The Room Sushi Bar opens in Westwood

The Room Sushi Bar opens in Westwood

This quote welcomes you to The Room Sushi Bar

My heart broke when Ratata, the quaint French restaurant that was the host to my wedding rehearsal dinner, closed suddenly.  Soon after it's closure a simple sign obstructed the once lace adorned windows: "The Room Sushi Bar...Opening Soon."

After a couple of months of eagerly anticipating the sushi bar that would fill a treasured space, my hubby and I were given the opportunity to preview The Room Sushi Bar.

We forgot the space was once occupied by vintage artwork and wrought-iron garden furniture as soon as we walked into The Room Sushi Bar.  The Sushi bar owners have done an incredible job of updating the space with modern, yet comfortable, furniture, dim lighting, and a large sushi bar area.

The sushi bar area, with my hubby sitting to the right of the photo

The dining area

The restaurant space is small enough to enjoy an intimate dinner, yet large enough to not feel claustrophobic because of the large windows that face the boulevard.

Dinner (and I expect lunch), was meticulous in it's details, yet timed perfectly.  We never felt a sense of rush, nor did we feel anxious with the sushi Chef's timing.

Spicy Edamame

Starting with Spicy Edamame, which wasn't your typical steamed green pods with a bit of spicy salt, we knew that The Room Sushi Bar was not your typical sushi joint.  The edamame was, yes steamed, but also cooked with jalapeno peppers and a light garlic sauce.  Every pod was spiced perfectly with the flavors of the garlic, jalapeno and maybe a bit of soy sauce. The combination was absolutely divine as each flavor danced on our palates.

House Salad

I then asked for a salad recommendation.  The waitress, which happens to be one of the four owners, came back with their House Salad.  It was a simple green salad that was anything "but" when you added their house dressing: a delightful citrus blend with ginger and carrots.  A must have.

Albacore Sashimi

Chef Newton then followed with Fresh Albacore Sashimi (or white tuna). The fish was literally swimming a few hours earlier - or so it tasted.  It was incredibly fresh and flavored perfectly, again, with of the chefs special oil sauce, and topped with crispy onions and green onions.

Beef Sashimi

The third plate that followed what Beef Sashimi, not to be mistaken for carpacio.  By this point we figured out that each dish was going to have a special oil-based sauce that was full of flavor but never oily.  Could it be that The Room Sushi Bar figured out a way of creating different flavor notes within a dish without overbearing the main ingredient?  We think so.

The Room Special Roll

Our first roll, was the Room Special. It was memorable in soo many ways. Not just by it's artistic beauty, but because of all the flavors that complimented one another.  From the spicy blue crab, to the salmon; from the tuna to the shrimp.  We tasted every single ingredient in each bite.  Simply memorable.

The BSC Roll

We ended our tasting with a second roll,  my hubby's favorite, the BSC Roll: baked scalloped on top of California roll.  It was good, but not my favorite of the evening.

The Sexy Lady Roll

The Dark Knight Roll

The Submarine Roll

Promising to come back soon, possibly even tomorrow (the first official open day), Chef Newton suggested the following rolls: The Sexy Lady, The Dark Night and the Submarine Rolls.  Personally, I can't wait to try the Fried Calamari, Octopus Salad and Spicy Tuna Bowl.

Every dish we tasted was flavorful but never overbearing.  There was never a need to clean our palate with ginger or add soy sauce to anything we ordered.  We were obviously happy with our dinner and ended the evening with an average (mid-range sushi) tab of $60 including (non-alcoholic) drinks and tip. (This with the new diner discount of 30% off their listed prices)

NOTE: Alcoholic beverages are not served and outside beverages are not allowed to be brought-in.

The Room Sushi Bar
1884 Westwood Blvd, (Cross street: Missouri Ave.)
West Los Angeles, CA 90025
(310) 474-0462

Reservations: Not accepted

Hours: 
Monday-Thursday: 11 a.m. - 10 p.m.
Friday-Saturday: 11 a.m. - 10:30 p.m.
Sunday: 12:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.

Parking: Street Metered Parking or free parking in the lot behind the restaurant

Price: Expect to spend an average of $15-20 per person for lunch including drink, tax and 20% tip. Rolls, sashimi and sushi range in price starting at $5 to $19 +.

Please let me know if you stop by The Room Sushi Bar...and if you do, let the management know that "Ana Lydia the blogger" sent you for 15% off your lunch or dinner when you pay by credit card. (All diners receive 30% off their lunch or dinner when they pay with cash).

Enjoy!