You could, of course, order chicken or beef teriyaki at either of the two branches of Mikomi Sushi. There’s also Chilean sea bass, along with barbecue short ribs and barbecue pork belly. There’s tempura, ramen and udon. There are numerous salads.
All of those are fine, no doubt. But when I go to Mikomi, I do what most of the diners do – I order the sushi … specifically, the sushi rolls, which range from the familiar to the exotic, with names to match.
Ordering mixed tempura at a sushi bar like Mikomi strikes me as being a bit like getting the fish at Lawry’s The Prime Rib. It’s on the menu. It’s well prepared. And yet, it isn’t the point of the place.
Mikomi, like so many sushi bars, is all about the rolls. And during a recent visit, the rolls filled every table and every spot at the bar. They come on long narrow plates – some so large you can’t imagine actually finishing them. But, of course, you will. Somehow, we always do.
Chewing on a massive Lemon Cilantro Roll, I considered the logistics by which this oversized creation of spicy crab meat, shrimp tempura, avocado, salmon, tuna, lemon slices, masago roe, eel sauce and a wasabi cilantro sauce could be traced back to the seemingly modest, decidedly understated California Roll – an “inside-out” roll created either in Vancouver, Hollywood or Little Tokyo, depending on which legend you prefer to believe.
The California Roll, as you probably know, consists of cucumber, imitation crab and avocado, wrapped in seafood, with rice on the outside (hence, an inside-out roll). It may have been created by Chef Hidekazu Tojo in Vancouver in 1971. Or, by Chef Ken Seusa at Kinjo in Hollywood. Or, perhaps, by Chef Ichiro Mashita at Tokyo Kaikan in Little Tokyo. Or, it may have been invented by all three, each adding a small variation; it was Chef Mashita who finally turned it from a standard roll, to an inside-out roll.
Whatever the genesis, the result is pure culinary madness, with restaurants around town offering north of 100 exotic rolls, many (too many!) involving deep-fried ingredients, cream cheese and mayonnaise, which definitely undermine the pure simplicity of sushi. And that’s seemingly how things go; we just can’t leave well enough alone.
So, there’s really nothing much to do … but enjoy. And with some 67 rolls on the menu at Mikomi, enjoyment comes with the territory.
Following the evolution of the rolls at Mikomi is a pleasure for those of us with a penchant for culinary archaeology. The oldest rolls are found under the heading “Classic Rolls.” There’s the California Roll, of course, along with the Spicy Tuna Roll, the Crunch Roll, the Eel & Avocado Roll, and the Salmon Skin Roll. Within memory, those were all on the edge, the new wave of sushi rolls. Now, they’re ready for retirement. As are the vegetable rolls – cucumber, avocado, asparagus and the like. Those are the foods of yesteryear.
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As we move closer to the current time, we come first upon the 18 Fresh Rolls, a curious euphemism for the rolls that are neither made with crunchy tempura, nor baked. This is where we encounter such exotica as the Pink Panther Roll (salmon, spicy tuna and spicy mayo; no panthers harmed in the making!); the Marilyn Mon Roll (spicy tuna, spicy albacore, spicy scallop); and the Cajun Seared Ahi Tuna Roll (tuna with Cajun spice and spicy tuna with avocado).
Good luck telling the ingredients apart; one of the quandaries of the mega rolls is that everything seems to meld together.
There are 19 Tempura Rolls, including a Yummy Crispy Tempura Roll with both cream cheese and spicy mayo … and the Ghost Tuna Spicy Crunch Roll, where it isn’t the tuna that haunts the critter, but rather the seriously spicy ghost peppers in the sauce. Which for many is a step too far into the world of alternative rolls.
And that leads us, finally, to the 13 Baked Rolls, where a curious amalgam between cuisines is found. A Pizza Roll? Seriously? Yup. There it is with imitation crab, avocado, baked scallop, baked crawfish, smelt eggs and eel sauce. Sadly, no tomato sauce, no pepperoni, no melted cheese. It’s a pizza roll in name … not in ingredients.
That said, there is chicken teriyaki in the Chicken Teriyaki Roll, and marinated barbecue short ribs in the Galbi Roll. And though one can live on rolls alone, some shishito peppers and garlic edamame never hurt. On the other hand, seared tuna sashimi topped with sizzling garlic does put the understatement of the fish into conflict with the overstatement of the sizzling garlic.
The good news is, there are choices – and lots of them. Which is why the sashimi salad always works, when your mouth needs a break.
Merrill Shindler is a Los Angeles-based freelance dining critic. Email mreats@aol.com.
Mikomi Sushi
- Rating: 2.5 stars
- Address: 601 S. Myrtle Ave., Monrovia; Plaza West Covina, 1465 Plaza Drive, West Covina
- Information: 626-359-1058 (Monrovia), 626-337-7874 (West Covina); mikomisushi.com
- Cuisine: Japanese
- When: Lunch and dinner, every day
- Details: Beer and sake; reservations helpful
- Atmosphere: This pair of lively sushi bars – spacious with outlandishly large menus – serves an abundance of wacky rolls with names like the Ghost Tuna Spicy Crunch Roll and the Yo Sexy Sexy Roll.
- Prices: About $35 per person
- On the menu: 16 Appetizers ($6.50-$15.95), 12 Classic Rolls ($6.95-$13.95), 5 Vegetable Rolls ($5.50-$11.95), 18 “Fresh” Rolls ($14.50-$19.50), 19 Tempura Rolls ($11.95-$18.95), 13 Baked Rolls ($14.50-$18.50), 9 Entree Specials ($17.50-$29.95), 4 Donburi ($21.95-$30.95), 6 Salads ($8.95-$20.50), 4 Tempura ($12.95-$14.50), 10 Signature Sashimi ($18.50-$20.95), 3 Sashimi Combos ($29.50-$68.50), 2 Ramen ($13.95), 2 Udon ($10.95-$12.95), 5 Small Bites ($11.50-$19.95)
- Credit cards: MC, V
- What the stars mean: 4 (World class! Worth a trip from anywhere!), 3 (Most excellent, even exceptional. Worth a trip from anywhere in Southern California.), 2 (A good place to go for a meal. Worth a trip from anywhere in the neighborhood.) 1 (If you’re hungry, and it’s nearby, but don’t get stuck in traffic going.) 0 (Honestly, not worth writing about.)
