Rokusho (Los Angeles, CA)
Rokusho Restaurant
6630 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028
323-493-3461
www.rokushola.com
Thu 07/10/2025, 08:00p-09:45p
Last autumn, I enjoyed a promising dinner at Udatsu, a new sushi-ya on Hollywood's Sunset Strip started by Hisashi Udatsu and Naotaka Ohashi. Given the quality of that meal, I became mildly curious about the duo's other spot, Rokusho (緑青), a more casual, new wave izakaya-type place that grand-opened on September 5th. It's actually the second Rokusho outpost after the original in Tokyo's Meguro ward (opened 2021), while a third location in Ho Chi Minh City launched at the end of November 2024.
Like with Udatsu, the design at Rokusho comes from Gry Space, a local firm started by Emi Kitawaki and Jen Whitaker. It's a bit of a minimalist aesthetic, with the starkness of those gray cement walls making themselves quite known.
I'd looked up Rokusho's menu online prior to dinner and was expecting to encounter something akin to schmancy izakaya fare. However, the menu I was handed when I sat down was quite different, and much more casual, almost like bar food. Click for larger versions.
To drink, cocktails appear to be the way to go, though you'll also find a small selection of sake, wine, and beer, along with a decent array of spirits. Click for larger versions.
Yuzu Rikishi [$16.00] | Roku Gin, Yuzu, Agave Syrup, Topo Chico
The evening's first cocktail was on the light, refreshing, summer-y, and quaffable side, and really conveyed the signature sweet-sourness of yuzu.
Hiyayakko [$14.00] | Cold Soft Tofu / House La-Yu / Ponzu
We began with quite a nice presentation of hiyakko. I was a fan of the rayu's nutty heat and umami, and how that married with the cool, mild tofu, all while those onions perked things up.
Crispy Rice [$14.00] | Spicy Tuna / Pickled Serrano / Tare
Blocks of rice came out as crispy as advertised, albeit a bit tough, though fortunately never oily. They played foil to supple scrapings of tuna imbued with a relatively subdued spice.
Umeroni [$16.00] | Roku Gin, Iichiko Saiten, Hakutsuru Ume, Suze
My second cocktail was a riff on the negroni, one that had all the bittersweetness I was expecting, but also a distinctly savory character and something that really made me think of peanut butter, but in a good way.
Gindara Saikyo Harumaki [$16.00] | Miso Marinated Black Cod / Bell Pepper / Onion Salad / Queso Fresco
Spring rolls arrived stuffed with rich, fatty, briny cuts of sablefish. Given its heft, the included bell peppers were appreciated, while even more crucial as a counterpoint was that onion salad. At the same time, a base of creamy cheese softened all the flavors at play and helped tie everything together.
Karaage [$12.00] | Shio-Dare Mayo
It was a bit of a mixed bag with regard to the kara-age. Part of the chicken was as juicy and flavorful as I wanted, while the other part veered dry. The accompanying sauce worked well enough with its assertive savoriness, though I think I would've preferred something a bit brighter.
Matcha Plata [$24.00] | Plata, Doburoku, Milk, Matcha Foam
This tequila-based cocktail demonstrated the bitter, grassy notes I expected from the green tea, supported by a fruity undercurrent from the unfiltered sake, all while that foam imparted an eggy astringency.
Sweet Shrimp & Scallop Tartare [$18.00] | Sunomono / Creme Fraiche / Dijon / Milk Bread Crostini
I generally appreciate a good tartare, but in this case, found the duo of crème fraîche and Dijon mustard overwhelming, as it was difficult to discern either item of seafood. I did like the inclusion of the shokupan, since its soft, toasty nature did help moderate everything.
Fried Maitake Mushroom [$16.00] | Kizami Wasabi / Sour Cream
Fried hen-of-the-woods featured an agreeable balance between light, crisp exteriors and firm, feathery insides, and I didn't mind that cool, creamy condiment on the side, either.
Yami et Aurum [$24.00] | Gold, Hojicha Infused Nankai Shochu, Syrup
Here we have perhaps the most tea-forward cocktail I've ever tasted. It displayed the roasty, toasty, smoky essence of hojicha in a much more forceful manner than I was expecting, but fortunately, everything was kept in check by the drink's sugary underpinning.
Tebasaki [$13.00] | Sweet Vinegar Tare / Sansho Shichimi
Chicken wings ate sweeter and sticker than I would've liked, and weren't where they needed to be texturally, while I also found the bird lacking in depth.
Soft Shell Crab & Kaiware [$12.00] | Tempura Fried / Umami Vinegar
The soft-shell crab temaki didn't quite cut it, either. Think overly briny and overly vinegary, with rice that didn't integrate particularly well.
Midorita [$16.00] | Mal Bien Espadin, Midori, Lime, Ichimi Salt
The night's final cocktail was a Midori-boosted margarita. Here, the smokiness of the mezcal meshed surprisingly well with the overt fruitiness of the melon liqueur, and I liked the accent provided by that salted rim, too.
Toro & Takuan [$12.00] | Sweet Soy / Kizami Wasabi
A version of the iconic toro-taku, our second hand roll was more successful, with the supple, luscious cuts of tuna making sense with the crunch and tang of pickled daikon. A classic pairing for a reason.
Mochi Beignets [$8.00]
Beignets were about par for the course, offering a bevy of creamy, jammy notes with some decidedly bitter undertones to boot.
I ended my meal a bit confused, as the menu was not nearly as ambitious as I was expecting, nor was it executed at the level of polish that it should've been. I quickly found out why. When Rokusho first opened, running the kitchen was Carlos Couts, who was most recently at Chotto Matte, a Japanese-Peruvian eatery in San Francisco. Prior to that, he was a corporate chef at Sushi by Scratch Restaurants, and during the pandemic, headed things up at the takeout-focused Edobox by Makoto. This was preceded by senior sous chef positions at both Katsuya Brentwood and Inko Nito.
However, I was told that Couts was no longer here, having decamped to open Osa Rooftop at the AC Hotel Pasadena, which actually shares the same ownership with Rokusho. Replacing him is Alex Suzuki, who's probably most known for being Executive Chef over at Kodo in the Arts District (also the same owners). Thus, the limited menu I experienced was instituted at the end of May, while Suzuki's new menu was to be revealed on July 18th. I therefore had the misfortune of visiting while the restaurant was in-between chefs, so hopefully things will be better once everything's in place coming up.
6630 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028
323-493-3461
www.rokushola.com
Thu 07/10/2025, 08:00p-09:45p
Last autumn, I enjoyed a promising dinner at Udatsu, a new sushi-ya on Hollywood's Sunset Strip started by Hisashi Udatsu and Naotaka Ohashi. Given the quality of that meal, I became mildly curious about the duo's other spot, Rokusho (緑青), a more casual, new wave izakaya-type place that grand-opened on September 5th. It's actually the second Rokusho outpost after the original in Tokyo's Meguro ward (opened 2021), while a third location in Ho Chi Minh City launched at the end of November 2024.
Like with Udatsu, the design at Rokusho comes from Gry Space, a local firm started by Emi Kitawaki and Jen Whitaker. It's a bit of a minimalist aesthetic, with the starkness of those gray cement walls making themselves quite known.
I'd looked up Rokusho's menu online prior to dinner and was expecting to encounter something akin to schmancy izakaya fare. However, the menu I was handed when I sat down was quite different, and much more casual, almost like bar food. Click for larger versions.
To drink, cocktails appear to be the way to go, though you'll also find a small selection of sake, wine, and beer, along with a decent array of spirits. Click for larger versions.
Yuzu Rikishi [$16.00] | Roku Gin, Yuzu, Agave Syrup, Topo Chico
The evening's first cocktail was on the light, refreshing, summer-y, and quaffable side, and really conveyed the signature sweet-sourness of yuzu.
Hiyayakko [$14.00] | Cold Soft Tofu / House La-Yu / Ponzu
We began with quite a nice presentation of hiyakko. I was a fan of the rayu's nutty heat and umami, and how that married with the cool, mild tofu, all while those onions perked things up.
Crispy Rice [$14.00] | Spicy Tuna / Pickled Serrano / Tare
Blocks of rice came out as crispy as advertised, albeit a bit tough, though fortunately never oily. They played foil to supple scrapings of tuna imbued with a relatively subdued spice.
Umeroni [$16.00] | Roku Gin, Iichiko Saiten, Hakutsuru Ume, Suze
My second cocktail was a riff on the negroni, one that had all the bittersweetness I was expecting, but also a distinctly savory character and something that really made me think of peanut butter, but in a good way.
Gindara Saikyo Harumaki [$16.00] | Miso Marinated Black Cod / Bell Pepper / Onion Salad / Queso Fresco
Spring rolls arrived stuffed with rich, fatty, briny cuts of sablefish. Given its heft, the included bell peppers were appreciated, while even more crucial as a counterpoint was that onion salad. At the same time, a base of creamy cheese softened all the flavors at play and helped tie everything together.
Karaage [$12.00] | Shio-Dare Mayo
It was a bit of a mixed bag with regard to the kara-age. Part of the chicken was as juicy and flavorful as I wanted, while the other part veered dry. The accompanying sauce worked well enough with its assertive savoriness, though I think I would've preferred something a bit brighter.
Matcha Plata [$24.00] | Plata, Doburoku, Milk, Matcha Foam
This tequila-based cocktail demonstrated the bitter, grassy notes I expected from the green tea, supported by a fruity undercurrent from the unfiltered sake, all while that foam imparted an eggy astringency.
Sweet Shrimp & Scallop Tartare [$18.00] | Sunomono / Creme Fraiche / Dijon / Milk Bread Crostini
I generally appreciate a good tartare, but in this case, found the duo of crème fraîche and Dijon mustard overwhelming, as it was difficult to discern either item of seafood. I did like the inclusion of the shokupan, since its soft, toasty nature did help moderate everything.
Fried Maitake Mushroom [$16.00] | Kizami Wasabi / Sour Cream
Fried hen-of-the-woods featured an agreeable balance between light, crisp exteriors and firm, feathery insides, and I didn't mind that cool, creamy condiment on the side, either.
Yami et Aurum [$24.00] | Gold, Hojicha Infused Nankai Shochu, Syrup
Here we have perhaps the most tea-forward cocktail I've ever tasted. It displayed the roasty, toasty, smoky essence of hojicha in a much more forceful manner than I was expecting, but fortunately, everything was kept in check by the drink's sugary underpinning.
Tebasaki [$13.00] | Sweet Vinegar Tare / Sansho Shichimi
Chicken wings ate sweeter and sticker than I would've liked, and weren't where they needed to be texturally, while I also found the bird lacking in depth.
Soft Shell Crab & Kaiware [$12.00] | Tempura Fried / Umami Vinegar
The soft-shell crab temaki didn't quite cut it, either. Think overly briny and overly vinegary, with rice that didn't integrate particularly well.
Midorita [$16.00] | Mal Bien Espadin, Midori, Lime, Ichimi Salt
The night's final cocktail was a Midori-boosted margarita. Here, the smokiness of the mezcal meshed surprisingly well with the overt fruitiness of the melon liqueur, and I liked the accent provided by that salted rim, too.
Toro & Takuan [$12.00] | Sweet Soy / Kizami Wasabi
A version of the iconic toro-taku, our second hand roll was more successful, with the supple, luscious cuts of tuna making sense with the crunch and tang of pickled daikon. A classic pairing for a reason.
Mochi Beignets [$8.00]
Beignets were about par for the course, offering a bevy of creamy, jammy notes with some decidedly bitter undertones to boot.
I ended my meal a bit confused, as the menu was not nearly as ambitious as I was expecting, nor was it executed at the level of polish that it should've been. I quickly found out why. When Rokusho first opened, running the kitchen was Carlos Couts, who was most recently at Chotto Matte, a Japanese-Peruvian eatery in San Francisco. Prior to that, he was a corporate chef at Sushi by Scratch Restaurants, and during the pandemic, headed things up at the takeout-focused Edobox by Makoto. This was preceded by senior sous chef positions at both Katsuya Brentwood and Inko Nito.
However, I was told that Couts was no longer here, having decamped to open Osa Rooftop at the AC Hotel Pasadena, which actually shares the same ownership with Rokusho. Replacing him is Alex Suzuki, who's probably most known for being Executive Chef over at Kodo in the Arts District (also the same owners). Thus, the limited menu I experienced was instituted at the end of May, while Suzuki's new menu was to be revealed on July 18th. I therefore had the misfortune of visiting while the restaurant was in-between chefs, so hopefully things will be better once everything's in place coming up.
posted by kevinEats at
8:00 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home