Ikko

very low-​key restaurant.
each table is surrounded with wood black wall. Good for private party.
sometimes, they make special monthly courses meal.
there are only a few lunch selection but I like their set menu.
If you like slimy food, order Mekabu Don!

Very different kinda of Japanese restaurant.
You don’t get California rolls or spicy tuna, rainbow, dynamite here.
This place is pretty authentic looking restaurant in Torrance.
Other reviewers wrote about other ikko, this one’s my first ikko.
Let’s get straight. I ate sushi in Shinjuku or other big cities before.
This is not my first authentic stuffs.
We had uni-​eel sushi & salmon-​tuna ones too. Both were huge.
Squid tempura was real tasty but only a few little pieces.
It looked like they cut one small squid in slices and deep fried.
Oyster was real fresh. We ordered twice. It was that good.
Overall we had quite a few appetizers.
They didn’t look fill up our stomach, although we ate very slow,
and try to enjoy each bite. It worked.
I guess it’s not Tex-​Mex or Jap-​Cal style, and very expensive.
That’s all I can say about this ikko.

I’ve been to the Costa Mesa location before and i’m familiar with the quality and the Torrance location didn’t disappoint. We had the $ 70 omakase and as usual, had a great experience. The only draw back was the back to back custard dishes (uni over tofu, and egg custard crab)…both good but not ideal back to back. Sashmi was great, Sushi excellent, Lobster and mushroom nice, Beef Salad, and the surprise was the Kobe Steak Burger with a large piece of foie gras on top… hands down. Excellent overall.
I just hope they stay in business. Saturday night at 8am… and our group of 3 were the only ones in this place…

Okay so my better half adores raw fish, and although I respect the art of sushi, very rarely do I actually appreciate it to the full spectrum it deserves.
I used to think that my culinary passion was limited, that I was ignorant, and hopeless. I was wrong. I just was forced to eat crap sushi in the South Bay.
Ikko is INCREDIBLE! Seriously!!!
We sattled up to the bar and on placed ourselves in Mark’s (sushi chef) nimble hands. The experience was sublime, fun, and changed how I look at raw fish. Yes I have 2 other places in the South Bay that I will actually LOVE their raw fish, but this just might take the cake (on fish alone).
The knife skills, selection of beyond fresh fish, and traditional style blew my mind. We will be back, and I am so excited!

Finally had the chance to try this place. I’ve been craving GOOD sushi for awhile so a couple friends and I decided to kinda splurge here. Our party of three have all been to the Costa Mesa location (
) so we were looking forward to our meal here. The menu isn’t as extensive as the Costa Mesa location but I knew that by reading some reviews beforehand.
I wanted to get the omakase but one guy in our party wasn’t feeling it today. So here’s what we ordered
:
1. Deep Fried Scallops
2. Seared Toro Sushi
3. Albacore Sushi
4. Yellowtail Sushi
5. Miso Marinated Beef Tongue
6. Scallops Sushi
7. Golden Cattle Sushi
8. Alaskan Red Snapper Sushi
Just like the CM branch, all the sushi was super fresh. My favorites were the Yellowtail, Alaskan Red Snapper, and Seared Toro. What surprised all of us was the beef tongue! We got pretty big chunks of pure tenderness.
Hands down I’d choose the CM branch over this one, just by selection alone. Service at both places were about the same. However this location is slightly bigger, just a note if you have a bigger group. But because this place is closer, I’ll definitely come back for more.

Ikko. A hidden treasure amongst a rough looking strip mall exterior. SItuated between Mr Luckys pool hall and Golden Camel Mongolian BBQ, you wouldn’t think that this Surfshop-​esque logo’ed stall was a nice, quiet, intimate Sushiya. I wouldn’t have come in if it wasn’t for good reviews, but I’m sure glad I did. What a find.
Sushiya is a tough business with such high overhead and low shelflife of product. I’m surprised that this joint stays in business because it is never overly crowded, but because they have only 5 – 6 tables, I’m sure they keep their stock low enough to ensure freshness and keep the prices decent.
$ 60 Omakase is the way to go if you’re hungry. There are not too many Sushiya that offers that price for how much you get. I ordered that the first 2 times I came, but on this third time, I opted for Ippinriori (Tapas, appetizers, single dishes) BUT my wife got the set so I got to taste everything. Ha.
Hamachi Sashimi — Topped with olive oil, cilantro, jalapeño, and yuzu kosho. A variation of the much acclaimed Nobu version but just $ 20 cheaper than his. (I love Nobu regardless)
Tako Collagen — Namadako (Raw Octopus) but it was the gelatenous part of the octopus mixed with yuzu, salt, and kosho. Very fresh and great with nihonshu. (sake)
Ankimo Pâté — Yum. Very buttery. Served with a few senbei crackers, there is definitely more pâté than cracker space. Should have asked for more senbei.
Maguro Salad — Palette cleansing salad that came with a rice noodle type cage crisp type thingamabob (technical term). Very basic but fresh and tasty.
Kani Chawanmushi — Taraba crab (big pieces) along with mochi, shrimp, and other gems hidden in this steamed egg custard. Always good.
Takenoko Tempura — By default, this was ordered since Manjyu and Chawanmushi version with takenoko was sold out. (Seasonal specialty) Good batter on the tempura and served with sea salt. Oishii.
Suzuki Kama — Sea bass collar broiled with tare (sauce). The common version uses the Yellowtail or Salmon collar and simple salt. This one was marinated with a miso based sauce and broiled so it turned out more like gindara or butterfish. Nice.
Braised Osso Bucco — We were about to wave the white flag in hopes that the sushi will come next but here comes yet another dish. Worth waiting for. Osso Bucco was tender as it should since it was braised with this wine based sauce for what seemed hours. Very unusual for a place like this but I’m not complaining.
Salmon sashimi with fukahire — Salmon wrapped around fukahire and with ume and shiso. The best dish for me by far. The texture of the fukahire is pretty unmatched and it goes well with ume.
Sushi — Chuutoro, Uni, Tsubugai and 2 others which I didn’t try but they weren’t common. Fresh and served as is so no messy dipping involved. Chef prepped with wasabi and shoyu applicable so just pick up and eat. Gooooood.
Tofu Mousse — Very good. Light and perfect ending to meal. Tastes nothing like tofu for you skeptics out there but more like a flan pudding.
All in all, another great experience. They have a great selection of osake and even had a fugu infused osake (served warm only). Friendly staff and quiet ambience. I would definitely recommend for nice dinner for small party but i noticed a group room in the back of the restaurant as well. Please enjoy. Not your run of the mill sushiya which makes it so unique and you can’t beat the price on the $ 60 Omakase set dinner.

I had been to the Costa Mesa location a few times since I used to live in OC but now that I’m a Southbay kind of guy, had to give this locale a try. Finally got the chance to enjoy dinner there…
Got the beef tongue carp as usual since it is one of their best dishes. My friend said she really liked it. Then had this salmon thing with tartar sauce on a tortilla, man that thing was good. Also had the tempera eggplant with the spicy tuna. Then it was onto the sushi… no sauce is provided for you, it’s already prepared properly.
They get a star taken off for their cut-​roll not being that good… I should have remember because I thought the same thing about their other location’s cut roll too. And also, they didn’t have uni.
Overall, a solid place… oh and I forgot, the tofu mousse was quite yummy. Light yet satisfying.
Service was great and our chef, Mark, was very cool and engaging.

I was so excited to go to Ikko again… but at a different location. I decided this time to get items that I enjoyed at the other Ikko. I loved my yellowtail carpaccio… I can eat that all day. John was kind enough to share a piece of his tuna carpaccio which was delish so I convinced Glen to order one too so I can have a piece from him… sneaky is my middle name!
The comparison: Costa Mesa vs. Torrance
1. Size wise… I thought the Torrance location had more room. I didn’t feel so small and squished.
2. Service wise… I thought Torrance had faster service.
3. Food wise… I liked Costa Mesa better for some reason, although I did not order the Omakase here at Torrance which did look delish!
4. Price wise… both are pretty expensive. My meal at Costa Mesa (mind you it was the omakase) came out to $ 80. Here at Torrance came out to about $ 45. I really should have shelled out a bit more for the omakase. Lesson learned.
Coming here for the very last sushi UYE for 2009 was definitely not a disappointment… I had a great time. Got to meet new people which was nice… and of course the main drive for bringing me to this event every month is the great company of Yuki, Chris (although he wasn’t there that day), Glen, Jyenny, Nick (yeah for finally getting something other than Chicken Teriyaki) and John! Oh and it was so great to see some Disneyland UYE’ers like Jenny and Mika! Fun times! Can’t wait till 2010… no more sushi… but perhaps Jyenny will hold a quarterly south bay sushi as mentioned!

Came here for a Sushi UYE #12. I know this place is pretty authentic, however, the price listed isn’t my style LOL, cause I need lots of food if I ate here and it would add up more than $ 100 to satisfy my stomach.
I wanted to get Deep Fried Squid legs but they’re out and it’s only like 8pm, so I ended up ordering deep fried mini mackerel and lemme tell u, it’s MINI!!! Also ordered seared oyster (4pcs, she told me 3, but more is always better rite?) with yuzu pepper — couldn’t really taste the pepper. I also ordered 2 pcs of halibut, weird texture somehow than any other halibut I’d eaten, and for those 3 foods, I ended up paying $ 21 plus tips, and my stomach was still empty when I walked out.
Don’t get me wrong Yuki, I just need bigger portion and the cheaper price =), but really thank you for organizing this sushi UYE, it’s nice to meet some OC and LB Unilocalers, Glenn, Jyenny, Lily, Mika, and others that I forgot to mention.

I went here for a UYE last night. I had the yellowtail carpaccio — delish. Yellowtail is always good. I also had the fried tuna with shiso which was also good. And the 3^rd dish was the cooked onion with sour cream and salmon roe. It sounded good, but I was disappointed. The flavor of the onion, which was marinated in something, just wasn’t clicking with my tastebuds. They are overpriced and serve very small portions. It’s a Japanese restaurant trying to be extra fancy. If you’re going to be fancy, you need to at least put more decorations on your white plastic xmas tree. 4 balls aren’t going to cut it. The place is small and not good for large parties. I did however enjoy the company of the Unilocalers that attended. It made the night better. Thanks everyone and thank you Yuki for being our hostess!

2009 Sushi UYE #12 — The Grande Finale
THANK YOU to everyone who came out and made the year’s final dinner a great success!
Honourable Mention: Glen F and Jyenny B who both attended every single one of the year’s events! THANK YOU THANK YOU!!! Jyenny also presented me with a very thoughtful gesture of card and candy to close out the series. *HUG*
You guys are so great. It was fantastic getting the opportunity to meet you all! I look forward to continuing the tradition in 2010 with a new theme and 12 more installments of gastrointestinal grandeur!
Oh, Ikko. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
1. Amazingly fresh sashimi every time regardless of the selection.
2. Impressively innovative menu creations.
3. Even when I’m not entranced by the flavour, I’m still impressed by the dish.
4. Sweet potato dessert was like a wet dream come true… with cinnamon.
5. Service here was FAR more accommodating and accurate then Costa Mesa location.
6. Private room in the back was offered for our large party.
How do I NOT love thee? Let me discount the ways.
1. Prices are like an umbrella that over shadows the portions.
2. Menu selection is not as diverse as Costa Mesa location.
3. Oysters are quite heavy and brine is not a favourite of mine.
4. 7 orders of the Yellowtail Carpaccio and I observed the cuts of fish to diminish in thickness as the orders accumulated.
As for the food, unless otherwise stated, it was amazing.
Omakase — $ 60 for 5 courses plus dessert.
1. 4 bite sampler — 2 types of really briney oysters (no thanks), scallop sashimi with uni, clam sashimi with sea salt.
2. Seared tuna salad with crispy rice lattice and salted sesame dressing.
3. Marinated onion quarter with Japanese mayonaise and caviar. Not all that impressive.
4. Stewed beef tongue with brown miso reduction with a side sampling of foie gras served on a lightly fried sesame cracker. Good, but nothing special. Sort of had same taste and texture as Dinty Moore beef stew.
5. Various cuts of chef’s selection sushi (5 kinds). Will vary by day.
6. Vanilla Ice Cream with chocolate chunks and espresso drizel.
Menu
1. Seared Beef Tongue with Black Truffle, Spring Greens, and Poached Egg
2. Marinated Halibut Salad
3. Marinated Tuna Sashimi
4. Cheese dip dish of some sort
5. Tuna and Feta Cheese sashimi. Odd but interesting.
All in all, a great dinner but I honesty prefer the Costa Mesa location over this one. Though the restuarant in CM is smaller and the service is a bit on the sketchy side, the food wins me over and the selection is definitely larger.
Best dish of the night: Sweet Potato dessert with vanila ice cream, dash of cinnamon, and honey drizel. This isn’t to say the food was bad. I’m just saying that this dessert took me by surprise and finding it on the menu was more than enough to build anticipation for it from the start. Food was wonderful, but this dessert was a definite winner and a great discovery.

So I randomly decided to go to Ikko and eat there with my boss, his wife and co-​worker and to start off this culinary adventure was Amazing…
Normally I write intricate detailed analysis of the food, but I was too busy trying to fight to eat the last piece of everything that was offered…
I posted some pics of the food that we ate, but the pictures don’t do justice… due to my mouth still lingering with the delightful tastes that Ikko has blessed me with…
The restaurant’s atmosphere gives you that loungy, relaxed cool type of feel… The service welcoming and very attentive
I have ate alot of sushi and alot of japanese food in my time, but this was different, in a spectacular way… With all the copycat sushi bars and mundane izakaya places, Ikko has found a place in my heart, mind and stomach…
Thank you Ikko for a meal worth remembering~

leaving my comfort zone (the westsiiiiiiide) last night, i ventured down to torrance to explore what that world has to offer. justifiably fearing a proliferation of crappy chain restaurants, i did some research on Unilocal to find a place with top-​rated potential. not surprisingly, there are VERY few options.
ikko emerged as the frontrunner. as other Unilocalers have pointed out, ikko is in a kinda run-​down stripmall with the only other restaurant in the area that seemed to have potential, i-​naba. as i was parking my car, a crowd of sketchies left the dive bar next door, undoubtedly to continue the festivities back at one of their doublewide trailers.
ikko’s signage is very low-​key, and dark black drapes keep prying eyes outside from seeing the quaint interior. electing to sit at the booths in front, each one has surprisingly effective curtains which are drawn to give you a lot of privacy. cute.
service is very attentive and polite, and made me wish i could speak japanese to converse more freely although english wasn’t an issue. our booth was right at the front, so i actually didn’t look around the restaurant much. when you make reservations, they give you the option of booth vs. sushi bar.
we ordered:
— yellowtail carpaccio
— octopus sashimi with yuzu pepper
— seared toro salad
— crab gratin
— large kurosawa cold sake
everything was super fresh and high quality. with their izakaya dishes, there is a fusion element involved, with some light sauces. ikko refuses to provide other seasonings (such as soy sauce), since each dish is meant to be enjoyed as prepared. unfortunately, the yellowtail and octopus were super salty, which killed the flavor.
the seared toro salad was the tastiest dish and thankfully wasn’t over-​seasoned, but the slices of toro were placed UNDER the mixed baby greens and dressing, which made the flavors and textures all a bit soggy.
the crab gratin was reasonably tasty, super rich, and creamy. it comes with a crispy fried shell on top that you can break into the gratin for texture, but the dish was so rich and gooey, toast points or rice cakes might have stood up better.
overall 3 stars for the food, plus 1 star for being one of the only options for innovative food around torrance. looks like it would be good for quality sushi at the bar. our total tab was $ 70 plus tip.

A surprisingly sophisticated little place in middle of a strip mall in Torrance. I think it used to Super Udon b4 they closed down. Driving by it a hundreds of times, I had NO idea it was so kute & intimate inside! Great for first dates, I think — at least in terms of ambiance. Now — if only the food was out of this world… but wah-​wa~ it was disappointing.
A polished old-​school japanese place — by which I mean — the décor is fresh, modern and refined but has authentic menu in japanese with sometimes-​odd English translation, serviced by old-​school sushi chefs who doesn’t smile and meek wait staff who’s soft-​spoken thus hard to understand. I thought to myself — yay! I found a great place!
And maybe I need to give it one more try with their dinner menu and must admit that I went there during lunch salivating for some good grilled salmon lunch special… to which was disappointing that they didn’t have any of the classic lunch bento specials you can find everywhere else. Call me white-​washed (can I say that given I’m actually asian?) but sometimes and esp for lunch, I want something quick, easy and dependable, that doesn’t leave a fishy breath afterwards, you know?
Got the lunch special of cold soba noodles (beautifully presented) and a maki roll (that’s like saying «roll roll») with scallions — wish I could remember what the fish was. Verdict:
— Soba noodles: good soba, bland broth, slimy mushroom «heads», overall, a blah).
— Maki: (way too big! i think u should be able to pop it all whole as when u try to bite it then the seaweed gets all tough as rice and the stuffing gets all squeezed out and messy making u look like a clumsy fool at the table). Scallions had a good flavor but the fish was so soft and smashed around with the seasoning that you didn’t have any texture that danced around in ur mouth as you were chewing it. And there was waay too much rice in each of the roll.
I sat at the sushi bar, alone, asking the chef questions like, «what does Ikko mean»? — to which he pointed to himself without any emotion at all on his face… which I guess means he’s Chef Ikko? I also asked how long they’ve been here… and to which the waitstaff replied, about 1.5 yrs. No efforts to make first impressions, add some personality, or at the very least, throw me a bone — making the solitary dining experience even more awkward.
I get it if they want to be a sushi nazi but the food did not meet that expectation. Not too bad of a meal at $ 15/​for lunch including tip (they automatically bring u hot green tea which is a nice plus).but nowhere that I’d crave to go dine again. Fell flat on its face~ Maybe the Costa Mesa location’s better?
Unto searching for umami zen dining…

Everything was great.
I love this place.
Extensive review of the Costa Mesa Branch.

Truly an amazing experience. A completely unique experience for me in a Japanese restaurant.
Not only was there a quality sushi experience, but also they have some really creative and excellent efforts that were entirely new to me. They included:
Beef tongue with black truffle
Uni in egg custard
Tako in a sour plum sauce
Foie gras with an interesting grilled twist
Quality toro, nigiri, and kamas were also had in this most epic of feeds.

Something about this place always pleases me. Well, «always» might not be the right term as I’ve only been there twice. But for those two visits, I was 100% happy with what I got. You might get 95% happiness here and there, but 100% in two consecutive visits? I’d say that’s rare. And I have a feeling that my future visits will be just as wonderful as my first two.
It goes without saying that they serve great food. I’ve tried both Izakaya style small plates as well as Sushi. Their menu actually baffles me as how vast their range is. Normally if it’s a sushi restaurant, you get good sushi (well if you are lucky, that is, especially here in LA) and some decent traditional Japanese side dishes from the kitchen. If it’s Izakaya, you get good traditional/​creative/​fusion style little plates and most likely yucky sushi if they even serve it. Here at Ikko, it’s a perfect blend of two: great sushi and great small plates.
I’m talking about great sushi, not just «decent» or «good» sushi but actually GREAT sushi. Rice firmness? Perfect. Rice temperature? Perfect. Rice flavor? Perfect. The fish on top? Perfect! Variety? Peeeeerfect! Last visit, we must have eaten 4 to 5 different variety of mackerels and about 3 different variety of snappers. And yes, they are all quite different. Just like how there are so many different terrier dogs and one kind looks totally different from the other, fish does have different classifications within the same family. This is the one and only sushi place that I know of that actually serves fish in such a diversity.
And their Izakaya dishes? Top notch. They are not even one of those «usual» line-​ups like grilled fish or veggies in broth. They are unique. They are fusion. They are fun. Foie gras with peanut sauce on crispy wonton? Gigantic octopus suction cups as sashimi? Mochi and Kimchee together? Oh they were all so good!
How can great sushi and a great foie gras dish co-​exist under one roof? Where else do you see that happening? Nowhere. Really, nowhere in LA that I know succeed in what seems to be too ambitious to even try.
Oh, and let us not forget about the two chefs behind the sushi counter. Quiet, modest, yet cautious and attentive. They didn’t come off to be distant or impersonal, instead, they knew when to talk and when not to talk. They respected our time during the dining for the most part, and conversed with us in the most reserved way.
I just loved the way the whole dinner went. Great atmosphere, great food, great staff. Nothing could have been better. Hats off to Ikko for their creative mind and skills to put traditional Japanese and western ingredients and style together, as well as the over all attitude. This is the place for me to go when I want something special, something yummy, and something fun yet romantic. Or when I even wanna impress or treat somebody with something spectacular. Or when I simply want to treat myself with 100% satisfaction without a failure.
This is THE place.

Went here for our monthly anniversary stop. We weren’t really expecting much for a sushi joint in the South Bay.
We sat at a table for a little bit of privacy. It is a small, intimate place. It looks a lot different on the inside. As you walk in, you are completely transformed from the shady looking strip mall, (with the ghetto camel mongolian bbq next door), into a dark, romantic and somewhat trendy environment reminiscent of something you see in Hollywood.
We stuck with the typical sushi: Yellowtail, Albacore, Scallops, Japanese Mackerel, Uni and Masago. In addition, we had some raw oysters (tobasco & salt + lime), miso sea-​bass, and the black sesame ice cream w/​coffee for dessert.
The sushi was great! I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of fish they had here. We had to have another order of hotate and hamachi. The uni was close to the best I’ve ever had. Masago, really tastes the same no matter where you go, but is a must with the uni. In addition to the great sushi, you get real wasabi here, none of that pretty swirled paste stuff. The oysters were okay, not bad, but nothing spectacular. They served them on a plate versus in the half shell, which made things a little difficult to eat. The worst part of the meal was the miso-​seabass. I was expecting a buttery piece of «seabass», but instead got something with the consistency of chicken! Not sure which part of the fish they served, but I could definitely do without it. The dessert was a good ending to a good meal.
In the end, we spent over $ 200 for our meal with alcohol. We also ordered a bottle of Kubota Senjyu (where can I find this stuff!). On the menu, it lists the sake for $ 29, we assumed this was for the bottle, but that bottle ended up costing $ 96. I would expect that price for Kubota Manju.
Regardless, we found our new favorite sushi spot in the South Bay. We’ll definitely be back.
Happy Anniversary Babe.

Only been here for lunch and only have ordered the sushi. I’ve also sat with two different sushi chefs & don’t know if they’re the same guys at the dinner hour, but they’re also very friendly, in spite of one of ‘em being a raiders fan. The raiders fan seems to be heavier on the wasabi, but not overpowering.
The sushi is always good and well seasoned & usually their selection is full of fish that I haven’t had in any other Los Angeles joints. Surprisingly, more often than not I find out that their fish is on the Monterey aquarium’s safe list, that is if their crazy translation makes it into a google link for me to look it up.

I saved my 600^th review for a restaurant I love, even if this isn’t the original (in Costa Mesa). This Ikko just opened up 6 months ago according to one of the sushi chefs. The exterior sign looks identical to the Costa Mesa Ikko, but the interior takes you into a different world. It still has the dark furnishings and dim lighting, but the ambiance is definitely more «hip» and «fusion» than the original. The space is bigger and there are actually booths with curtains to maintain privacy. I made reservations for dinner just like I would at the other Ikko, but there was really no need because this place wasn’t packed out at all. Word probably hasn’t gotten around yet about how great Ikko truly is.
As for the food, my friend and I decided to sit at the bar and do sushi only. We ordered a bunch of toros, salmon, uni, yellowtail, sea bream, scallops, saltwater eel (anago), butterfish and halibut. The menu selection is definitely more limited here. They don’t have as much exotic fish as the other location, and I was disappointed that they did not have sweet shrimp the night I came. Other than that, the fish quality was on par. They sear the toro like they normally would — the texture and quality was perfect! The bowl of clam miso soup I had was good, but on the salty side.
We ended our meal with their second dessert choice — It was something like sesame ice cream and red bean drizzled with a brown sugar sauce then topped with soy powder. I highly recommend this, it was good!
For those not familiar with Ikko, it’s good to note that they do not give you soy sauce at all because they season their fish just how they like it and believes that soy sauce overpowers and drowns out the true essence of the fish. I wouldn’t push them on the soy sauce issue.
As much as I’m all for Ikko, there was still something amiss about this location. It doesn’t quite live up to what I love about the original Ikko. Although the fish was fresh, the creativity and presentation of the fish was not quite there. The flair I’ve come to know and love about Ikko is lacking here.
The waitresses were obviously new, they were uncertain about menu selections and had to look to the chef to help us answer some questions. They constantly checked up on us and made sure things were good, but in a very interrupting (almost annoying) sort of way.
Still an enjoyable Ikko experience, but not quite the same. Come for their fresh fish, you won’t be disappointed. Be ready to pay a hefty price, but you do get what you pay for here.