Hoka Hoka Sushi & Sake [RESTAURANT REVIEW]

Hoka Hoka SushiI really enjoy traditional sushi, and I really hate describing it. At many restaurants, there is a limited variety of preparations and condiments, so descriptions become monotonous even when the actual experience was interesting. When everything is a matter of subtlety, the difference between fresh fish cut perfectly and the same fish cut almost perfectly, or with just too much or just too little sauce, any description is esoteric, any flaw nitpicking. The whole experience is so subjective, the stock of seafood so varied day-by-day, it’s hard to make recommendations.

The new wave of creative sushi bars has been a boon to writers everywhere, giving us a host of distinctive items to describe. Some of the new ideas are eye-opening, and a few are, in my opinion, just terrible. I know some people like sushi with cream cheese, but I’ve never figured out why, and I’ve had a lifetime worth of vinegary fruit salsa rolls. On the other hand, there are places out there that really know how to make sushi exciting.

One of these is Hoka Hoka, located in a strip mall on Torrance Boulevard in Redondo. The name is rather odd – it means Hot! Hot!, the sound of someone juggling a potato fresh from the oven. The restaurant serves items other than sushi, and some items make judicious use of Korean hot sauce, but the name still seems like an odd choice. Whatever the reason for the name, the restaurant has become one of my favorites in the six months it has been open. As with many Japanese restaurants run by Koreans, they experiment with big, exuberant flavors. They do serve traditional sushi, but since my first visit I’ve preferred to try the oddities and original items that make up most of the menu.

Like, for instance, the fish tree, any of four different fish sliced thin and rolled around a bundle of radish sprouts and sliced cucumber so the fish looks like a tree trunk, the sprouts the leaves. It’s a cute presentation for a tasty dish, the rich fish, slightly sharp sprouts, and dash of soy sauce a nice trio of flavors. We also tried a mango, avocado, and cucumber salad that was topped with black sesame seeds, a smart and sophisticated juxtaposition of natural flavors that go together wonderfully. It’s three different kinds of coolness with fruity and vegetable sweetness, and it goes down easy.

The shisamo were a bit more of a challenge – small fried fish with the heads still on that are filled with roe. The Japanese have a different appreciation of texture than most Americans, happily enjoying things that are slimy or squishy, and the shisamo are on the squishy side, and salty to boot. We are adventurous eaters and thought they were…OK, not something we have to order every time we’re there, but worth trying. We were on firmer ground with the seaweed salad, which has a delicious lightly vinegary flavor and enjoyable moist crunch. Almost all of the appetizers are under ten dollars, so you can order up a storm and still not break the bank.

Though it wasn’t included with the items we had ordered on this trip, our server brought soup and a salad anyway – a standard miso, but a rather more interesting salad. Instead of the usual miso dressing, the salad was dressed with mild gochujang, the lightly sweet and peppery Korean condiment. It works pretty well to my palate, like a zippier Catalina or tomato-French, though there is a cumulative pepperiness that some people might find to be a bit much.

Over the course of several visits to Hoka Hoka, I’ve tried traditional sushi, standard and original rolls, and the cooked dishes – they serve the ‘greatest hits’ like tempura, teriyaki, and rice bowls, as well as the Korean kalbi barbecued short ribs. The cooked dishes have all been good but not exceptional, the short ribs tender and tangy, tempura as crunchy as it’s supposed to be, and spicy tuna bowl a good portion of fish over fresh rice. Anything made with spicy tuna is a good bet here, because unlike some Japanese spicy tuna that seems to be just tuna and Tabasco, this uses more flavorful Korean hot spices that suit the fish much better.

The standout items here are actually the sushi rolls, of which there are about fifty different versions both hot and cold. As you might expect, they get baroque and go far beyond traditional ideas – baked crabmeat, cucumber and avocado roll topped with salmon and spicy tuna, anyone? That is the Hoka special roll, and while it isn’t truly hot compared to Mexican or Korean food, it has a warm, savory character that suits the name. There are also vegetarian and barbecued beef or chicken rolls, which may look inventive but aren’t – Koreans have been wrapping meat and vegetables in rice and seaweed rolls for generations. A few of the rolls go far beyond tradition and have neither rice or seaweed, as in the Pink Lady roll of crabmeat and avocado rolled in salmon. Had I been served this at a party I wouldn’t have even thought of it as Asian, but as California cuisine. The chef here obviously likes the flavor and texture of avocado a lot, because that ingredient is featured in at least two-thirds of the rolls here.

To accompany your meal you can choose beer, wine, soju cocktails, or any of over fifty premium sakes – it’s an astonishingly ambitious sake menu for a moderately priced restaurant. On my most recent visit I decided to try a sampler – for twelve dollars you get tastes of three cold sakes of different character, from a sweet nigori to a dry, chardonnay-like daigingyo. It’s a refreshing, and an enjoyable way for a newcomer to learn about sake or an aficionado to enjoy some variety.

Dessert options are few – mochi ice cream before the inevitable orange slices – and I wondered that no distinctive dessert sushi has ever become popular. Surely fresh fruits could be wrapped using an itamae’s techniques to create something pretty that suits the end of a meal. This is an experiment for another day. For now, Hoka Hoka has my vote for an inexpensive, cheerful place for a relaxing Asian fusion dinner, and I suggest you drop in and investigate the place.

Hoka Hoka Sushi & Sake is at 811 Torrance Boulevard, just west of Prospect. Inexpensive. Open Mo-Sa for lunch, daily for dinner. Wheelchair access good, free off-street parking, vegetarian-friendly. Call 310-316-7850.

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