing about this restaurant is that it is open from 11:30 am to 10:00 pm on weekdays and 12:00 am on Friday and Saturday. It is located at 2439 Pacific Coast Hwy. in Lomita across from Norms.

The only friends that would have accompanied me could not come since they had just eaten a late lunch. I have not had lunch and was starving and craving for Japanese food. It was only 3:35 p.m. when I left the house. I got there at 3:45 p.m. There were a few people as crazy as I was having either late lunch or in my case, early dinner.  I looked at the menu and I thought of the soft shelled crab till I saw a 10 piece omakase for $22.00. Omakase is the Chef's choice. I was seated at a table but I quickly moved to the bar so I could watch the Chef prepare my food. In this case, it was Chef James who was a master in slicing various fish in perfect thin pieces.

The pieces consisted of tuna, amberjack, yellowtail, sea scallop, mackerel, salmon, albacore, red snapper, and Ikura don. This also came with a bowl of miso soup. For drink, I opted for the dry Asahi black which I've never had but my friend Yvonne introduced me to beer as the perfect partner for Japanese food. I inhaled everything and it went especially faster since I had nobody to talk to except for Chef James. Everything was fresh and wonderful. It was nice to see him prepare other things like the fresh Shrimp which were still alive. You can't get fresher than that!

I can't wait to return to Okane Umi. It is very reasonable for the quality of food. I just wish I discovered this just before Lent as I could have gone there every Friday! For non-sushi lovers, they have all kinds of tempura including soft shell crab which I will have to try the next time.