No, I haven't made another trip to Los Angeles, but in browsing through some photos on my laptop, I found a cache of unposted pics from Otafuku, an excellent izakaya in Torrance who specializes in soba. While some memories of this August visit are long gone, a few of the pictures took me right back to the scene, and the visual cues helped to jog my palate's memory.
Jyako Salad
This is a mixed salad with small fish in it. I remember thinking that they were like the dried salted anchovies of my youth.
Asapuru Maki
Here's a dish of asparagus wrapped in rolled up bacon. Seriously, how could this be bad?
Sasami Umejiso
This skewer of chicken breast is actually quite difficult to pull off, as breast meat tends to be a dryer and leaner than other parts of the chicken. The plum and perilla on top gives it a nice sweetness to help augment the flavor.
Kurobuta Rosu Yuzukosho
Mmm... Bershire pork...
Special Seiro Noodles
Finally, Otafuku's specialty, their white soba. After this course, be sure to also ask for the sobacha, which is a small tea/soup serving made from the cooking liquid of the soba.
I really wish that I had remembered these photos much earlier, but all it does is make me want to return to Otafuku on my next trip to LA.
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