Wine & Dine

Just laying it out there that this was the best tasting Yakiniku I've ever had. I guess this place used to be something else. If you ever go on Yelp which I do to solely look for restaurants in the area I'm currently in, you will see photos of other items from the previous restaurant.

2383 Lomita Blvd Ste 102 Lomita, CA 90717

The most amazing first bite was their prime short rib... but before I get there, let's just start with an apple slaw salad.

This is Yukke. Raw beef seasoned lighting topped with an egg yolk and slivers of shiso.

Thick cut fatty beef tongue. This was cooked to medium. Perfect with a squeeze of lemon.

For $16.8, this plate of decadence is yours. Season on one side with just a sprinkle of their rosemary course salt, sear for 45 seconds on one side, flip, sear for another 15 seconds. Dip the meat after in their tare sauce for maximum umami sensation. I can eat this whole plate by myself.

Never thought flank can be so flavorful and tender. This had the right amount of fat where you can still appreciate the beefiness of the cut. This was served with a spicy tare sauce (not spicy).

Unless you have a large group, I would skip this. But, still very delicious and was served with lettuce, garlic slices, and chili peppers.

Came back twice within the same week and it was everything I hoped it to be. Ate a lot more of other meat dishes, but after a few beers, whose counting anymore?

2383 Lomita Blvd Ste 102 Lomita, CA 90717

Comment

This is my brother. He is happy in this photo. And I know he appreciates me as his sister even though this photo shows otherwise. There's nothing he loves more than Korean BBQ and Hot Pot. But for his 30th, though these are his favorite things, I thought it would be nice to take him out to experience Japanese Yakiniku. Like Korean BBQ, Yakiniku in Japanese means "Grilled Meat" (Yaki-niku). I feel Japanese Yakiniku is less sweet when it comes to the marinades. I also like dining in a Japanese Yakiniku restaurant over Korean BBQ because I find the meat quality not just better, but the idea of not indulging over an All-you-can-eat just makes the experience less stressful and much more enjoyable.

We ordered a pitcher of Sapporo to share. Easily ordered another one because this went down so easily. Not just because it's Sapporo, but because their pitchers and glasses were extremely cold which made the beer that much more crisp, and that much more refreshing. Don't forget to always kanpai before taking a sip.

On their menu, you can order items a la carte or you can choose between 1 of their 3 Manpuku choices. It ranges from $35 to $75. We had to get the $75. Not only because of my brother's birthday, but also because they had the best choices we would want to try.

The $75 offering came with: Cabbage Slaw, Edamame, Assorted Vegetables (for grilling), Manpuku Kalbi Shio, Shrimp, Kobe Fillet, Rice Wrap Sukiyaki, Kobe Short Rib, Kore Rib Eye, Kobe Finger Meats, Garlic Rice, Yukke Jan Soup, and Ice cream (13 items).

Cabbage slaw - Thinly sliced with garlic soy dressing. Delicious and refreshing. This was definitely a palate opener.

We ordered this on the side. I've had yukke a few years ago, but haven't had it in a while. When my friend came to visit from Japan, the family she was staying with took her to get Yukke since they banned this dish in Japan. Apparently, a lot of people got sick. That was also the case for raw chicken liver (delicious by the way). The yukke here at Manpuku was AMAZING. Made with Kuroge Wagyu. I was the lucky one to eat this with the shiso. I would recommend asking them for a few more just so everyone can eat this with it. A must order. must.

This is another popular item that we had to try. Their sliced original salted premium prime beef tongue topped with Tokyo onions. The trick to keep the onions on is to cook the bottom side first. Once the bottom is grilled up with some nice char, flip it around and count to 8 seconds which they say will be the best taste. I do what I'm told.

Manpuku Kalbi Shio - Sliced orginial salted prime beef short rib with Tokyo onion. Tender and flavorful.

Kobe Fillet Mignon - Cubed Kobe with ponzu sauce and fried garlic chips.

Platter of Kobe marinated short ribs, Kobe marinated Rib Eye, Kobe marinated Finger Meats.

We enjoyed this much more than the fillet. I'm normally not a fillet eater because of how lean it is. I love the fat trails you would find in short ribs and rib eye. These cuts were delicious. Just make sure your heat is on high when grilling these.

You have a choice at the beginning of your meal to have this near the beginning or towards the end. They recommend the end because the rice wrap is extremely rich with the added egg yolk. In my opinion, I would prefer to have this a little sooner. It is rich, but after a whole meal of meat, having a really rich bite makes it harder to eat than if it were much earlier on. This, though, was Heaven. Seared so slightly after rendering the beef fat on the grill. The meat is then rolled with a small ball of rice, then drizzled with a creamy egg yolk.

Garlic Rice - Garlic Fried rice with pickles in a stone pot.

Yukke Jan Soup - Spicy soup with shredded beef, vegetables and tofu.

Green tea Ice cream - A generous scoop. Strong matcha flavor. Served with a hot cup of Houjicha (roasted sencha).

We were full, but not overly stuffed. We stopped by the Mitsuwa Marketplace after to pick up snacks for a movie. This, 2 pitchers, snacks, movie. A great 30th if you ask me!

1870 W Carson St Torrance, CA 90501

Learn more about Manpuku here.

Comment

Wine & Dine

Hikari - Torrance CA

Manpuku - Torrance - Happy 30th Brother (part 2)