Located a short distance away from Culver City, HHLA is a mall/entertainment center that is still finding its feet. There’s a movie theater there, a couple of stores, an escape room center (the reason we were there on a saturday – for a birthday party for the friend of our son), and a handful of restaurants (though one of them is the dismal Buffalo Wild Wings, so that barely counts). There are also quite a few store locations still to be rented. There’s a lot of potential though. Given time, this could be a real destination location.
What there already is, however, is Kabuki Japanese Restaurant. “We are the people behind sushi for all mankind,” they say online, rather grandly. “Our mission is to satisfy our guests with the best food quality, excellent service and great value while providing a pleasant and clean ambiance for an unforgettable dining experience. Kabuki Restaurant’s diverse menu showcases traditional and innovative Japanese cuisine and includes an award-winning Kid’s Menu and a dedicated vegetarian and gluten-free menu. Complementing that, Kabuki also boasts an impressive beverage and happy hour program featuring classic cocktails, wine and beer, as well as Japanese-inspired drinks.”
We were there for Happy Hour, which was lucky because we were excited to see the range of dishes that were on offer (though it does say on the menu that every day is happy hour, 3 p.m. to close). We were still eating healthily after some holiday indulgence, so we started with the sauteed asparagus. The perfectly cooked spears were served in a sweet teriyaki (we think) sauce, and dotted with sesame seeds and chili. The flavor of the vegetable blended beautiful with the rich, sweet sauce.
The seaweed salad is served on a bed of green leaves, and the crunch of the leaves pairs wonderfully well with the slippery feel of the seaweed salad. That too is delicious, though that’s no surprise to anyone that has enjoyed seaweed salad before.
Finally, we sampled the Krab Salad, which sees the crabbish meat served with green leaves and avocado. Again, the combination is curated with an artist’s eye, and it all just works.
“We are proud to be serving Japanese cuisine that everyone around the table will enjoy and love at 17 locations throughout Southern California, Arizona, Nevada and Texas,” they say. “Look for the Red Mask!” Quite right too.
Kabuki Japanese Restaurant is located at HHLA, 6081 Center Dr., Los Angeles 90045. Call 310-641-5524 or visit kabukirestaurants.com.
