Little Tokyo’s Underrated Champion
Sushi Enya is one of our favorite sushi spots in the LA area and we’re stoked to finally write a review on it. Though we’re just scratching the surface of all the dank sushi spots that exist in this world, we love Sushi Enya for a handful of reasons. There’s always mellow jazz playing in the restaurant, the service is consistently exceptional, the fish is always fresh and very high quality, and it’s affordable. To find all of the above in one restaurant is a rarity, but Sushi Enya’s got it all, and despite how amazing it is, it’s one of the most underrated sushi restaurants we’ve ever been to. The restaurant is pretty small and we’ve never had to wait longer than 25 minutes for a seat.
We started with miso soup and shisito peppers this time around. The miso was good, but not really anything too special. It’s tasty, but pretty standard. The shisito peppers were tasty and blistered but not charred, and served with a side of ponzu sauce.
Next came the albacore. Sushi Enya is very special because while some of their sushi is served traditionally with just fish on top of rice, they also add their own flair to a lot of the sushi they serve, but it’s always tasteful and never overdone. Their albacore is a perfect example of this—a beautiful cut of fish served with a very mild and small amount of garlic sauce and a small, single cut of green onion. The presentation is minimal and beautiful, the combination of all the flavors are amazing and the fish just melts in our mouth. This is an absolute must try if it’s on their daily rotating menu when you stop in.
Next up we ordered the Japanese Mackerel. The strong mackerel taste was delicately balanced by the vinegar and kelp that accompanied it. Just like the albacore, the presentation of the mackerel was so simple, yet beautiful and the flavors were so unique and tasty.
One of our favorite cuts of fish is salmon belly, but not all sushi restaurants serve it and even less of them serve it right. Sushi Enya’s salmon belly is so yummy. Naturally oily and melt-in-your-mouth fatty. Truly a decadent cut of fish, but never too expensive. The salmon belly at Enya is served with yuzu which adds a fresh balance that cuts right through the fattiness of the fish.
And of course, a classic fish that we order everywhere we go is salmon. The salmon at Sushi Enya is always one of our favorites. Just like the more expensive salmon belly, the regular salmon is naturally oily and melts in your mouth. The fish is always brushed with soy sauce so you get just the right amount in every bite.
The kanpachi is another fish we always order. They do a Japanese Amber Jack that’s served with a yuzu ponzu that is amazing. A very light and refreshing sushi.
Onto the most decadent part of every sushi meal: uni. Sushi Enya serves their uni very differently than most restaurants do. Most restaurants serve their uni wrapped in a piece of sea weed on top of rice. Sushi Enya skips the seaweed entirely and lays pieces of uni straight onto the rice. While seaweed certainly adds a nice texture and flavor to the whole uni experience, it’s nice to be able to taste the uni and sushi rice without any other interferences.
We decided to try two new things this time around. halibut and flounder. Sushi Enya serves their halibut with sea salt and lime powder. Just like the kanpachi, this is another one of those really light and refreshing pieces of sushi. The halibut doesn’t have the soft, melt-in-your-mouth texture though, and is a little bit more rough and chewy. The flounder had a beautiful presentation and was topped with a small piece of shiso and red radish. The sihso added a bold flavor that worked really well to balance the mild flavors of the flounder and radish.
We ended on two desert-like pieces of sushi: sweet shrimp and scallop. The sweet shrimp is so fresh and has such a nice soft and chewy texture. Along with the sushi, you also get the deep fried heads of the shrimp. While these are so delicious and crunchy, you have to be careful when eating these and make sure you chew the legs very thoroughly. They’re super sharp and can be dangerous if you’re not careful! The scallop was very sweet and tender and topped with a small dollop of yuzu that really tied the whole thing together.
Next time you’re looking for a sushi spot in the LA area, you’ve got to try Sushi Enya in Little Tokyo. It truly is one of the most underrated sushi restaurants and we have no idea why. The tab will run you a little over $100 between two people, but it is so worth it and the quality you get for the price you pay is unbeatable.
Sushi Enya
343 1st St
Los Angeles, CA 90012
