My dining companion and I weren’t quite sure what to expect as we sat down at Shibumi‘s 400-year old cypress counter. It was a Thursday evening and the crowds were slow to arrive. Eventually the 40-seat room filled up with folks who knew their way around the place, and Chef David Schlosser hit his groove, moving in and out of the kitchen to make sure that everyone was well taken care of.

After settling on the $95 omakase, we kicked back with an Old Fashioned each ($16) and awaited the parade of kappo-style dishes. The term kappo, which technically means “to cut and to cook,” also describes Shibumi’s style of cooking:

…a less formal cuisine that emphasizes the proximity between the diner and the chef who is cutting and cooking the food.

As we sipped our drinks, a few “rare tastes” (chinmi) in the form of house-made fermented seafood arrived.

The highlight of the evening was the very first course — a small bowl of delicately toothsome somen noodles swimming in a chilled dashi broth with abalone. Every cool slurp was equal parts light and flavorful, setting the stage for the courses to come.

Next to arrive were cool slices of sea bream served with jellies made from fish skin dashi.

Then came a salad comprised of Chino Farms tomatoes, seaweed, and fried baby sardines.

The peanut tofu with peanut furikake took us aback with its firm texture and light flavor.

The shrimp dumplings served with hot miso mustard were a textural powerhouse. Spongy and light, the scorching hot “dumplings” tasted like the best fish cakes ever.

Salmon trout smoked in cherry bark was served with its crispy skin.

The final and heftiest course was grilled California holstein served with wasabi and narazuke.

Pickles, steamed rice, and miso soup rounded out the final course.

For dessert: a gelatinous pine nut and persimmon creation.

From chilled somen noodles to slippery tofu and spongy shrimp meatballs, the kappo-style omakase at Shibumi served up a unique progression of courses that delighted with varying textures, temperatures, and balance of flavors. Chef Schlosser is doing something different here, and Angelenos are hungry to embrace it.

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Shibumi
815 South Hill Street
Los Angeles, CA 90014
Phone: 323-484-8915

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