Not a bad way to start the meal.

About a month back, my high school friend Sachi suggested I try Ikko, a Japanese restaurant in Costa Mesa known for omakase. I figured it’d be a good time to go after dropping my car off to YimiSport since we didn’t have any plans for dinner. I also thought I’d take Amy somewhere nice as thanks for driving behind my smelly exhaust for an hour all the way to Santa Clarita. These last few months, driving to YimiSport has become quite a routine; probably not a good thing!

This one was the best!

Anyway, back to the delicious food. It was pretty good, only if I could remember what everything was. After the second serving, I kind of stopped caring and just wanted to eat. Omakase is great for a guy like me because if my diet were left in my hands, I’d find something I like well enough and order it over and over for the rest of my life. Having an expert just hand me delicious food, it doesn’t get much better than that; if only it were cheaper.

Tomatoes for the most part; I liked the cheese.

Omakase at Ikko starts at a minimum of $60 and goes up to as high as you want. Unfortunately I had the thought that if you set the limit higher, you get higher quality food, but I think you just get more of what they’re already making. That’s kind of what I didn’t like about the place; you don’t really know how much you’re getting for your money until it’s already too late. It’s very easy to set yourself up for too much food without a clue and that’s exactly what I ended up doing.

Such tender meat, it hit the spot.

There were only two or three dishes I didn’t like (not pictured). Ikko I think is one of those places that caters to a particular taste and sometimes it might rub your buds the wrong way. Honestly, I thought the tuna was very average, falling a bit short of my expectations considering the price of the meal. We should’ve stuck with the minimum, but I think it’s alright to go a little overboard the first time of anything. It’s better to have tried than to have never known at all.

Looks pretty good right?

I have to confess, coming in to Ikko, we already had San Shi Go in mind as the benchmark of all great Japanese food and I think that made us a bit bias. Especially since Shogo and Dice at San Shi Go are our friends, but honestly I can say the food is just a lot better at San Shi Go. For the price, San Shi Go throws it down and really knows how to combo the right stuff. Anyone can make 2 dishes that taste great individually; back to back it might not work so well.

Shogo is ichiban!

That’s why Shogo is the master of food combo (food combo is the phrase I’ve personally coined, derived from Street Fighter II). Only a true master can understand your taste for food and put together a food combo in real time that will satisfy you completely. When I eat at San Shi Go, no dish is eaten unliked; all is delicious and we’ve certainly been there enough times to test the consistency. Next time you feel like throwing down the gauntlet, please visit San Shi Go.

You don't pay for the ingredients, but the experience of the chef.

Keep in mind though, good food comes at a steep price! How much you’re willing to pay for what you eat, well, that’s up to you. The way I see it, you live only once, might as well do what you want and eat what you want. Just make sure you get the best value and take it to San Shi Go, the best of the best! I don’t recall having to pay for tea by the pot at San Shi Go either; last I remember, tea was free.

San Shi Go
205 Main St
Newport Beach, CA 92661
(949) 673-3724

That's how we chow down.

Back when I was working with AnyDATA, the LBS (location based services) team would usually go over to Kaisen practically every week on Thursdays for their special on soft shell crab handrolls. Every day of the week, Kaisen would offer different handrolls at discounted prices and on Thursdays, soft shell crab handrolls were $1.50 instead of $3. It wasn’t an amazing deal, but not too bad and they actually taste pretty good. If you’re ever next to South Coast Plaza, I’d check it out on a Thursday and try for yourself. The negitoro rolls aren’t too expensive even on days when it’s not a special, so what we usually do is just order a bunch of soft shell crab and negitoro handrolls.

It’s kind of funny because Kaisen is actually a conveyer belt sushi joint, but we hardly ever eat anything that’s already on the belt. To be honest, some of that stuff could’ve been there for days. I don’t think this is one of those places like how they do in Japan where they just throw everything away at the end of the night.

Kaisen Sushi Restaurant
3855 S Bristol St.
Santa Ana, CA 92704