Tamon

Using techniques from Japan, especially in quality and freshness...you can feel they put their heart & soul into their dishes. Same with their service staff, all polite and on ready to make your dining experience that much better. A huge plus, they even fly to Japan to hand make their own sake..."Bishamon", its exclusive and superb!!

How come this restaurant is getting such a low score?? I'm pretty impressed with the quality of the food for this price. And the rice (sumeshi) was so delicious!!

We found this gem of a restaurant hidden on the second floor of the Miyako hotel. It's one of the best kept secrets in LA! Delicious and authentic Japanese food. Fresh and tasty seafood! Try the Chirashi!

TAMON is such a cozy Japanese restaurant in Downtown, Los Angeles! Staffs were very friendly and courteous. I had the Wonton Shio(Salt) Ramen, with the Garlic Butter Pork Gyoza(dumpling). Super authentic quality and great price. I will definitely go back there to try other Ramen (Garlic Tonkotsu Ramen) next time! I highly recommend tthis restaurant. : )

Amazing food and truly a relaxing and welcoming experience. Staff and chefs went above and beyond to ensure me and my sister had a great experience. Highly recommend!

Tamon means "wide knowledge" in Japanese to imply that this Sushi restaurant provides many different portals of opportunities to try a wide spectrum of cooked & raw foods. Tamon is a hidden jewel of a restaurant on the second floor of the Miyako Hotel on 1st Street in downtown Little Tokyo. Tamon shares the entrance w/ Ohjah, a fun bar/karaoke (kah rah oh keh) venue which is to the left. A giant picture of a dragon in gold & green depicting it controlling thunder & lightning is on the back wall of the Sushi bar for dramatic effect. The Sushi chef recognized me from over 10 years ago when I used to go to a comfortable, Shitamachi/old town, down home Sushi restaurant called Fujiyoshi in Little Tokyo run by a stern yet kind hearted old school Sushi master, who has since passed away. 1) Chef To-ma proffered me the rarest part of the halibut called the Engawa (en gah wah) which is the muscle circling the ventral as well as the dorsal fin. The texture is more meaty, dense, heavier textured than the body meat. Engawa was enriched w/ a natural infusion of clean fatty richness. Chef To-ma was astute in putting a Shiso/O-ba leaf under one of the cuts of Engawa since he felt added herbal flavouring would enhance that section of the Engawa. Also to tenderize the Engawa further, he scored the meat which also allowed the bright green of the Shiso to shine through. It was a great exercise in adding aesthetic form & practical function all in one fell swoop. 2) Kurodai is similar to Tai/red snapper, sea bream, but the meat is firmer, more dense, & the flavour is less delicate. 3) Hokkaido Hotate Gai was amazingly velvety soft, smooth, luscious w/ the sweet freshness of sea minerality. A touch of the chef made Yuzukosho-, which is usually a puree of Yuzu/Japanese Citrus zest, green chile peppers, sea salt, touch of Japanese vinegar, was applied. However, this elegant Yuzukosho- was finely chopped so that individual micro small pieces could be discerned. 4) Kanpachi has meat that is firm yet silky on the surface w/ a light flavour of red meat fish. The meat is slightly al dente with a nice to-the-teeth texture. 5) Saba is usually not my favorite fish since many Sushi restaurants over marinate the Saba with overly sweet and strong Japanese vinegar. Here, the Saba is only lightly marinated to emphasize the cured taste of the Saba, which becomes a good counter to its own distinctive fatty oily taste. This was a good exercise in restraint. Sometimes less is more. 6) Hon Maguro was a deeper crimson, the teeth sank into the meat as though it were "Yo-kan", a type of Japanese candy gelatin. A bit of aging gave the Hon Maguro a slight beefy aged quality. I used their hybrid Wasabi/horse radish mixture that had bits of horseradish to provide a contrast of graininess w/ the Wasabi inflecting a more aromatic, spiciness. 7) Chu-toro is less fatty. The chef made specially flavoured Tamari Sho-yu/soy sauce which is more viscous, sweet w/ a taste of Umami filled Dashi (dah shee) or bonito broth & sea salt. This special Sho-yu was excellent for the heavier tasting, fattier fish meats. All the above was paired w/ Otoko Yama, Michinoku, Cho-karakuchi/extremely dry, Junmai/pure rice Sake (sah keh). It is slightly sweet w/ a good astringency, touch of chalkiness, hint of Sugi (soo ghee)/Japanese cedar. Good palate cleanser for all the Sushi. What puts Tamon over the top to 5 stars is the care, culinary competence, expertise of the masterful Sushi chefs who are very aware of the needs of customers who are treated w/ courtesy & grace when the customer reciprocates the kindness. Incredible old school, classic Èdoaè Sushi that is treated w/ a fine hand & many hours of tender loving care in its preparation. Tamon is definitely a better choice than going to the over-hyped Gen, Komasa, Hama which are good, but not worth the long wait. Summer 2015: Meister Sushi Chef, Kennny Yamada w/ many culinary awards, is the talented successor to Wunderkind Chef To-ma. Since 2017: Quietly masterful Chef Nakai takes over.

A great authentic Japanese restaurant “hidden” on the second floor of the New Otani Hotel in Little Tokyo, Downtown Los Angeles. Omakase sushi is my favorite, but they also serve great cooked food. Their breakfast buffet is the closest you can get in LA to the Japanese style. Great sake selection, and Sapporo or Asahi on tap.