The day after Christmas Day, known in some countries as Boxing Day, is both a continuation of festive festivities, and a bit of a wind-down. Many of us spent much of the day before either cooking, or snoring our way through a food coma. For that reason, a trip to the mall, perhaps to spend some cash that we were gifted, makes for a pleasant excursion.
Westfield Culver City has the added advantage of a particularly good food court, aka the Dining Terrace. And situated in the middle of it all is Japanese restaurant Sarku Japan.
“It all started in 1987 when four businessmen saw an opportunity to introduce Japanese teppanyaki cooking to the US market, opening their first store in the Liberty Tree Mall in Boston, Massachusetts,” they say online. “The four entrepreneurs built the company from the ground up, working tirelessly, sharing responsibilities, and applying their complementary skills and personalities to achieve success and overcome challenges, constantly learning and growing. The founders believed that the market was ripe for a new concept in shopping center food courts offering fresh, healthier, made to order meals cooked directly in front of customers. In differentiating themselves from traditional steam table operators in the food court, they would find loyal customers for life.”
The food is undeniably magnificent. The easiest way to dive in, whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned aficionado of Japanese cuisine, is to go with a bento box. The segmented tray offers the opportunity to try a few different things. To that end, we went with this Chicken Bento Box, and added a side of Shrimp Tempura (it was the holidays, after all).
The Chicken Bento Box comes with Sarku’s specialty chicken teriyaki and rice, plus four pieces of California roll sushi, three dumplings, and steamed broccoli and cabbage. The sticky white rice is the perfect accompaniment to the sweet teriyaki sauce and juicy chicken. The grain soaks it all in, while retaining its own flavors. The vegetables are a touch soggy but, again, the teriyaki sauce saves the day.
California rolls aren’t the most exciting sushi items, but they are the most universally accessible, so it’s the safe choice for a bento box. They’re well-prepared and fresh. The dumplings, meanwhile, are crispy and well-seasoned. It all works really well.
The shrimp tempura ends up being the star of the show. Plump shrimp, lightly battered but not overcooked so as to make the shrimp chewy. It’s absolutely delicious.
Sarku Japan is located at Westfield, Level 3 Dining Terrace, 6000 Sepulveda Blvd., Culver City 90230. Call 424-421-0046 or visit sarkujapan.com.