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The Japanese have this weird thing with Italian food, as if you couldn’t figure that out from Masahiko Kobe, Iron Chef Italian. Many modern Japanese menus have Italian influences, from curry houses serving curry over spaghetti noodles to putting cheese in ramen and udon. Some day I will try to figure out the whole development of this phenomenon, but at Blue Marlin, it’s enough to say that the influence was right there in all it’s fishy glory with Uni Spaghetti.

The Uni Spaghetti is how I got to Blue Marlin in the first place (for my first time!). It was a co-worker who told me that he likes the restaurant for its uni spaghetti. I couldn’t believe someone could come up with such an interesting and somewhat repulsive-sounding combination, and what’s more I couldn’t believe that my coworker says it’s good. As if uni spaghetti just wasn’t enough, he ordered from the list of specials, double uni spaghetti. He had to ask the server what double means. That doesn’t mean double the spaghetti; it means two scoops of uni. *ew* The server said “scoop,� like an ice cream scoop. Or “two scoops� in Raisin Bran. It made me chuckle (chuckle on the inside, though – I didn’t want to offend) Double the amount of uni. *yikes* I like uni sometimes, but I have to really work myself up to get into it. I mean we all know what uni is, right? Right, and I don’t eat organs.

A very artistic deep, wide mouthed wooden bowl came to the table, and down at the very bottom was what looked like a tiny portion of spaghetti, but it’s an illusion. The spaghetti was a faint brown, lightly coated with a sauce. Piled on top, just like the eggplant in my salad, was the uni with an afro of nori. The uni wasn’t pretty – I am guessing they use the broken leftover pieces of uni that are just as good quality, but not suitable for sushi presentation. Squished and mixed up like that, it looked almost better than the uni that looks like mustard colored cat tongues on sushi.

So, I tasted it.

It was weird.

I can’t describe the flavor other than it certainly tasted like uni and spaghetti. I am still training my tongue to uni sushi. I’m not ready for spaghetti with two scoops of uni.

Even though my tongue didn’t trip all over itself with either of the dishes we had for lunch, for some reason I think I will go back to Blue Marlin. Maybe it’s the decor. Maybe it’s the entire page of their menu that’s dedicated to Jidori chicken. Maybe it’s the uber cute super round handwriting on the chalkboard. Maybe I’m just curious about “cheese hamburg steak� and “cream brulee.� LOL!

Blue Marlin Japanese Bistro
2121 Sawtelle Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90025
310.445.2522

By sarah (see more of her posts). You can find more of sarah's writing at her own website The Delicious Life