Mako Sushi in Little Tokyo: Not the Real Deal Omakase

I have a few pet peeves when it comes to sushi restaurants. I don't think any self-respecting sushi joints should offer cooked food besides things like unagi/anago (broiling the eel) and blue crab hand roll (steaming the crab). Nobu does it. Overrated places like Mori Sushi does it. But I believe sushi joints should stick to sushi. So it started off on the wrong foot when I learned that Mako Sushi serves sushi and barbecued beef. Not only is it cooked food, but it also serves beef. Gasp!

But I kept an open mind, I swear. We got the omakase but strangely, it had set prices by number of pieces. I thought omakase was pretty much chef's choice and it keeps coming until we say stop. Why are there set prices for set number of pieces, I wondered? Then another disappointment, I usually never see salmon when ordering omakase and our server told us salmon is one of them. It's contradictory because technically, omakase means whatever is fresh so they can't know what they'll be serving ahead of time and price it. Well, apparently it's pre-set. Sorry it's taking me so long to give the final word: thumbs down. It was above average but not worth returning to.

The starters such as tuna sashimi salad with the gooey-est grated mountain yam, raw egg, wasabi and minced green onions in a soy sauce-based sauce; and a cucumber and seaweed salad topped with grated radish were both refreshing and delicate but nothing to write home about.

Don't mean to be too negative but another sushi pet peeve of mine is when they give you all the sushi at once. The whole idea of omakase is being served sushi as soon as they're made by the sushi chef. The fun of it is marveling at each sushi piece served slowly one by one. Apparently Mako doesn't think so. And toro, fatty tuna, wasn't even included in the original omakase set menu, whatever that is. Is that a travesty or what? So we asked that it be added. The toro wasn't bad but not melt in your mouth like at Hiko or Jinpachi. I liked that there was one piece per type of sushi so we could have different kinds.

I also prefer warm rice, a la Hiko or Echigo, that complements the cold slice of raw fish better. The squid and the scallop and shrimp we got a la carte separately were pretty good but again, not as good as the gold standard.

One final word. News flash: miso soup in Japan isn't served as an appetizer before your meal. But oddly and annoying, it is in many Japanese establishments here. In any case, I won't be returning.