Anti sushi-snobs eat here: Sakura on Centinela Ave. in Marina del Rey adjacent.
(Credit: Los Angeles Times/Genaro Molina)
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Nikki Gilbert looks to solve your party-planning troubles with private Make Sushi! ™ classes. Her alter ego, Sushi Girl, arrives at your door fully-equipped to demystify Japanese cuisine and impart the basics of sushi-making—and she's got booze, too! That means: no prepping, no slaving away at a stove while friends get to stuff their faces and drink to their hearts' content for $55 a head. We say sake-bombs away. Sushi Girl met up with Metromix recently to talk about, you guessed it, sushi! Among other things.
How was Sushi Girl born?
I always wanted to learn how to make sushi, but when I worked at sushi bars, sushi chefs thought it was just a fun little thing, like “Oh, how cute, but it’s too difficult.” I’ve been decorating cakes since I was a little girl, so I used to think, "If I can make a buttercream rose, I could make a California roll. How hard could it be?" I started teaching myself; I’d watched what they did and practiced at home. Then I went to Japan for three years. I came back, attended the California Sushi Academy, then worked at Miyagi’s when it first opened.
What’s it like to party with Sushi Girl?
A typical party is about 14 people, a minimum of 10. If alcohol is involved, I recommend not doing more than 20 because it's really hard after an hour. People and sake bombs—it tends to get out of hand.
Would you say the alcohol helps? I realize that I've had fantastic sushi from drunken sushi masters.
Fortunately, the lesson gets easier as the party goes on. We do get the cutting out of the way in the beginning. I always tell people this: sushi is the last situation after college where you can go in with the intention to drink alcohol just to drink and it's still socially acceptable. You can’t just go to an Italian restaurant and pound Chianti. But, people go to sushi bars and are like, “Sake bombs! Sake shots!”
What about teaching the truly kitchen-inept?
I always tell people, "After two-and-a-half hours, you will feel like you can go home tomorrow and make sushi." I concentrate on the basics; I teach style, not recipes.
What’s the trick?
I wouldn’t say it’s a trick. It’s just my attitude of “How hard could it be?” It’s not hard; you just need someone to explain to you things that you need to know to do it correctly. I’ve been doing parties and teaching for over five years now, but the lesson has been the same from the very beginning. There is not an easier way to teach sushi than this. This is what works.
What are the essentials of sushi-making?
Japanese food is about order, structure and attention to detail. Also, how fresh it is. You can get away with a lot of stuff if you cook it, which you can’t get away with raw fish. I only cut one cucumber at a time. The fresher you can make something, the better it will taste. Some people don’t care, but I won’t even eat something that’s been sitting out for 20 minutes—the air’s already gotten to the rice.
Any favorite sushi restaurants in L.A?
Everyone always asks me that. I don’t go out for sushi. As far as I’m concerned, there’s no sushi bar in L.A. that can make sushi that I like to eat better than the sushi that I make. I cannot order it any fresher than I can make it. I’m around it all the time. So, if I’m going to go out and enjoy a meal, I’m not going to go out for sushi.
Would you call yourself a...sushi snob, then?
[Sushi at sushi bars] is just not the level that I’m looking for. More than half of what I eat during the week is Japanese food. I was Japanese in another life, I’m sure.
Can't afford to be a sushi snob? Our wallets hear ya. For those looking for a semi-cheap sushi fix—without risking a visit to the emergency room—you'll find us hanging at any of these fine establishments: Sushi Ike in Hollywood, Noshi Sushi in Koreatown, Hirozen on Beverly Blvd, Tama Sushi in Studio City, Sakura near LMU, and Hide Sushi on Sawtelle.
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