Ventura Boulevard’s food scene has turned toward the east with the addition of sushi restaurant Kaiju in Sherman Oaks. Kaiju, or “sea monster” in Japanese, opened in May and has found an audience with local residents who keep head chef Go Nakabayashi and his team busy fixing traditional sushi with high-quality fish and umami flavors. Nakabayashi is a culinary veteran with more than 15 years as a chef, eight of which were spent at Koi, a popular Japanese restaurant in West Hollywood. “While working at Koi, I was doing more fusion-style, much more Americanized sushi. We used a lot of sauces and you didn’t really taste the fish,” Nakabayashi said. “At Kaiju, I want to show people that actual fresh fish is good. I think once people know about good fish, they’ll appreciate it.” At the new restaurant and sushi bar, customers can expect traditional Japanese cuisine, including various selections of carpaccio (raw meat) and crispy rice with spicy tuna and shrimp as well as Japanese-style fried chicken. In terms of price, rolls range from $4 to $11, with nigiri and sashimi varieties for less than $15 and carpaccio selections going for $12 to $13. Sake, Japanese beer and a few selections of wine are available. Owner Guy Starkman, scion of the Jerry’s Deli empire, invested about $500,000 to launch the restaurant. It occupies 1,600 square feet at the former location of Sweetharts Sweets frozen yogurt at 13704 Ventura Blvd. Brick flooring, dark wood-paneled walls and dim lighting bolster the Japanese-street inspired décor. “We tried to create the atmosphere of a Japanese street, as if customers were outside,” Nakabayashi said. “In Japan, there are small stores like carts on the street and that’s the feel we wanted to have in here.” At present, Kaiju is open evenings from 5:30 to 10:30 and closing later on weekends. Nakabayashi said there are plans to open three more locations within the next three years, preferably in Studio City, Woodland Hills and Westlake Village. Getting the Scoops Adrienne Borlongan and Jon Patrick “JP” Lopez have been a couple for 10 years, and the two are partnering to bring homemade artisanal ice cream to the Valley this month. Wanderlust Creamery in Tarzana will feature ice cream made completely from scratch using organic milk and globally inspired flavors such as Venezuelan Vanilla and Japanese Green Tea “Hojicha” Burnt Honey. The creamery’s seasonal menu will include Earl Grey sundaes, macaroon ice-cream sandwiches and freshly made waffle cones. “Our flavors are inspired by our wanderlust. We love to travel, it’s educational and you learn a lot from it,” said Borlongan, 30. “We want to translate that into our product.” The couple invested roughly $100,000 to open the shop. A good portion of the money went toward building a certified in-house pasteurizer and microdairy plant. Prices range from $3.85 to $7 for scoops of ice cream. The 1,000-square-foot shop is located in the former Coldstone Creamery location at 18511 Ventura Blvd. The two Cal State Northridge graduates reside in the Valley and will continue working full time – Borlongan at hotel-restaurant management firm SBE Entertainment Group and Lopez as an attorney – in addition to running the creamery. Franchised Cream A three-unit franchise agreement brought San Francisco-based ice-cream parlor Cream to the Valley this month. Local businessmen Mark Ramirez and David Zeichick have opened their first location, at 9000 Reseda Blvd., in the same Northridge shopping center where Sharky’s Woodfired Mexican Grill’s first stand-alone location recently opened. Cream is known for its ice-cream sandwiches and has an assortment of 20 flavors and cookie options, with more than a dozen toppings to choose from. The shop also serves milkshakes, floats, malts and baked goods. The ice-cream franchise currently has 16 locations, seven of which are in Southern California, including the Northridge shop. Ramirez and Zeichick are looking to open locations in Burbank, Calabasas and Woodland Hills. “I have family members who live in the Bay Area and when I go up there we go to Cream,” said Zeichick. “I’ve always loved it and thought it was a great product. Then I heard about the franchise opportunity.” Staff reporter Champaign Williams can be reached at (818) 316-3121 or [email protected].
