Shunji Japanese Cuisine Now Open for Lunch!

Shunji Japanese Cuisine (their Facebook page is updated more frequently) is now open for lunch, Monday through Friday from noon to 2 PM.  They are serving only sushi for now (plus miso soup and dessert), but they may add tempura and other kitchen dishes depending on how the lunch business goes.  They have two very reasonably priced lunch specials, as follows:

• Lunch Special Sushi (7 pieces of chef’s choice sushi & 1 roll) for $23
• Lunch Special Sushi, Premium (12 pieces of chef’s choice sushi & 1 roll) for $40

One can also get Sushi Omakase at market price, and of course Sushi Okonomi (a la carte ordering) is always available.

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My wife and I joined Chris Hei for Shunji’s inaugural lunch today.  Chris and I each ordered the $40 Premium lunch special, while my better half had the $23 standard lunch special (she had a work meeting to get back to).

The courses for the specials were as follows:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The asterisked (*) items above indicate that those pieces were part of the Premium lunch special only.

We also had the following add-ons:

 

 

 

 

 

 

And for dessert, Yuko mentioned having a new flavor of sorbet.

 

(BTW, the place was packed for lunch, with the sushi bar full and even several tables occupied.  Shunji’s brother Tetsuya, owner of Asanebo [currently Zagat‘s top rated restaurant in L.A.], came by with one of their old friends visiting from Japan, and they stayed for a quick lunch.)

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If you look at the price points of the specials, it’s really a no-brainer.  (Chris called it a “game changer!”)  The $40 Premium special beats Kiriko’s same-price lunch sushi omakase, which was already a good deal (with “only” 9 pieces of nigiri and a blue crab hand roll).  The $23 special is also a good deal, but for Chowhounds with hungry appetites, I doubt it’d suffice.

I don’t know if Shunji will always serve the specials one piece at a time.  I’d assume they would for the $40 one, as Kiriko does, but if they also do for the standard special at $23, that would be one of the most affordable ways to get that coveted omakase-style experience.

I think my wallet is in (more) trouble (than it is already).

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Shunji Japanese Cuisine (Facebook)
12244 W Pico Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90064
(310) 826-4737

 

All photographs © 2013 The Offalo