11301 Olympic Blvd #102
West Los Angeles, CA 90064
(310) 478-7769
http://www.kirikosushi.com/
Rating: 
Overall rating: Awesome
Pricing - Moderately high
We came across Kiriko on another blog a few months back and decided to give it a try. It quickly turned into one of our favorite places thus far. It’s never too crowded or too loud, always rather mellow with great service. The menu is diverse with tons of options and the staff is happy to answer any questions. The menu can be a tad confusing upon first glance and requires a thorough reading. One thing we like about Kiriko is how they bring your items 1 or 2 at a time instead of plopping them all down at once. While we did not order it, and imagine it is very good, we noticed that the omakase was a bit pricey. Even though the address is listed as Olympic Blvd, Kiriko is actually on Sawtelle just north of Olympic. The Olympic connection has a parking garage and Kiriko will validate for you. The validation is good for an hr and a half, so it may be better to find street parking.
Barracuda Sashimi - Awesome
Neither of us had ever had barracuda sushi or sashimi before so it sparked our curiosity, and was surprisingly better than we thought it was going to be. The item was very clean and light. Fish was very smooth tasting and subtle. This is a prefect starter item, almost an amouse bouche of sorts.
Albacore Sushi - Awesome
Albacore is a favorite of ours and we get it almost everywhere we go. The albacore at Kiriko is certainly up to par. Very smooth, comes with green onion and ponzu.
Live Sweet Shrimp - Amazing
This dish is prepared with a live shrimp, which gets beheaded, filleted and served to you immediately. You have the choice of having the head fried, or put into a miso soup. We recommend the miso! The shrimp comes without any wasabi, garnish or sauce and is perfect as is. This is a must order.
Spicy Lobster Sushi Roll - Good
To us this was basically a veggie roll of sorts filled with generous pieces of lobster meat. The lobster was slightly overcooked but the meat was tasty. Presentation was great as well.
Mackerel Sushi (Not Spanish) - Good
We had meant to order Spanish mackerel but accidentally ordered regular mackerel, however we were pleasantly surprised. It had a very interesting and enjoyable texture. Was very light and smooth, not tough or chewy at all. Had a slight fishy taste to it.
Blue Crab Handroll - Good
Overall this is a decent handroll, nothing bad about it. Was a little heavy on the mayonnaise but a lot of people don’t mind that. Generous amount of meat, good taste.
In a Nutshell: This is a must if you love sushi and are willing to try new/exotic things. If you’re a sushi newbie, it’s a great way to ‘play it safe’ or explore a variety of options…we recommend the latter.
January 13th, 2009 - 11:08 pm
Indeed, Kiriko’s a great place to go when you’re looking for a “mellow” environment. I went there on a Friday night and still got plenty of personal attention from the chef to a half-empty restaurant. Thus far, Kiriko has managed to stay below the sushi hipster radar, something I hope remains the case for my benefit. However, they could probably use more business.
You guys need to go back to get the homemade ice cream if you missed out the first time. They’re famous for those desserts
January 25th, 2009 - 10:51 pm
fyi. the majority of sushi restaurants in the l.a. region are not close to authentic. its all fusion based arrogance implimented to recreate what americans think of as sushi. half of the public cannot even decifer the differences between sushi & sashimi. this point justifies that most opinions are just null. unless you have the actual skills learned by a certified sushi chef, your opinion is just thrown out the window. look whats become of this japanese delicacey. its no longer that. its now defined as “all you can eat” or 50% this & that. half the sushi chefs in these restaurants aren’t even certified as true. especially these ridiculous award winning so wanna be restaurants such as kabuki or shogun? c’mon! whats next? mcdonald’s version too? the only restaurant i know of taht is true to be close to authentic is “ahi sushi” on coldwater & ventura. ask for jimmy, he learned the trade in japan where this all began. if your into wakano or anything similar to that, your definitely NOT qualified or worthy to eat there. one last note, get educated on authenticity & stop the mainstream bs ruining this true delicacey! authentic sushi is very light to the taste as is any true japanese dishes. once they hit here in the states & became popular. all the unecessary & ridiculous requestes from uneducted customers began this trend. not to mention the blame of the chef for not sticking to his guns & exploiting this fusion based crap. like most customers, everything has to be adapted to benefit there needs. even if it means selling out to true authentic tradition.