Best of LA: Musha in Torrance

Saturday, July 09, 2005

Musha in Torrance

About a week or so ago, JT and I met up after work for dinner in the Torrance area. We usually end up at Mishima, a great little noodle restaurant. That day, though, we decided to try something new but still in the same Japanese cuisine vein. I shared my experience of Musha in Santa Monica and was intrigued to try the Torrance variety - to see what similarities or differences I could notice.

The first difference was parking. Located in a small strip mall, there was plenty of FREE and close parking. (Santa Monica's not as convenient.) As we walked in the restaurant, there were familiar smells of Japanese barbecue throughout the dining area. One huge community table sat at the middle of the room, a dining bar faced an open kitchen area, and smaller tables lined the walls of the restaurant. Before long, all chairs were occupied and conversations filled the room. Not a place for a romantic getaway, but it proved to be great for a meal to share with colleagues or friends.

I couldn't find all of the same menu items here, but JT made some wonderful recommendations for our dinner. We ordered a freshly made sashimi tuna salad with wasabi, the crisp yet moist chicken karaage that came with a light teri flavoring, some crunchy tempura shrimp in a sweet mayo sauce, French baguettes with a creamy seafood filling topped with melted cheese, and finished our meal with their strawberry cake from their specials menu. Everything was delicious and the company couldn't be beat! We had a fabulous time as we watched the dishes come out from the kitchen and inquired about each one. Her favorite was the French baguette dish while I couldn't get enough of the tuna. (But then again, my favorite food is sushi!)