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Years ago, I would get my udon fix at this Japanese place on the corner of Sawtelle and Olympic in West LA. The name of the restaurant used to confuse me. I could have sworn that it was Mishima, when in fact it was really Yashima. When I asked my dinner companions about this, they said Mishima means 3, and Yashima means 8. While that was a fun little fact, it didn’t help clear up how I could get the name of the restaurant so confused when the two names are so different. Turns out Yashima used to be part of the Mishima chain. Over the years, more and more Mishima chains have disappeared, but there’s one that is still around. As you can guess, the aptly named Mishima is located on 3rd Street, right across the street from the Beverly Center.

First of all, parking at this plaza is extremely tight. You’re much better off finding parking on one of the side streets. You may even wonder if Mishima is worth fighting through all this congestion. Many little Japanese joints serve sushi, bento meals, rice bowls, udon and soba combinations, etc. I continue to go to Mishima for one reason, and one reason only: inainiwa. Inainiwa is a finer version of udon. Instead of round, thick udon noodles, inainiwa is more delicate, but just as delicious. So far, the only other place I’ve been able to find that serves inainiwa is A Thousand Cranes at the New Otani Hotel in downtown, and that place charges almost $20 for exactly the same thing I get at Mishima for half the cost. As much as I love A Thousand Cranes, $20 for a bowl of noodles with some tempura is highway robbery.

The same order at Mishima, H-9 Tempura with Inainiwa, is only $9.25. (Of course, you can choose soba or udon instead, but since my entire purpose of going to Mishima is for the inainiwa, my choice was rather obvious.) The tempura, like most Japanese restaurants, is a combination of 2 shrimps with various vegetables. In my basket, I had eggplant, potato, carrot, cantaloupe, zuccini, and asparagus. The tempura batter was a bit too heavy for my liking, but at least it was nice and crispy. My main focus was the inainiwa, which was absolutely delightful. The soup was plain, served with scallions and one slice of fish cake, but I think some of the other noodle orders (such as Tori Toji With Cooked Chicken & Egg for $7.25) are much more flavorful. Since my dinner companion was a bit embarrassed by my food photo documentation, I only snapped this one quick picture. My apologies to you, my dear readers, for a lack of true inainiwa close up. Then again, this may be your incentive to go to Mishima for yourselves to give a bowl of inainiwa a chance.

For non-noodle fans, there are plenty of other items on the menu. First, I typically enjoy the tofu salad there. My dinner companion and I gobbled that plate up so fast that I didn’t even get a chance to take a picture. To make it up to you, I’ve included Mishima’s recipe for it below. Just click on “more.” Mishima also serves the standard sushi rolls (spicy tuna, California) and rice bowls. Rice bowls I’ve had at there and liked are the Una Don (Broiled Fresh Water Eel served over Rice $9.75) and Ten Toji Don (Shrimp Tempura & Egg cooked in a Special Sauce served over Rice $7.75). If you are both rice and noodle fans and can’t make up your mind, go for a rice and noodle combo. Problem is you have to be hungry because a combo meal is a lot of food.

I will probably get reprimanded by SoCalorie for this, but… I have yet to try the desserts at Mishima. As soon as you walk in, the first thing you see is the display counter filled with the desserts. I always mean to try a pyramid cake (Milk Chocolate Mousse with Walnut Praline $4.00) or a green tea cake (Green Tea Mousse with Tea Sponge Cake $3.95), but I’m usually way too full by the time I’m done with my meal. If anyone has tried the desserts here, let me know how they were.

Mishima
8474 West Third St., Suite 108
Los Angeles, CA 90048
323-782-0181

Tofu Salad (Small$3.50/Large $5.95)
Oil
2 Cups Rice Noodles, or Won Ton Skins thinly sliced
2 T. Sesame Seed Paste or Creamy Peanut Butter
2/3 C. Mayonnaise
1/4 C. Rice Vinegar
1/4 C. Sugar
2 T. Sesame Seasoning Mix (Mishima’s Goma-ae)
1 1/2 tsp. Grated Ginger Root
1 T. Soy Sauce
1 1/2 tsp. Sweet Rice Wine (Mirin)
1 T. water
1 (14oz.) pkg. Tofu
2 Japanese cucumbers
2 Tomatoes
Radish Sprouts
Dried Bonito Flakes
Dried Seaweed (Nori)

* Heat oil for deep frying and add won-ton strips or noodles. Fry briefly until golden brown. Immediately remove with slotted spoon and drain. Set aside.
* Blend together sesame seed paste, mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, seasoning mix, ginger root, soy sauce, rice wine and water. Mix well and set aside in refrigerator.
* Drain excess water from tofu and cut into cubes. Slice cucumbers and tomatoes thinly. Chop off root ends of sprouts and discard. Divide tofu, cucumbers and tomato slices among 6 to 8 plates. Garnish with sprouts, fried won-ton strips or noodles and bonito flakes. Chill. Pour dressing over flakes and sprinkles with minced dried nori.

Makes 6-8 servings.

By Pauline (see more of her posts).