Expect the Unexpected

Sushi Hiroba’s conveyor belt is no factory

By Joseph S. Amster

Sushi Hiroba
776 N. Vine St.
Los Angeles
(323) 962-7237
www.sushihirobausa.com

Although they’re becoming more popular, I usually avoid conveyor-belt sushi restaurants. In case you’ve never been to one of these places, plates of sushi whiz by you on different-colored plates, seemingly making for a more convenient experience. When you’re finished, you pay according to the color of the plate, and unless you want a special order, you never have to deal with the sushi chef. Overall, I’ve found the quality at these establishments to be poor, sacrificing imagination and freshness for speed and convenience. Gladly, Sushi Hiroba is an exception to the rule.

Having recently opened their first U.S. location in Los Angeles, they have other restaurants in London, Seoul and Tokyo, with eventual plans to open in Moscow. Sushi Hiroba is definitely upscale, but not with upscale pricing, and features items I’ve never seen at other sushi restaurants. The advantage of a conveyor belt at Sushi Hiroba is easy access to standards like tuna, yellowtail, salmon and California roll. Special orders can be placed with any of the sushi chefs on duty, and the restaurant also offers omakase ordering, where you put yourself at the mercy of the chef for selections. Everyone should experience omakase once, and with price ranges of $40, $60, $80, $100 and up, Sushi Hiroba makes this available for any budget.

I’ve often read of the legendary black rice, but have never had the opportunity to taste it. This rare ingredient was well worth the wait, in this case topped by generous and tender pieces of squid. Black rice has a rougher and chewier texture than white rice, with a stronger and earthier flavor. Also out of the ordinary are the very generous boiled and chilled jumbo shrimp with tropical fusion wine sauce. These plump crustaceans are slit down the belly and stuffed with sushi rice, all held together by a ribbon of nori. The sauce was subtle, not overpowering the natural sweetness of the shrimp—they were the highlight of the meal. Another interesting sushi was the monkey roll (banana, freshwater eel and avocado)—a unique creation that, surprisingly, wasn’t overly sweet.

Sushi Hiroba’s menu goes far beyond sushi, with a wide range of traditional Japanese salads, appetizers and main dishes from pedestrian choices like teriyaki and tempura to high-end entrées like Kobe beef. For my lunchtime visit, I went with the chicken teriyaki, which didn’t disappoint. The succulent chicken breast came char-grilled with smoky flavor and not overly sweet teriyaki sauce. Their tempura was crisp and light, but I decided to give it the ultimate test: I let a piece sit for 10 minutes before eating it. Poorly made tempura will usually go limp in a few minutes, but Sushi Hiroba’s was still crisp. The most unexpected dish, however, was the black sesame ice cream. The taste is hard to describe—light and flavorful with slight overtones of coffee, and of course, sesame. Most of the flavor landed toward the back and sides of the tongue—the sour and bitter areas—but overall there was lightness to the taste that paired nicely with the fresh fruit that topped this dish, especially the astringency of the citrus.

Prices at Sushi Hiroba are very reasonable, with most sushi in the $3.50-$4.50 range and lunch entrées under $20.