Tamon Sushi

This restaurant is on the second floor of a hotel, so it’s open really early for breakfast, which is unusual for DTLA. I love a Japanese breakfast and was really excited to find a place nearby that starts serving at 6:30am.
First Disappointment: When we went, we couldn’t get breakfast a la carte. We had to get the $ 23/​person buffet. The buffet serves both Japanese and western food — grilled fish, rice, miso soup, and pickles on one side; bacon, eggs, and pancakes on the other. It’s not a bad selection.
Second Disappointment: I came for the rice and egg breakfast but it wasn’t part of the buffet. I settled for a bowl of rice with pickles and a slice of grilled fish. Everything was room temperature and not too tasty.
Third Disappointment: They don’t take AMEX. It’s just annoying.

Although the portion of my miso black cod was smaller than I would have liked, it was very good. ⁴⁄₅. Try it.
Along with the cod, we ordered a green salad that we shared amongst four women. ³⁄₅
And yes, rice had to be ordered, as did the miso soup. In fact, many items on the menu were most a la carte. There was, however, a steak special which came with rice, soup and the small salad. The small steak was extremely small and others joked and asked where the steak was. ³⁄₅ meh…
Husband had sashimi and did not order rice. I trust his judgement as he’s dined at top sushi restaurants both here and in Japan. His thoughts? It was «Ok».
Couple friends had the chirashi sushi. Both felt the portion was small.
Service was good. Ambiance was good. Tamon sits on the second level of the Miyako Hotel, over-​looking Little Tokyo’s historic First Street. We enjoyed sitting near the window, where we observed two noodle restaurants, Daikokya and Monzo’s huge wait line spewing into the street…
So my take away: above average food, but small portions. is more quality than quantity. Would I return? Yes. For the black cod when not too hungry.

Got into the hotel late so we just went here for a quick bite to eat. The ambiance is stunning, really pretty restaurant. We were one of the few people eating so got seated right away. Service was ok (except I had to go find someone to pay the bill after waiting for it over 10 minutes) the food was just ‘ok’. The tempura was super greasy and it could have been 3 stars review except for the prices. I felt cheated because there are at least 10 other sushi places a few steps away. Oh and we couldn’t get any sushi rolls because they were out of rice. So while we enjoyed the location, it just wasn’t a great meal.

[UPDATE: CHEF KENNY IS NO LONGER THERE!!! Some co-​workers took me there for a birthday lunch and found that Chef Kenny is gone!!! But I JUST discovered that place a week ago!!! So crushed!!!]
I had the most delightful lunch today on my first visit to Tamon. Even though I work literally two blocks away, I’d never been there before. I read about it in someone else’s Unilocal review comparing it to my beloved Sushi Zo. Because I wanted to order sushi they sat me at the sushi bar. It was just me and Chef Kenny. He was super friendly and we learned a little bit about each other as I gobbled up his sushi, took pictures and copious notes.
I ordered the omakase. I had 20 pieces of nigiri in ten courses. I got pictures of almost all of them. Here are my thoughts on each one, and largely in comparison to Sushi Zo:
Sea bream: Delicious, melted in my mouth, and very much on par with Sushi Zo. I knew I was in for a great lunch.
Hirame (flounder, but might have been halibut): slightly on the chewy side but still very good.
Yellow Fin Tuna marinated in ginger soy sauce (good but being lean it was more like normal tuna nigiri that I’ve never gotten too excited about. A little lacking in flavor)
Blue Fin Tuna, also marinated in ginger soy: Fattier but not quite toro fattier. Loved it. In my top three or four pieces of fish from this lunch.
Kampachi and yellowtail: Loved, loved, loved both. Probably my two favorite.
Sea snail and scallop from Hokkaido: both chewy, especially the snail (like a clam.) Neither did much for me.
Stripe Jack (wonderful, like Spanish mackerel) and Japanese mackerel (a little too fishy for my taste. I wonder if I mixed the Japanese mackerel up with the stripe jack.
Salmon (2), both seared, one with salmon skin and one without: both delicious but I think I prefer salmon without the sear. I could take or leave the skin too.
Shrimp nigiri with avocado: cooked shrimp with avocado tasted ok but didn’t belong in an omakase. Should have been raw Santa Barbara sweet spot prawn instead.
Crab nigiri: I’m guessing it was snow crab. The crab had a thin cartilage string and was a bit watery. As much as I love crab I’ve never been thrilled with it as sushi.
Chu-​toro (2): one plain, the other seared with a spicy sauce. Both divine, as all toro should be. I preferred the plain one though. The sear and the spice mask the wonderful taste of this very fresh toro.
Aji: chewy and fishy, I wasn’t a fan.
Seared scallop with spicy sauce: I don’t care for spicy food so wasn’t wild about this.
«Dessert» of Tamago nigiri with eel inside: at this point I was so full that I could eat only the small pieces of eel inside.
Service was good– everyone extremely friendly, although not as quick to remove the dirty plates.
Looking back at my comments you’d think I’d give the place three-​and-​a-​half or four stars because it’s true, there were a number of misses, maybe even more than the hits. But the sea bream, blue fin tuna, kampachi, hamachi, toro and stripe jack so totally blew me away that they made up for the missteps. The five stars is also in anticipation of ordering only the best a la carte next time.
The best thing about Tamon, aside from those divine six/​seven pieces, was the value. Twenty pieces of nigiri would have easily set me back about $ 150 (without tip) at Sushi Zo, but here the bill was about $ 72. He didn’t charge me for about five of the items so I left him a fat tip of almost 30%. Yes, the grand total was $ 90 for just me, but that is a bargain for such a huge omakase relative to Sushi Zo. When I remarked how reasonable the bill was and how much more expensive it is at Sushi Zo, Kenny said he’s just not able to charge that much to a customer.
Next time I come I’m ordering a la carte two each of the sea bream, blue fin tuna, kampachi, hamachi, stripe jack and toro, and maybe a couple other things I’ll have him pick out. I’m predicting it will still cost less than half of a Sushi Zo meal (which is only omakase– no menu and no ordering a la carte). At that point Tamon could very well become my new most favorite restaurant in the world, or at least tied for first.

Sushi is good. Still it’s like a $$$ place, really liking the service and the sushi though. Had the Today’s Nigiri Combo of 7 piece, Todays Kimikatsu menu of 5 pieces, and a Chirashi. Damage was around 70 total, tip-​inclusive for 2.
I liked every single thing, especially the kimikatsu, which was essentially fried yakitori. Dug the chicken/​asparagus though the fried avocado one was strangely decent. Dipped it all in the provided sauce and added lemon — yum. The chirashi was ok but it was the nigiri/​sushi which was really flavorful. All the slices of fish were great quality even though they stuck with the normal types of fish for sushi/​sashimi.
Also, if you sit by the window — they have a good view of the street, so you can witness the poor people waiting in line outside of Daikokuya not eating, while you are.

A little hidden gem in lil Tokyo that makes you feel that you’re actually in Tokyo. Tamon is on the upper level of the hotel and has a great view that overlooks the street! They always have a special of the day and the two layer chirashi is only during lunch. Luckily for me, I came in when the special was a patty melt:)! It was so juicy and tasty. I am a huge fan of wasabi and so when I read that the patty melt had wasabi mayo, I was down! The two layer chirashi was very fresh and beautifully presented. It was almost too pretty to eat haha. I really enjoyed and appreciated the homemade soy that comes with the sushi. It was a nice touch that often is forgotten at other spots. Since this is a little hole in the wall, there are not too many customers! Service was on point, with the waitress paying close attention to my party the whole entire time. I recommend coming here if you’re in the mood for some sushi or a little Asian fusion:)

Love their breakfast buffet. Well worth the price. Very fresh and beautiful presentation. Lunch specials are very value oriented. We always come here for special occasions. But this is definitely a great place in Little Tokyo to eat real sashimi.

Can only speak for the breakfast buffet here, which is pretty dismal. Browned, overcooked scrambled eggs, limp, un– rendered bacon, all of t as tepid as the self-​serve coffee. Options of Japanese breakfast items, which I also enjoy, haphazardly displayed an unappetizing lay presented. And all this for only $ 23z Anywhere but here.

The omakase here is phenomenal. The cuts of fish are fresh, creamy, buttery, meaty, fatty, and simply delicious. Chef Kenny Yamada’s skill is exemplary. When you take that first luscious bite, your palate immediately discovers that he wields his knife with the utmost love and skill.
Quite simply put, I was blown away by Tamon Sushi. I had the pleasure of dining with long time gourmets Gary I and Isobel L (thank you). I can’t wait to bring my wife, then my friends, then my coworkers — on three separate occasions of course!
The halibut was so fresh and melted away on my tongue. It was the first of fourteen pieces of nigiri sushi. It set the tone for the evening, and I was giddy with excitement. The rest did not disappoint. The maguro (tuna) was the best I’ve ever tasted. It was paired with chutoro (medium fatty tuna belly) and oh my, I entered a state of bliss upon consumption. Everything was sensational. The salmon belly was ridiculously indulgent, rich, and fatty, while still displaying natural salmon flavor.
The grouper stood out as a perfect piece of fish. It was so fresh and scrumptious. Usually mackerel tastes fishy to me, but this mackerel was creamy and buttery, with almost a citrusy sweet finish. The pike was another stellar piece; it was so meaty, intense, and flavorful. It had a similar flavor to eel. In addition to the sushi, tofu, fried fish head, candied octopus, and avocado nigiri are presented to us in this omakase. Everything is just delightful.
The wasabi here is the real deal. It tastes super fresh, and when added to the sushi, ends each bite on a sweeter note (rather than spicy).
There is a row of seating with a great outside view facing 1^st street (you can scope out the line at Daikokuya). I’m sure it’s breathtaking to sit there, however, we opted to sit at the sushi bar so we could interact directly with Chef Kenny.
I can’t wait to bring people here. It truly is a hidden gem. The décor is classy and simple. There’s jazz music playing at a decent level. You can actually carry on a conversation without having to scream at your neighbor. I will definitely bring my friends here. I would even bring my worst enemy here. After tasting this meal together, we would no longer be enemies!
Tamon Sushi is located on the second floor of the Miyako Hotel in Little Tokyo. Currently, Chef Kenny is there every day except Tuesdays.
Back to basics, old school, simplicity is king, less is more — all the cliches apply here. The food speaks for itself, and is utterly magnificent. I have a few places I rank as six stars; Tamon Sushi has just joined the list.

Above the hustle and bustle of Little Tokyo floats an island of peace, tranquility and outstanding sushi, hidden away on the second floor of The Miyako Hotel. Dinner last night at the suggestion of Super Unilocaler Gary I and with fellow Unilocaler Ben L was a parade of divine sushi, each piece better than the last, prepared individually by Sushi Chef Kenny Yamada. Unless you’ve had sushi this good, it’s hard to describe the difference that expert selection and preparation makes in the sushi experience. But the difference is palpable and makes Tamon Sushi just about the best I’ve ever had.
I started out with two drinks at happy hour prices (HH 5:30 — 8:00 pm), both shochu (Japanese vodka), the first made from barley and the second from sweet potato. Both provided the perfect accompaniment for sushi.
The atmosphere soothes: Billie Holiday plays in the background, service is perfectly attentive yet not intrusive, and the décor provides a calming backdrop for an outstanding culinary experience.
This would be a wonderful place for a first date, an anniversary date, or just to come to enjoy outstanding sushi with friends. Lingering is encouraged.
Street parking. The restaurant also validates hotel parking but you must leave by 10 pm.

Great sushi– they have a new sushi chef named Kenny Yamada who was listed at the «best chef» in LA by LA nightlife and by the Japanese expo and was called «most creative» by sushimasters.
Wow good and fresh and fantastic rice. I normally go to sushi gen when I am in town but this is right in my hotel and half the price and just as good in a cozy environment that I don’t have to push and shove to get into.

Interior5
A lunch5
inside hamburger3
Setout5
Sushi lunch5
Dessert5
Overall total4.7
I think.
Why it is not considered whether this shop is the small audience.
I is worth to go to this shop is recommended

Some people on Unilocal say they’re hesitant to review a place because they don’t want people to discover it. I’m the opposite– I want people to discover Tamon and enjoy their food! I came here on a Saturday for lunch and it was almost completely empty, sadly. It’s on the second floor of the Miyako hotel so it’s hard to find. The sushi chef said people call and say they tried to go there but couldn’t find it and gave up.
I wanted the chirashi lunch special (which is an amazing deal), but am concerned about eating fish that’s high in mercury so I hesitantly asked if I could substitute some of the fish. They were very accommodating and the sushi chef even came out to explain which fish had more mercury than others. He was obviously very knowledgeable about where all their fish is sourced from. The fish was very fresh and arranged beautifully with great care. And last, but not least, they make their own soy sauce! The flavor is so much better than store bought and it makes a huge difference with quality sashimi.

Is the new manager trying to save soy sauce?
No soy sauce on the table/​bar until customers ask for it?

Tamon Sushi is located inside the Miyako Inn in Little Tokyo. I ordered the bento combination for $ 18. I chose sashimi and chicken teriyaki. My lunch partner ordered the ika salad.
The food was good. It’s a quaint area that makes it perfect for a business lunch.

above all things, the service was stellar here
we didn’t have to flag anyone down
if anything, i think we repeated «no, we’re fine, thank you»
multiple times during our dinner
and everything we ordered
–from the sushi to the kushiage to the different appetizers–
everything was delicious
will definitely be back

Tamon means «wide knowledge» in Japanese to imply that this Sushi restaurant provides many different portals of opportunities to try a wide spectrum of cooked & raw foods. I have found most restaurants associated w/​hotels tend to be very mediocre, but Tamon is a hidden jewel of a restaurant on the second floor of the Miyako Hotel on 1^st Street in downtown Little Tokyo.
Tamon shares the entrance w/​a bar/​karaōke (kah rah oh keh) venue which is to the left. Upon entering Tamon proper, the Sushi bar is to the left while to the right are tables for group seating. A giant picture of a dragon in gold & green depicting it controlling thunder & lightning is on the back wall of the Sushi bar for dramatic effect.
The Sushi chef recognized me from over 10 years ago when I used to go to a comfortable, Shitamachi/​old town, down home Sushi restaurant called Fujiyoshi in Little Tokyo run by a stern yet kind hearted old school Sushi master, who has since passed away. Now Chef Wakizo– To-​ma heads the Sushi bar & kitchen of this sub rosa Sushi bar.
Chef To-​ma started off w/​the lighter, more delicate seafoods such as Hirame/​halibut, Kurodai/​black sea bream, Hokkaido– Hotate Gai/​giant scallops. Then worked up to the stronger tasting Kanpachi/​skipjack, Saba/​chub mackerel, Hon Maguro/​bluefin tuna, Chu-​toro/​medium fatty tuna belly.
1) Chef To-​ma proffered me the rarest part of the halibut called the Engawa (en gah wah) which is the muscle circling the ventral as well as the dorsal fin. The texture is more meaty, dense, heavier textured than the body meat.
Engawa was enriched w/​a natural infusion of clean fatty richness. Chef To-​ma was astute in putting a Shiso/​O-​ba leaf under one of the cuts of Engawa since he felt added herbal flavouring would enhance that section of the Engawa. Also to tenderize the Engawa further, he scored the meat which also allowed the bright green of the Shiso to shine through. It was a great exercise in adding aesthetic form & practical function all in one fell swoop.
2) Kurodai is similar to Tai/​red snapper, sea bream, but the meat is firmer, more dense, & the flavour is less delicate.
3) Hokkaido Hotate Gai was amazingly velvety soft, smooth, luscious w/​the sweet freshness of sea minerality. A touch of the chef made Yuzukosho-​, which is usually a purée of Yuzu/​Japanese Citrus zest, green chile peppers, sea salt, touch of Japanese vinegar, was applied. However, this elegant Yuzukosho– was finely chopped so that individual micro small pieces could be discerned.
4) Kanpachi has meat that is firm yet silky on the surface w/​a light flavour of red meat fish. The meat is slightly al dente with a nice to-​the-​teeth texture.
5) Saba is usually not my favorite fish since many Sushi restaurants over marinate the Saba with overly sweet and strong Japanese vinegar. Here, the Saba is only lightly marinated to emphasize the fresh taste of the Saba, which has its own distinctive fatty oily taste. This was a good exercise in restraint. Sometimes less is more.
6) Hon Maguro was a deeper crimson, the teeth sank into the meat as though it were «Yo-​kan», a type of Japanese candy gelatin. A bit of aging gave the Hon Maguro a slight beefy aged quality. I used their hybrid Wasabi/​horse radish mixture that had bits of horseradish to provide a contrast of graininess w/​the Wasabi inflecting a more aromatic, spiciness.
7) Tamon had run out of O-​toro so I opted for the Chu-​toro which is less fatty. It was a nice piece of meat although in this case, I have had better on other occasions.
However, the chef made specially flavoured Tamari Sho-​yu/​soy sauce is quite unique. The Sho-​yu (show you) is more viscous, sweet w/​a taste of Umami filled Dashi (dah shee) or bonito broth & sea salt. This special Sho-​yu was excellent for the heavier tasting, fattier fish meats.
All the above was paired w/​a nice 300ml bottle of Otoko Yama, Michinoku, Cho-​karakuchi/​extremely dry, Junmai/​pure rice Sake (sah keh). Otoko Yama was slightly sweet w/​a good astringency, touch of chalkiness, & hint of Sugi (soo ghee)/Japanese cedar. It was a good palate cleanser for all the Sushi.
The freshness, preparation, quality of the Neta (neh tah) or what is put on top of the Sushi rice is 4+ stars, but what puts Tamon over the top to a 5 star rating is the care, culinary competence, expertise of Master Sushi Chef Wakizo– To-​ma. He is also very aware of the needs of his customers whom he treats w/​courtesy & grace when the customer reciprocates the kindness.
For such a young Sushi Meister, he is incredibly old school in his approach in creating Sushi that is treated with a fine hand & many hours of tender loving care in its preparation. Tamon is definitely a better choice than going to the over-​hyped Gen, Komasa, Hama which are good, but not worth the long wait.
Summer 2015: Meister Sushi Chef, Kennny Yamada w/​many culinary awards, is the talented successor to Wunderkind Chef To-​ma.

I had the fortunate opportunity to get a chance to have «omakase» prepared by Chef Waki and boy was it a treat!
He started us off with tofu topped with green onion, ginger, and Katsuo (Bonito Flakes). So refreshing!
Secomd Course — Sashimi Platter
Maguro (Tuna), Tai (Japanese Snapper), Saba (Pickled Mackeral), and Aji (Spanish Mackeral)**
**He advised us that the Aji was not «supposed» to be normally in season, but this particular one comes from a different area. Not being your «run of the mill» specie the color was a lot whiter than what I’m usually accustomed to. And the flavor was just to die for! So delicious and buttery, that it melted in my mouth!
Third Course — Delicately Seared Omaha Steak
Absolutely cooked to perfection, juicy and tender. Served along green Shiso leaves and Waki’s own specially made Yuzukosho. Waki instructed us to take a Shiso leave, a piece of beef and to top it with some Yuzukoshu. Yum!!!
Fourth, Fifth, Sixth!
Sushi Assortments!
Tai, Hamachi, Special Tuna — I forgot what part of it, but it was tremendous! Two Special small fish — I also forgot the names of them, because they are very exotic and the first time I have had them. Since they are small, they are very labor intensive for the Chef to prepare, because they are difficult to filet and to remove all the tiny pin bones. All I can say is «Arigato Waki» for taking the effort, because they were a couple of my favorites as well! Another delicacy that he treated us was his specially prepared Ikura (salmon eggs), yummy!
Waki also makes his own Shoyu (soy sauce) which is a delicious accoutrement with the Sushi and Sashimi. It’s more mild, has a very nice roasted flavor and is less salty. It pairs with the fish well by not overpowering and letting the true fish flavor to shine through.
The grand finale was the Uni (sea urchin) sushi. Very luscious and decadent! What a way to finish the evening. I can’t wait to come back again!

I’m going to give Tamon Sushi extra special kudos for having the best ikura I’ve ever tasted, even if they sprinkled it oh-​so-​sparingly over a huge square of rice and lotus root instead of piling into a giant barrel for me to drink like soda. I could have made a meal out of that ikura. Easy.
Anyway, this was my splurgy birthday lunch, so we got the double-​layer chirashi and the Tamon bento. This was more than we could even think about finishing in a vaguely lunchy time frame, but we sure tried.
In addition to being unfinishable, it’s also indescribable (too many things!) so I’ll just give you the highlights and the lowlights:
Highlights:
IKURA.
Miso black cod — never a bad choice, and not a bad choice this time. Tender. Flaky. Not overly marinated. A decent-​sized cut.
Hamachi and salmon — extremely, extremely fresh.
That purple stuff they sprinkle over the rice — shiso? Ume? A mixture? Either way: awesome.
Giant mushroom: The mushroomiest mushroom to have ever mushroomed in my mouth. Honestly, the whole Japanese boil-​and-​vinegar-​your-​vegetables thing has never really made sense to me, but the process sure worked on this particular mushroom.
Lowlights:
Octopus: Really rubbery.
Tempura shrimp: they fried it in old oil, unfortunately. The shrimp itself was of course delicious.
Vinegared potato: terrible texture, like a slimy rock that gives way to mealiness.
OVERALL:
In terms of straight up raw fish deliciousness, there are places I’d go to over Tamon. But for a great, diverse sampler and for authenticity to such a degree that I wasn’t sure that the intervening 8 months between the last time I was in Japan and now weren’t just a dream, Tamon is a good choice!

Best service at a Japanese restaurant ever. Warm and genuine waiter, plus an extremely friendly, outgoing sushi chef who chatted with us extensively. So outgoing, it’s as if he’s dining with you, so if you’re looking for a quiet meal don’t sit at the sushi bar :)
I wasn’t going to order anything (my partner informed them that I had just had lunch across the street) but our server still insisted on serving me complimentary tea and a hand towel like I was royalty. It reminded me of the ultra-​respectful service I received at an upscale vegan restaurant in Beijing run by actual Buddhist monks (Pure Lotus, also a 5-​star experience). So I was like, okay, I’ll just get a small house sake. Apparently they couldn’t just give me a sake — they brought me a complimentary plate of two pieces of sashimi to go with it! Amazing. Had to donate that to my carnivore partner, but still. I’m normally not a huge sake fan but I really enjoyed their house version — the flavor seemed to be the perfect balance between savory and fruity. Also, because it was a slow day (Christmas Eve) the chef gave my partner extra pieces of the super fatty salmon he loves.