From every aspect, this restaurant screamed refinement. From the chosen decor materials, restaurant color theme, the sushi cooler, worker attire, dinnerware, presentation of the food, and even right down to the menu (and website)–everything was beautiful.

It was very much like Ikko in its decor style and layout, except Murasaki was warming. Murasaki’s style is elegance without ostentation.

Here’s a shot from their website:

We were seated next to a married couple who were clearly unhappy having us next to them. A massive celebratory bottle on ice separated our tables. They asked the waitress if other seats were open and scooted their table over once they were shot down.

Being unaware I understood Vietnamese, they started to complain about the seating arrangements. The nerve! This made us feel even more uncomfortable, but I tried to just ignore it.

Luckily we talked to them and they turned out to be really friendly. We later found out they were just peeved because they were waiting on friends and there were other tables open. They come to Sushi Murasaki often and only for the omakase. The husband persisted that I let him buy me a beer, but given my tolerance, the rest of the night would have been shot.

Murasaki’s chefs and owners, Tsutomo and Dai, aim for a simple style cuisine using the best ingredients.

As you know from my frequent visits to Oki Doki, I’m programmed to love albacore with garlic chips.

The play on this dish is a lot more subtle here. I could barely taste the garlic or other garnishes, but I did enjoy the fish though.

Again, Murasaki hits us with beautiful presentation and one of the best salmon sushi I’ve had.

I usually don’t think twice about rainbow rolls, but I was shocked at the presentation of this one. The fish was fresh and they went light on the mayo (major plus).

This is a new dish for me–a baked seafood dish of salmon, scallops, and mushrooms in a broth. It was nicely cooked, had nice presentation, and balanced the rest of the dinner’s cold orders.

I love sushi and feel that you usually get what you pay for. When I pulled up and saw a bunch of Beamers, Benzs and some convertibles I knew Sushi Murasaki was going to leave a dent. We made out with a bill of $40 before tip though, which was very reasonable.

I was more impressed by Sushi Murasaki’s decor than the food. Don’t get me wrong though, the food was good. There were a ton more creative dishes on the menu and attractive items I saw on other tables. I MUST return to try more and the omakase.

Sushi Murasaki
2901 W MacArthur Blvd Suite 108
Santa Ana, CA 92704
(714) 241-1000
www.sushi-murasaki.com

Wafu of Japan’s cozy little bar.

Baked oysters.

Dragon Balls

Baked Mussels

Crab and avocado. I love how simple this is.

Samurai Burrito. This was really good! It’s essentially made of the same stuff the dragon balls are, but I like this better.

This is the only place I’ve had fried ice cream. An airy ice cream would be useless. Luckily, they use a rich ice cream thats still super hard once served.

*Oct. 23, 2009 update*
What can I say, I can’t get enough of Wafu. Oh yeah and because the GF loves it too.

Crab and Avocado v2

Spicy Tuna Jalapeno. Stuffed into tiny peppers!

Fried Calamari

“Spicy Albacore Booster” – a nice light albacore roll. It came with a mayo sauce garnish. Yumm.

Wafu of Japan
320 Bristol St Ste G
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(714) 641-7321

The space itself is cold, sterile–like an art gallery. Strange plastic sea creatures are scattered on the wall which sports fake brick behind “damaged” drywall.

A fertility object and tasteful photo of fish to welcome you:

I’ve never experienced such a laid back, informal host at a sushi restaurant. Maybe it all ties into the “Fun” theme and of course, downtown Fullerton. After about a 20 minute wait, we were seated street-side with loungey seating and even more of those weird plastic fish. It was incredibly crowded this night and there must have been at least four men working the sushi bar. Rolls seemed to be what they’re pushing here, but there was a nigiri platter hidden in the back of the menu.

We finally put in our order. And about 40-50 minutes after nothing but edemame and beer, the restaurant lets off the joke. Having successfully starved us, they decided to bring out the order.

I have to admit I wasn’t expecting much after the initial impressions of the restaurant. It is not the most elegant stuff I’ve seen, but the nigiri was decent–the rolls too. That said, I still cannot comprehend the lines for this place.

Fun Sushi Momo
208 N Harbor Blvd
Fullerton, CA 92832
(714) 525-8974
www.sushi-momo.com

Fish In a Bottle is located in Placentia. I have never really explored this place and upon entering the plaza, sushi did NOT seem like a good fit. I ordered the nigiri sampler which came with 5 different kinds of fish and one shrimp. Hopes sank with each bite, making me kick myself more for not picking up some pastrami from The Hat. The fish was not fresh, each was mealy, chewy or very fishy smelling. As for the rice, there was too much. Each grain was dried a bit and chalky. Just awful. I did not have the heart to finish the last two pieces of fish or even try the shrimp. I have NEVER not finished nigiri until this night. This changes the meaning of ‘bad sushi’ for me.

Ok enough bashing. The decor, music, and atmosphere of this place was modern, upbeat, and comfy, respectively. To my surprise the salad that came with the sampler was nothing ive seen at a Japanese place and it was decent. It was mixed greens with candied walnuts, dijon balsamic vinaigrette, and a slice of pear(poached?).

They did seem to have a big selection of special rolls though, if you’re into that. Wouldn’t the icky fish be in that too? Yes! But to quote Anthony Bourdain, “An ounce of sauce covers a multitude of sins”
Lured with nice reviews and an attractive greeter ne’er again!

Fish In A Bottle
1205 E Imperial Hwy
Placentia, CA 92870

$1 Kirin mugs for happy hour is aweesome! I believe they have changed this happy hour recently to Mon-Thurs 5pm-7pm or 7:30pm. The perfect break right before night class. There is still NO ONE here during happy hour.

I’ve been to the Oki Dokis in OC quite a few times for sushi and this location is the ONLY one you should even think about visiting for sushi. You’re in for a world of hurt ordering it at the Garden Grove or Costa Mesa locations. The man, Takashi usually runs the sushi-ing here. Some new additions to the menu which are also only at this Oki Doki keep me coming back.

My faaavorite here is the albacore with garlic chips. You’ll smell like garlic for days but its TOTALLY worth it.

My second favorite is the spicy tuna on “grilled” (er, deep fried?) rice. It’s a little fried cake of rice topped with some spicy tuna, a tiny slice of jalepeno and Sriracha. x4. This and $1 Kirin alone is worth the trip!

The tuna/avocado tortilla chip dish is incr-edible.
Soy sauce and red wine stewed ribs are melt off the bone and continues melting in your mouth delish.
The ramen here is decent. The Malay style fried rice goes well with a mug of Kirin too.
For the most part, I do not like the nigiri. The quality of all the fish varies a lot so curb your expectations and you’ll be fine. I’ll still order it to get my fix. If you want some serious nigiri, head down the street to Wasabi and get your wallets ready.

Oki Doki
13681 Newport Ave #9
Tustin, CA 92781
(714) 730-7051

Positioned around loads of fast food, something like a Denny’s, behind a gas station, and baring neon paint on its face, Wafu of Japan is a gimmick. right?!

Whatever it is the seafood is fresh. We had the salmon, yellow tail, albacore, red snapper, and the octopus–they have all been consistently fresh and delicious.

The calamari part of the “Calamari Soo Good!” was unlike any I’ve had before… very good! If only it wasn’t filled with tuna. It was also quite pricey for a few pieces.

Craving a hit of Panda Express after it’s closed? Try the sesame chicken =O. It was unexpectedly drenched in a pungent, vinegary sauce. I say no to the teriyaki chicken too–it was just so-so.
Not being a fan of roe, or any mayo/cheese/smeltys I did not try any of the rolls.

The cozy room with very friendly chefs makes for a nice atmosphere.
Recently, however, I have been turned off by the nigiri. Having tried better fish elsewhere, I would only come back to try some rolls.

Oh yeah, and at which other sushi bars do you find fried ice cream? Take that one however you wish.

Wafu of Japan
320 Bristol St Ste G
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(714) 641-7321