I had been wanting to try this casual eats for some time. It’s not quite in downtown Culver City so it’s away from the madness and perhaps that was my hesitation previously. However, on Good Friday, after a long, exhausting week, we just wanted to go somewhere and have some decent, reasonably priced food without any effort of getting dressed up.
Seasalt Fish Grill is located in a building with adjacent free parking. You walk up to the counter, order and they give you a number to place on your table. It’s beer, wine, sake and shoji only. They have a TV where you can watch whatever sports event is in season. The seating is casual and comfortable. The restaurant is not very big but it didn’t seem to be very busy on a Friday night.
We ordered the seaweed salad, half spicy tuna, half salmon poke bowl with mango, corn, avocado, the North Shore shrimp which came with rice, red onions and pickled cucumber and the fish and chips with garlic Parmesan fries.
The poke bowl was the winner though some bites of the fish were tough but overall the flavor combination was varied and enjoyable. The seaweed salad was solid and had remnants of sesame flavor.
The North Shore shrimp had the shell on the breading which was unexpected, and it tasted sweet, unlike the three plates of garlic shrimp we had at Giovannis’s Shrimp Truck on the North Shore of Oahu. The pickled cucumber countered the sweetness of the plate.
The fish and chips were okay. The breading didn’t attach to the fish in 2 of the 3 fish sticks and the garlic Parmesan flavor didn’t absorb into the fries.
Overall, for the quality of the food, we would give it 3 stars. The location, convenience, casualness and service, we would give a 4. I wouldn’t go out of my way to dine here and for casual seafood eats, I would choose California Fish grill but if you’re in the area, about to watch a show at Kirk Douglas and don’t want to spend a lot of money, Sea Salt Fish Grill would be a solid option.
Seasalt Fish Grill
9901 Washington Blvd, Ste. 101
Culver City, CA 90232
https://seasaltfishgrill.com/culvercity/index.html
I’ve been wanting to try out Ramen Joint for quite some time. It’s not too far from home, the prices are reasonable and it’s casual. With me suffering from a cold for the past 3 months and with my husband finally succumbing to the vicious cold and flu season, I chose tonight to finally check out this hidden gem. It’s not easy to find as it’s off of Truxton in a small street in a Westchester strip mall area. There’s plenty of parking in the lot close by so that’s not an issue.
The restaurant is quite small with a 6 top, a 4 top, around 4 deuces and a wraparound counter seating which can seat about 16 people. However, thanks to the handy Yelp app, one can be added to the waitlist prior to arrival which is what we utilized, minimizing our on-site wait time. When we arrived, 2 parties of 2 were ahead of us. We likely waited about 10-15 minutes and once seated, we ordered and the food came out fast and furious.
The first items which to be served were the steaming hot edamame and the very tasty seaweed salad.
Next up were the 4 shrimp spring rolls which had a light and crispy wrapper accompanied with a tasty spicy mayo and the chicken karaage which were thick chunks of chicken with a somewhat crispy batter and a savory garlic aioli.
The main event of this dinner were the shoyu tonkotsu and shoyu chicken ramen entrees which were both ordered with a seasoned soft boiled egg and crispy garlic chips. My tonkotsu had an array of ingredients but was light on the tasty and savory broth. My husband’s spicy chicken ramen had quite a bit of noodles and spinach but was sparse on the chicken.
Our total bill was around $46 so with tip, it was $28 per person and I still have half of my ramen and half of the chicken leftover. For those who have had ramen in Tokyo as we have of late, I should warn you that this is not that. Nothing can compare to the technique utilized by the Japanese in preparing their broth and the quality of their noodles. However, considering the efficiency and effectiveness of the Yelp waitlist, the super attentive service combined with the fast turnaround of the food and the reasonable prices, The Ramen Joint will definitely be on our shortlist of favorite local haunts in the days, weeks, months and years to come.
The Ramen Joint
6220 W. 87th Street
Los Angeles, CA 90045
http://www.theramenjoint.com/menu
Grace Gambin
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