ToraFUKu - Shut Yo Mouth!

I went to Torafuku for lunch today and it brought back good memories of dinner here. There's a bit of a dilemma. The lunch bentos are super affordable at $12-15/box but their dinner menu is what defines them as a traditional Japanese restaurant.

The lunch bentos come with a ponzu-inspired salad, their signature Kamado white or brown rice (refillable), miso soup, little potato salad & picked vegetables sides, and a decent serving of protein. I got the ginger glazed thin sliced pork and it was ok. It had a good sauce but the flavor didn't fully absorbed into the meat, and I was not so much a fan of the fattyness on the meat. I was a little jealous of my friends' chicken which pretty much looked like a full chicken's breast.

Their signature Kamado rice is basically rice cooked the old style way and I don't know if it's because I heard the story but their rice is pretty damn tasty, especially given I had the brown rice instead.

Like I said, dinner is what sets them apart other Japanese restaurants on this side of town. Their tapas-style menu allows you to try multiple dishes without over-indulging since it is light Japanese (and expensive) fare after all. I highly recommend their miso cod and braised pork with stewed potato in broth. The fish is perfectly cooked and just classy. It looks simple but there's a myriad of flavors that goes into it. The braised pork is just fantastic, especially as you soak it in some of the broth and eat it alongside their old-style white rice. You can find this same dish at Musha in Santa Monica, but I feel this place does it a lot better (less fatty too).

I would stay away from the spicy tuna crispy rice. It's not Katsuya or Koi style. I am also pretty sure I had the overly-crunchy rice pieces stuck in my teeth. I highly advise that you save some stomach area for dessert. I was a little pissed at dinner because I had to pay $4 for a small bowl of non-refillable rice and was disappointed by the crispy rice (despite their stated wins), BUT their redeeming quality that brought up my expectations is their traditional red bean mochi and black sesame ice cream. They flambe the mochi a bit so you get that textured crunch, and its filled with that good-for-you red bean as traditional mochi should be (none of that Americanized ice cream stuff though that is tasty too). The black sesame ice cream is probably the best version I have ever had in Los Angeles. It stays true to the black sesame flavor, not too sweet, and satisfyingly creamy. It would be my Christmas wish to have a carton of this at home, hint.

Overall dinner is a little pricey but I do highly recommend it over lunch - eat light, it is good for summer beach bods! The decor is intimate and sweet. The service is not bad, probably a little more attentive than you'd like but you get things quickly. Did I mention they have awesome black sesame ice cream?

Torafuku
10914 Pico Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90064
www.torafuku-usa.com

Musha
424 Wilshire Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA 90401
www.musha.us

Mo’ Mochi Please

In the olden days, the Japanese made mochi only during special holidays as a gift to the gods. Chinese folks would make it for wedding ceremonies or romantic holidays as a tribute to old tales of lost lovers. Fugetsu-Do in Los Angeles' Little Tokyo currently makes mochi to put in my belly while miraculously adding inches to it too. As the mulit-tasker, mochi is one of my food loves.

I wouldn't call it candy; I'd put it along the same vein as baked goods. I used to only be bedazzled by the ice cream mochi sold in your local supermarket's frozen section but now I am pretty serious about it. I still love the ice cream ones but I do very much appreciate the traditional rice cake and filling types – maybe it's my mature, ahem, taste buds now (I do like bittersweet chocolate since we are on the topic).

Fugetsu-Do has been around for ages (like since 1903 to be exact) and they are actually the mochi topping providers for Pinkberry, Yogurtland, or one of those famous places (I want to say the former). I just heard of this place recently through a friend and I love it. They have so many varieties and some unique flavors that are worth trying. Here is a play by play because you should know sooner than later:

Come on! And if peanut butter doesn't appeal to you, I'm sorry about your troubled childhood.

My mom kinda scolded me saying something along the lines of "you'd even buy chocolate mochi?!" She quickly quieted herself after a bite. It is surprisingly tasty for you traditionalists. For those with a more American palette, you'll eat this up... literally.

It is still Saran-wrapped because I wanted to keep my family's claws off them. Heh... the light colored one is a strawberry flavored white bean with a touch of chocolate. It is their signature flavor and rightfully so.

It's pretty yah? It's a white bean mango mochi. The mango flavor is very subtle. Nothing to go crazy over.

The green thing kinda looks like Slimer from Ghostbusters :) Different texture though! He's more tender and powdery from the peanut powder on the outside and he's packed with red bean (great for you somehow as a Chinese mom would tell you). The pink mochi in the background is like the mango too in that it's packed with white bean and nice to look at. The flavor is very mild if you are looking for something... how shall we say... boring?

One of my other favorites - baked potato mochi. It's not your traditional rice cake type. The texture is very unique and powdery. It becomes a sticky mess but it somehow pieces back together in your mouth as the bread it initially resembled.

They are 3 other baked varieties but most of the rice cake mochi come in either red or white bean for your choosing. They also have some without any filling, just lots of good dough. Your call but don't pass this up!

Fugetsu-Do Confectioners

315 East First Street

Los Angeles, CA 90012

They ship them too if you are too lazy to make the trek :) Get 'em for Valentine's Day! And Easter and Halloween and Christmas... oh, and Columbus Day.