Mishima

Don't let the strip mall facade fool you, Mishima isn't a Japanese restaurant for the faint of heart. When I think of Japanese food, I think sushi and tempura, but Mishima works to change this standardized view and give diners more variety and choice.

Mishima is in the strip mall across from the Beverly Connection on 3rd near La Cienega. There is parking in the lot, but if you get there during prime eating hours, there is some kind of valet or blockage system. There are also a couple of meters on the street, and I suppose you could always park in the Beverly Center and walk over, in a pinch.

We had a large group of 8 people. They gave us the large center table that is attached to the counter--something like a sushi bar table except huge and double-wide. There were two spots left and they were filled as the restaurant got busier. And busy did it get! We arrived around 12:10, but by 1pm every table was filled. My mom always says that the sign of a good restaurant is when people of the same culture eat there--and this restaurant was no exception to the rule--several Japanese families were dining there.

Like I said, when someone said we should go have Japanese food I was thinking sushi--a nice combination plate with filets of raw fish over rice. There was no such thing on this menu. The menu started with a variety of bento boxes and noodles, moved on to some specific sushi rolls, and ended with some large plate combinations.

I ordered the Wasabi Tuna roll combination. The combination was $3.50 more but came with either hot or cold noodles and salad. I also had an iced barely tea. The tea tasted almost like coffee to me and was very strong, I could barely drink one glass--but apparently it was free! I expected my meal to be small and not very filling--boy was I mistaken! The sushi roll was gigantic. It was eight pieces stuffed with large pieces of fish and avocado and wrapped in rice paper. The sushi came with a healthy dose of wasabi and ginger on the side. The bowl of noodles that came with it would have been enough on its own. I had never had such doughy thick noodles before--but I loved them. The broth was nothing special but it warmed me up on the cold day we were having. The salad was also much larger than I expected. It had the typical Japanese restaurant salad dressing (which I love) and had a variety of greens, cucumber and half a tomato slice.

All the food I had had a lot of flavor. Everyone I was with ordered something different and all the portions were giant-sized. The amount of food for the price was staggering. It was only $10.5o for my sushi combination and I couldn't even finish the sushi roll myself. I heard the Japanese curry wasn't as delicious as my meal--so order that at your own risk. Someone at our table ordered chocolate mousse for dessert and it looked pretty good--although it wasn't made in the restaurant. The presentation for all the dishes made them look delicious.

Mishima is a great value for your money. I went at lunch so I am not sure how it is at dinner, but I suspect the deals are the same. The service was quick and friendly and they even offered separate checks for our big group. I highly recommend Mishima for a casual Japanese meal.





Mishima
8474 W. 3rd St.
Los Angeles, CA 90048
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