Monday, August 25, 2008

Kotosh At Kamiyama Peruvian Food & Sushi In Lomita.



Lomita is a small town tucked between the Harbor Freeway and the Palos Verdes Penninsula in the South Bay area of Los Angeles County, and a place I had only passed through prior to visiting this unique Peruvian Japanese restaurant.

A Nikkei Peruvian friend of mine, who knows I love seafood, first told me about Kotosh At Kamiyama, and insisted I had to check it out.

One of the defining features of Peruvian food is the fact it is a fusion cuisine, borrowing and melding elements from native pre-Columbian, Spanish, African, Italian, and Asian traditions. Peru is home to a large community of Nikkei Peruvians, Peruvians of Japanese descent.

Having said that, it is no surprise that Kotosh (named after the temple of the same name in the Huánuco region of Peru, which at 5,000 years old is among South America's oldest) offers both traditional Peruvian cuisine as well as Japanese sushi.

One of the hallmarks of this restaurant is the quality of the ingredients used as well as the friendliness of the staff, many of whom are Japanese Peruvians. Despite being a compact space, the atmosphere is warm and welcoming.

On both occasions I visited, Kotosh was full. There must be a reason so many people make the trek (or should I say pilgrimage?) to the unremarkable, and a bit hard-to-find, mini-mall where it is located.

Quite frankly, if Kotosh were not so far from where I live, I would be a regular customer, and eat my way through the entire menu.

I'm not Kotosh's only fan.

In a recent review, The District Weekly, says, "Even if you were to erase one country from its cookbook, Kotosh would function just fine—better, in fact, than other restaurants that focus on a single cuisine. More remarkable is that the restaurant truly does work best with both, easily breaking the boundaries of typical fusion food."

Circle of Food writes, "It’s been almost two weeks since I’ve been to Kotosh and the food memories are still floating around in my head." At Insider Pages, reviewers call Kotosh, The Best of Two Worlds.

Finally, if you prefer the Japanese side of the menu, Jonathan Gold, one of Southern California's most well-known food critics, calls Kotosh, "a cheerful South Bay sushi mecca."

Numerous reviewers at Yelp sing Kotosh's praises. I particularly enjoyed this:
"I've stayed away from this place for a long time. Peruvian and sushi? It just sounded like all kinds of wrong.

"Not so," a coworker of mine informed me. In her foodie ways, she went on to describe the delicious dishes. Still, the idea of this combo scared me.

Finally one night, I was in the mood for something different. So, to Kotosh I went. And waited. And waited. It seemed like an excruciatingly long time before I got to put my order in on a Saturday night.

That's when a patron approached me. "Give this place a chance," he said. He went on to say he probably would have left if he were me, but that I should stay because "the food is rockin." Then he recommended the tallarin saltado (spaghetti with sauteed onions and tomatoes) and the Peruvian Slur (crab asparagus roll, topped with salmon, avocado and the tasty Peruvian green sauce).

Fair enough. At his enthusiastic recommendations, I ordered them. Then, in time, I devoured them. There was not a scrap to take home to enjoy later. I was that greedy and it was that good! The patron had been absolutely right: The Food is Rockin!!!

Since then, I have been back and have enjoyed other delights. The Peruvian food makes my taste buds dance in joy. The sushi is also very good and fresh. The staff is friendly, and even when super busy (like my first Saturday night experience), they will greet you with a smile.

I've just learned to order ahead..."


Leche de Tigre

On our recent visit, I had to order leche de tigre, which is off the menu, but the staff was more than willing to prepare. Literally, Tiger's Milk, this is a glass of the juice in which the ceviche is marinated, a tart and spicy marriage of lime, garlic, and the Peruvian hot pepper rocoto that explodes in the mouth and opens up the taste buds.


Tiradito de Lenguado

We also sampled the sashimi-like halibut Tiradito de Lenguado (at our initial visit we tried the almost sinful Tiradito de Atún, with tuna sliced so finely it melted in our mouths).


Tiradito de Atún
Photo: Rosheila Robles at The District Weekly

The Ceviche de Pescado is excellent, the fish is fresh and firm, and not too spicy. In case you want to tart it up a little, there is Kotosh's version of the ubiquitous ají verde, Peruvian green hot sauce, which is a bit milder and creamier than at other Peruvian restaurants in the Los Angeles area.


Ceviche de Lenguado

We also ordered the classic Lomo Saltado, which itself is a fusion of Peruvian and Chinese cuisines. It was a solidly prepared dish and the meat was a bit better quality than in many other local Peruvian restaurants.


Lomo Saltado

The crab-stuffed Spider Roll was the perfect complement to the Peruvian dishes. And there was an Arroz Chaufa de Mariscos, mixed seafood fried rice, that was so good it disappeared before we had a chance to take a picture.


Spider Sushi

People rave about the Peruvian Slur roll, which is a crab and asparagus roll, topped with Norwegian salmon, and a dollop of Peruvian green hot sauce, as well as the Tallarín Saltado, which is stir-fried spaghetti with onions and tomatoes and your choice of chicken, fish or beef.

They're on our list for a future visit.




Photos (unless otherwise noted): Canelita



Kotosh At Kamiyama Peruvian Food & Sushi
2408 Lomita Blvd., Suite #C
Lomita, CA 90717
(310) 257-1363
Website: Kotosh

16 comments:

KirkK said...

Hey Alejandro - I've been thinking about checking this place out...now it has just moved up to a "must go"!

::Alejandro:: said...

Hey Kirk! Let me know what you think...

Canelita said...

Alejandro, Kotosh is the one restaurant I was hoping you would write a review of soon! I too have been hooked on their food since the first time I visited it more than a year ago. I agree with you in that the freshness and high quality of their ingredients are key to their success. Also, the Peruvian side of their menu is rather small compared to other restaurants, yet covers the basics, which means that each dish receives the special attention it deserves.

Worth trying as well are the Choros a la criolla, mussels with a lime juice, onion and corn relish and a couple of Peru-inspired sushi rolls (the Machu Picchu Roll and the Peruvian Slur) that are to die for!

Next time I’ll have to try the leche de tigre, it seems like just the perfect starter to a wonderful meal. My only complaint about Kotosh? It’s a bit of a commute for me as well…but oh so worth the drive. By the way, great pictures!!! A nice complement to a wonderful post, imho. ;)

::Alejandro:: said...

Canelita, thank you so much for introducing me to this wonderful restaurant. As I've told you since the first time we went, I would be a total regular if it didn't involve a lengthy drive! I forgot to mention the choros we had the first time I went there! They were very good and you know how much I like my choros (the edible kind)...And, domo arigato for the great pics you took. Un abrazo.

Anonymous said...

I wish we had a restaurant like this in Portland, OR.

Canelita said...

"I forgot to mention the choros we had the first time I went there! They were very good and you know how much I like my choros (the edible kind)..."
I know, how could you forget the choros???Hahaha...see, I'm not the only one who forgets things. And we should let everyone know that 'choro' is also Peruvian slang for 'thief' (so they can laugh at your joke, ha...ha...ha). :-)

And don't forget my other suggestion: a roundup of all Peruvian nikkei restaurants in the L.A. area. You might need to dedicate a whole series in order to get them all in.

Elsa said...

Que ricura de comida! Thank you for the message you left about my Peruvian Shrimp rice. I will defintely post it on English too.

::Alejandro:: said...

Sadao: Well, at least in Portland you have Andina, which is one of the best Peruvian restaurants in the US. Thanks for the comment.

Anonymous said...

Felicidades!
Su blog se encuentra entre los tres más votados de su categoría en el concurso 20blogsperuanos que se llevará a cabo este viernes a las 6:30 pm en el Centro de Convenciones del Hotel María Ángola.
Agradeceríamos que nos confirmara su asistencia o si enviará a algún representante para recoger su premio, en caso su blog gane, llamándonos a las oficinas de Inventarte.net al número 719-8845. Preguntar por Morena o Karla.

Unknown said...

¡Alejandro, te felicito! tu blog es el mas leído en el Perú en el rango de gastronomía. Premio a tu esfuerzo y a tu talento. Me siento muy orgullosa de ti, sigue adelante.

::Alejandro:: said...

@ Elsa: Gracias por la visita, voy a probar tu receta uno de estos días.

@ Canelita: That's a great idea for a Peru Food project!

@Karla: Gracias por el comentario, ya hablé con Javier, no voy a poder asistir, a no ser que decidan hacer la ceremonia acá en Los Angeles.

@ MEC: Mil gracias amiga por tus gratas palabras, un gran abrazo.

::Alejandro:: said...

@ MEC: Pero se me olvidó comentar que todavía no se sabe cuál sea el más leído (o en este caso, el más votado), eso se sabrá el día 29.

Unknown said...

Tienes razon, Alejandro. Un amigo me lo comento y yo te lo trasmiti, sin chequear los datos del ranking, pero bueno, eres uno de los mas leidos y eso es lo que importa.
saludos

::Alejandro:: said...

Gracias MEC!

Anonymous social worker said...

I love your blog, me being peruvian an all.

::Alejandro:: said...

Thanks a lot River Mist, welcome!