by Alyssa Ramos 
Chances are that if you live in LA, frequent LA, or are a food connoisseur, you have heard of the legendary Chef Nozawa and his ridiculously amazing restaurant chain of the best sushi you’ll ever eat, Sugarfish.
I knew the story behind Chef Nozawa, I was told it many times when I visited the Sugarfish in Studio City (the original location), Beverly Hills, and Santa Monica, I did not know, however, that they offered private tastings by a Master Chef (and long time friend of Chef Nozawa) Osamu Fujita.
Apparently it’s a really big deal. My friends who made the reservation and who often travel to LA and Miami for work warned me to be ready by 7pm and to come hungry, but I had no idea what they were talking about, I could eat sushi for days if I wanted to. I was wrong. So very, very, deliciously wrong.
Reservations must be made a month or more in advance, and my friends informed me that they literally book the exclusive Nozawa Bar that only seats 12 maximum, at the same time they book their plane tickets.
When we arrived, we were led past the normal dining area of Sugarfish on Canon Drive in Beverly Hills, and brought back to a heavy wooden door that said “Employees Only”. Behind the door was an L-shaped sushi bar with exactly 12 seats, and Chef Fujita behind it looking incredibly intimidating in his tall white chef’s hat and fierce expression, flanked by his two right hand men.
We were presented with thin rectangular menus, but not to order from – to see what we would be served during the two hour-long course. The menu described in detail what we would be served, and which dishes were recommended to eat without soy sauce…not that it was necessary, since the two assistants would whisper “No soy sauce please” as they served certain dishes.
Just thinking about it now is making my mouth water, and there’s a good chance I’ll go get sushi for dinner tonight. I don’t even know how to begin to explain the pieces of top grade, perfectly sliced seafood, atop of warm, fluffy rice, that all seemed to just melt in my mouth the moment it went in. …that is, the ones that I could get in…my rice kept falling apart because it was so melty, but luckily, the table attendant would immediately wipe up any fallen food before the Chef could see and get mad. Rumors are that people have been kicked out for not eating properly!
The menu is subject to change, but here are all of the interesting and yummy items that we got to sample:
(The asterisk denotes “no soy sauce”)
Japanese Jellyfish
Japanese Live Octopus and
Spanish Ranched Bluefin Tuna
with Japanese Wakame *
Hawaiian Bigeye Toro nigiri *
Japanese Sumi Ika (squid) nigiri
Santa Barbara Uni nigiri
Alaskan King Crab nigiri *
Hokkaido Scallop nigiri
East Coast Engawa (“Halibut fin”) nigiri
Spanish Toro Handroll *
Kusshi Oysters
Ankimo (Monkfish Liver)
Japanese Kanpachi (Amberjack) nigiri *
Japanese Skipjack Tuna nigiri
Alaskan Ikura (Salmon eggs) gunkan nigiri
Santa Barbara Sweet Shrimp nigiri
Boston Sawara (Sierra) nigiri
Morrow Bay Albacore belly nigiri
Maine Lobster Handroll *
Japanese Anago (sea eel) nigiri
Tamago (Apricot Lane eggs) nigiri
Encores, if requested and available,
(additional cost)
Hojicha tea (roasted green tea)
Passion Fruit Sorbet & Farmers market berries
Visiting LA? Use our favorite transportation app – Uber – to get around. For a free $20 credit, use the code 6aim9.
Nozawa Bar
212 North Cañon Drive
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
• reservations@nozawabar.com
• (424) 216-6158
Phone hours are from noon to 2pm,
Monday through Saturday
Dining at Nozawa Bar is by reservation only. We offer dinner seatings ($150 per person) Monday through Friday at 7:30 pm and Saturday at 6:00 pm and 8:30 pm.
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