4.5
Superb
186 Reviews
403 Main Street, El Segundo · 4.17 miles
Customers’ favorites
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“it's a little piece of japan; very much a neighborhood izakaya, with a wrap around bar intended to induce friendly interactions with other customers. I had the mille fieuille tonkatsu w/ cheese ala carte, tako wasabi, hotate, ikura and an order of tataki kyuri. Unfortunately, they were out of california uni on this visit so I subbed in the ikura. I had to ask for an extra leaf of shiso to accompany the tako wasabi, which only came with what seemed like a quarter leaf at the bottom of the bowl. I assume most people don't understand it's an essential part of the dish and waste it, so they don't give out much. However, they gladly gave me extra, which ended up being more than i needed. the dish itself was delish. The hotate also was perfect - It was melt in your mouth tender with a hint of konbu and I loved it. The mille fieuille tonkatsu was very, very good. Tender, juicy, and embued with melted, stringy cheese, it was the perfect kind of savory, especially with the housemade mustard served on the side. The crust stayed crisp despite it's delicate crunch, and the accompanying homemade takuan was also perhaps the best I've ever had. I have a feeling that people that rate this tonkatsu as run of the mill are not ordering the mille fieuille and instead are ordering the cutlets/loins. Even so, the breading and fry is still topnotch, so I don't know what they're complaining about. I finished with the tataki kyuri, which was perfectly seasoned with a light shoyu and bonito flakes. It reminded my of summers as a child with Dad's cukes straight from the garden. They also had my favorite bar sake, otokoyama tokubetsu (which pairs with everything and anything without costing an arm and a leg) and in my world that counts for a lot. In Japan right now, the whole meal probably would only cost $30 (not including the airfare), but I spent $100 including the bottle of sake and a healthy tip. That's not the restaurant's fault, though. That's today's USA. If you want to pay and (not) tip like you're in Japan (as suggested by a past review), I suggest you get a flight out - LAX is right there. To some of the other past reviewers: I feel like people always expect all restaurants to do everything well, when in reality, most restaurants have one or two specialties, and then they serve other stuff just so you don't complain they don't have what you think is this particular ethnicity's food. This place is an izakaya, with a specialty in katsu, specifically the mille fieuille tonkatsu. That's what you go there for. If other things are also good, that's a bonus. If you're rating them based on their soba, their salad, or their miso soup, you've missed the point. As far as service goes, it wasn't terribly busy early on thursday evening, and I felt they were extremely attentive and took care of me very well. Of course I didn't insist on sitting at a reserved table either. As for me, I'm looking forward to my next visit when I can bring friends and try even more food. For everyone else that doesn't have the time or money to fly to Japan right now, I highly recommend Kagura El Segundo for the feel of a real izakaya. Bring friends, make new friends, and get the mille fieuille tonkatsu!”
Japanese
