N/Soto – Los Angeles

Chefs Niki Nakayama and Carole Iida-Nakayama of N/Naka fame opened their sophomore effort N/Soto this past April. My friend Kat and I met for dinner at the casual, Mid-City izakaya soon after it debuted. We sat in the spacious outdoor patio and per tradition, proceeded to order way too many dishes for just two people.

The crudités ($13), which were served with warm mochi flatbread, creme friache, and eggplant dip, made for an excellent starter.

A mountainous heap of daikon radish ($10) with sesame, baby anchovy, and nori.

We ordered every dish with the word ‘mochi’ in it, including the mentai mochi parcels ($7) with nori and mentaiko.

The matodai sashimi ($22) dabbed with yuzu kosho and served with a side salad of tomato, fennel, and red onion.

Hokkaido scallop sashimi ($18) with pickled cauliflower, pepitas, and ume.

Jidori tebasaki (chicken wing) with crisped skin and juicy meat ($6).

My favorite dish was the agedashi mochi ($12) with shiso-wrapped shrimp. The contrast between the warm broth and fried mochi was truly something to experience.