Sushi Kimagure

As a sushi lover, my dream has been to live next to a good neighborhood sushi joint that Chu-Toro and I could enjoy on Friday nights to end a long week. For the past couple years, our choices in Davis were Zen Toro and Mikuni's, decent but nothing you would ever crave. Sushi Kimagure isn't exactly a neighborhood place since they only selectively accept walk ins  (if they're not too busy) but its a sushi lover's dream. High quality fish, reasonable omakase prices ($60 - $80 per person) in an intimate setting with great service. We did a bit of research before dining on a Tuesday evening, learning that Ike-san has a large following from Sushi Ike in Hollywood. He opened Kimagure just a month before we moved in and we're glad he did. We didn't take pictures our first round but here's the list of what we had.

Pasadena, CA

Butterbur, a rhubarb like plant, served as short thinly sliced sticks for the amuse bouche. An interesting lemongrass like texture.
Maguro and Blue Fin Toro nigiri - Both great quality, thick slices of fish which set the tone of the kind of sushi we were in for. Chu-Toro immediately commented on the rice, which she thought was perfect.
Red Snapper with Shiso leaf nigri - The red snapper was impeccable, one of the best bites of the night with the minty fresh shiso leaf. 
Halibut and Kanpachi nigiri were both good and satisfying.


Amaebi was the best I ever had. Period. I usually order the ame ebi for the fried heads, but the nigiri was crunchy, sweet and not really that gummy like it usually is. That's probably because the shrimp was killed right before our eyes, the head still moving after being removed. Ultimate freshness. 
As if the amaebi wasn't enough, the charcoal ebi head was equally amazing. It was the first time having the head charcoaled instead of fried and we became instant fans of the smoky and crunchiness goodness.


When i thought I couldn't have anything to top the ami ebi, Ika 's special salmon was up next. It was the best salmon I've ever had. It was quickly placed over the charcoal grill, then immediately served as a nigiri with special sauce. We were asked to eat it instantly and not let it sit for a second. It had the smoky charcoal flavor while it melted in our mouths. Literally melted. It was amaze-balls.


Our chawanmushi was good, served piping hot with small bits of fish, shrimp and chicken buried underneath the savory, light, eggy yumminess.
Hotate, Ikura and King crab were up next, like the halibut and kampachi, good and satisfying while the king crab was extremely sweet. 
The Wild Spanish Mackarel and Uni were standout nigiri being extremely fresh and flavorful. 
We received boiled eel nigiri next, which was quickly brushed with his house made sweet soy paste. Another unique preparation taking the eel up a notch.


We finally ended our meal with a cod egg hand roll, which was a little bitter with a unique grainy texture. Not my favorite, but an interesting thing to try.
Our dessert was a fruit plate (Watermelon, Apple, Pineapple) and red bean jello in which the fruit had been marinated making it sweeter and juicier. During our meal we noticed that not everyone gets the same dishes and the sashimi omakase looked amazing. So of course, we made plans to come the following week and continue to build our relationship with Ike and become regulars.


On our second visit, we brought Chu-Toro's new iPhone as our camera so that we weren't too much of a pain taking pictures at the sushi bar. We were seated in the best seats of the bar, right in front of Ike san to get the full on experience.

Tamago in yuzu and lemon zest

We started off with tamago in yuzu and lemon zest, a interesting variation to the classic tamago that we are used to finishing our sushi meals with. It was light and refreshing.

Kumamoto oysters

Next up were Chu-Toro's favorites, Kumamoto oysters which were amazing. The creaminess and sweetness of the oyster was a perfect combination reminding us why we started to became such oyster fans a few years ago when having our first Kumamoto sitting at a sushi bar.

Tuna, Snapper, Halibut marinated in kelp, Mackerel and Bonito

The sashimi plate is a beauty to behold, with large thick classic unaltered slices of tuna and bonito, while mixing in special bites of halibut marinate in kelp, snapper wrapped in kelp and thin slices of mackerel. We were also given a special garlic soy just for the bonito which took it to another level. The quality of each item on the plate was good, but the halibut really stood out to me, while Chu-Toro preferred the bonito, which has never happened.

Amaebi

We must have missed the amaebi show earlier in the evening, because we did not see the shrimp killed before our eyes. Although it was still an excellent bite, not as life changing as our first visit. I guess it really does make a difference eating it seconds after it's de-headed.

Amaebi charcoal head

The smoky, charcoal amaebi head was again very good, and Ike explained it was the preferred way in Japan to have this course.

Special Salmon

Another couple at the bar received their special salmon and as they did, Ike heard me raving to Chu-Toro how that was my favorite from the previous visit. So of course, when he began to prepare ours, I had my camera out to take the shot immediately. It was once again perfection. Unsurprisingly, another patron at the bar saw it and requested it too, but unfortunately as it was on its way to being served, the delicate fish fell apart. There was only one piece of salmon left in the back, but as Ike began to slice it, he was upset about the quality of fish and ended up throwing the entire chunk away. Chu-Toro almost shed a tear, but it gives you an example of how seriously fish is treated at Sushi Kimagure.

Ankimo

We shared a generous portion of ankimo which was surprisingly light and creamy without any heavy liver aftertaste. Even Chu-Toro liked it.

Geoduck

Kampachi

Uni

The geoduck was tender and sweet. The kanpanchi was an extremely generous cut and even better than the time before, melt in your mouth delicious. The creamy, ocean flavored uni was mild and smooth. Ike also cuts nigiri in half for the ladies so they don't have to stuff the sushi in their mouths. We've never had that before and Chu-Toro really liked it.

Hotate

Squid marinated in squid liver

In a small, clear, tea sized cup, we were served squid marinated in its own liver, a first for us. It was different, very creamy, a little bitter, filled with tender thin strands of squid.  

Tako

It seems like each time we dine here, we're destined for a new favorite, which we found in the charcoal tako. We saw it served to another couple and it looked delectable. When Ike was explaining the key to making it tender, the secret was to soak it in green tea, red beans and boiling the tako. When we received our large cut of tako consisting for ten thick pieces with charred octopus suction cups, it was the most tender, delicious octopus, either of us had ever tasted. Simply amazing.

Fruit with Pumpkin jello

Ike

After two memorable dinners at Sushi Kimagure, its easy for me to say that it's one of my go to favorites. I'm sure that we'll be dining here at least once to twice a month for as long as we're in Pasadena. In comparison to our other best sushi dinners of all time (Sushi Zo and Sushi Mori, both in LA), Kimagure is just a smidge below in terms of quality, but five times better in terms of value. I'm just glad I live nearby and will finally have a sushi restaurant where we'll be regular patrons. I'd recommend it for anyone who wants great food from a sushi master.

Overall 8.5/10 
October 18, 2011
October 28, 2011