Raku:

One Friday night Carlos, Arianne, and I headed down to Little Tokyo with the intention of eating at Sushi-Gen. With no reservation and an hour and half wait we skipped the sushi and walked next door to, Raku Restaurant, an Izakaya restaurant. Izakaya’s are akin to tapas bar’s in Spain where the focus is on drinking and eating little plates, so I can imagine they can be quite rowdy. Raku on the other hand was mellow. The restaurant was full but didn’t have the Friday night buzz of Sushi Gen. We ordered the following dishes:

-Kimchee with Pork: a warm plate of kimchee with little pieces of pork. The type of thing you should order because it is an essential part of the meal but won’t wow you.

-Tuna and Avocado Salad: As you see in the photo they went kind of heavy with the mayonnaise based dressing. I took each bit with the fear that once in my mouth all that mayonnaise would cause me to gag. It didn’t but I think I would pass on this dish next time. The best thing about it was the dish they served it in.

-Spaghetti Mushrooms in a Butter Sauce: They are not really called spaghetti mushrooms. I can’t remember the name but this dish was so good we ordered it twice. Similar to a brown butter pasta but with mushrooms. Wow. The crown jewel of the menu.

-Pork Belly: Sometimes pork belly can be too fatty for me. This was not and I enjoyed it thoroughly.

-Spicy Tofu Soup: Spicy enough to clear out your nostrils. I like to have that happen to me once a meal. Don’t order this if you don’t.

-Miso Black Cod: I almost never eat Japanese food and do not order this dish. The closest thing to cooked butter I know.

-Zucchini Flower Tempura:

Should you go to this place? Yes. I look for any excuse to go to Little Tokyo. It’s one of the best neighborhoods in Los Angeles and Raku Plus is the perfect way to break up your normal eating patterns.