Kat's 9 Lives

On Saturday I picked up Ms. Lin from LAX to surprise our parents. We tried our hardest to find a good sushi place open for lunch on Saturday. For those of you out there who are avid sushi-goers you know how hard it is to find such a place. Finally we found Nagao Sushi & Salad tucked away in this corner on San Vicente. It's a very clean and airy ambiance, the colors are very tranquil like the sea. The service was friendly and we sat at the sushi bar. Chef Nagao was there hard at work.
To start off the day we had to get our favorite, Hamachi. It was very fresh and the pieces were delicately sliced maintaining the texture. The cut was generous.
I ordered the Eel Avocado Roll with Soy Paper to fill me up. The initial roll fell apart since soy paper is very delicate. Chef Nagao made sure not to serve anything that was not up to par. Although I was fine with one piece breaking apart, it's still good. ^)^ Before I could say anything he started a new roll. I really liked the Soybean Roll because it was different from the usual rolls. People on the internet liked this roll a lot so we had to give it a try. We chose yellow tail wrapped in soybean paper with crab, asparagus, avocado, burdock roots, smelt eggs, and rice. Ms. Lin and I love wild carrot aka burdock root. They really add a wonderful texture to the entire roll. There was also a special mayonnaise sauce to dip the roll.
Burumun decided to try the Ankimo, Monkfish Liver. The presentation was nice and colorful. We wanted to try the Hokki Cai because it said shell fish and I was hoping it was similar to orange clam. It turned out to be Surf Clam. They gave huge pieces.
Ms. Lin and I shared the Hotate, Scallop. The portion was very generous and topped with Roe. This was the first time I have seen it topped with roe and it was good. It adds a different texture to the bite. The three of us decided to share the Cajun Sashimi. We were sold by the word Cajun. Even though I don't like Maguro, I still wanted to try it. The portion was tremendously generous. I really loved how they gave minced garlic as a condiment. The pieces were delicately cut in front of us and it was a great deal for the price. I'd definitely recommend this if you like tuna and albacore. They flavor and sear the fish when you order it.
As we chatted with Chef Nagao, he inquired why I was taking all the photos. I told him about my website and how it's a detailed site about my adventures. He wanted to present their signature dish and offered it to us. It was the Moonlight No. 3 on the menu. The roll contains no rice at all. It's tuna, halibut, crab, smelt eggs, avocado, burdock roots, and asparagus all wrapped up by cucumber. I took a picture before the sauce was poured on. The roll was tasty and delicate. It was not heavy at all. There were a number of ingredients that added to the texture. I would definitely want to try the other Moonlight rolls.
All in all the food was solid and fresh. The service was friendly and Chef Nagao seemed very passionate about his culinary skill. It was a very nice find tucked away in Brentwood next to a gas station. From the outside you wouldn't realize that it was a nice stylish sushi restaurant. The prices were very reasonable and affordable for the nice portion you get. Before I leave you, I have to show you the pic of the freshly seared Cajun Sashimi. Just by looking at how much gets seared, you can imagine how big the portion was. ^_^
Nagao Sushi & Salad