sushi monster 9 + the weeknd episode three

Currently listening to: party 4 u – Charlie xcx

You could watch me pull up on your body
Like it’s summer, take my clothes off
In the water, splash around and get you blessed like holy water
I don’t know what you were waiting for
You know that I’ve been waiting for you
I only threw this party for you
If you saw my tears, would you touch me?
Kiss me on the mouth, say you love me?
Leave a message, tell me you’re sorry?
Hit me right back, hit me right back
Why you treating me like someone that you never loved?

Saturday night.

Met up with Five Star to celebrate my birthday at the coveted Sushi Park in West Hollywood (WeHo). She’s been hyping this place for over a year—apparently it’s the celeb hot spot, where Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Kendall Jenner, Jennifer Lawrence, Rosé, and more have dined.  When I told her I could only do weekends because of work, she sounded a little let down. “Celebrities don’t go there on weekends,” she said, like it was common knowledge in Hollywood.

Somehow, she managed to snag a reservation, which is no easy feat considering they only have eight seats at the sushi bar and five small tables. It’s a hard place to get into, they have people selling their reservations to get in here. Go figure. What makes it so alluring for celebrities is that there are no pictures allowed inside, no to-go boxes, and no substitutions or changes to the omakase menu. So no sushi photos to share.

My honest thoughts about this place was… it wasn’t all that.

The pacing was off. Way off. The plates came out rapid-fire, like they were trying to get us out or push more plates to jack up the bill. We were told by the waitress that when we’re 80% full, we should notify them so they can prepare one last plate. I wasn’t used to the this type of omakase, but they just keep bringing out nigiri like they’re in a race. I’m a slow eater so this irked me tremendously.

Also, the moment I heard the staff speaking English with Korean accents, I had a gut feeling. I’ll just say it: I’m wary of Korean-owned spots doing high-end sushi. If Five Star is shelling out $200 per person for this omakase, I want to see a sushi chef who trained in Japan behind the sushi counter. I’d rather spend that money at a place like Nobu, the Ritz, or Four Seasons—spots that are actually importing top-tier fish from Japan.

The food itself was just okay. For the price, the quality didn’t match up. And then there was the piping hot green tea. At most authentic Japanese places, the tea is served just slightly warmer than room temp and I’m not burning my lips on the cup.

Here’s what we ate:

• Albacore sashimi
• Sea bream
• Sea bass
• John Dory
• Bluefin o-toro
• Bluefin tuna
• Yellowtail
• Kanpachi
• Abalone
• Sweet shrimp
• Octopus
• Torched jumbo clam
• Horse mackerel
• Albacore toro
• Deep fried shrimp head
• Scallop
• Unagi

Seven courses total, with 2–3 pieces of nigiri per plate. They came out so fast that I barely had time to register one before the next hit the table. When I eat too fast, my stomach hurts because I end up eating more calories than I wanted to because it takes 20-30 minutes for the body to send a message to the brain, “I’m full.” So, I consciously try to eat slower and savor the meals.

I’d read on a blogger’s post that the dishes kept coming and when he finally got his bill it ended up being $600.

Five Star extremely disappointed with the meal and experience. We couldn’t understand the hype. But at least we could say that we finally went after a year of wondering if we should go or not.