It felt surreal to sidle up to the eight-seat sushi counter at Bar Sawa on a Friday evening back in September. Though my current dining habits have mostly returned to Before Times ways, I hadn’t partaken in a proper omakase since prior to the pandemic. Joining me for an evening of sushi and whisky was my homie B-Side. It was a beautiful night in Little Tokyo. 

While Sawa offers cocktail pairings for $45, I opted to nurse a stiff Old Fashioned made with Japanese whisky ($17) for the evening. My companion opted for the beverage pairing, which entailed choosing three cocktails from the list of available drinks. He would’ve preferred a more curated experience with personalized recommendations that enhanced various courses.

Behind the counter at this underground spot is executive chef Anthony Nguyen. The omakase ($170) featured a trio of appetizers, nearly a dozen nigiri, a lil’ helping of somen noodles, and dessert. While I very much enjoyed the experience overall, the pacing at the start was somewhat haphazard for my taste, with appetizers and nigiri interspersed with one another; a clear delineation between starters and sushi would have been preferred.