Sushi Academy Sushi Bar
Thursday, May 4, 2006 8:02Driving by the California Sushi Academy yesterday, I noticed their banner outside advertising a student sushi bar. $2.00 for two pieces of sushi. I’m curious, is it good? What is the quality of the fish? I’m in the camp that thinks that half price or discount sushi is never a “deal”. They say:
Our chefs in training will stand behind the counter to serve customers their sushi! Come and enjoy their creations for great special “student� pricing! Please check us back for details! M-F, 12:00pm to 3:00pm.
I’m willing to get a student haircut. I’m willing to have a bartender in training mix me a coctail. Am I willing to put raw fish in my mouth served by a trainee? Probably. I’ll give it a try and report back. If anyone else has tried it, let us know.
CALIFORNIA SUSHI ACADEMY
4509 Centinela Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90066
By Jonah (see more of his posts). Jonah is the founder of la.foodblogging and also created Digesty, a food blog aggregator and Cheww.com, a spam free foodblog search engine.
sneakypeteiii says:
May 4th, 2006 at 8:49 am
Seems like the most concerning part would be the initial selection of fresh fish, which I assume the academy would have under control. After that it’s mainly knife skills, no? I’d do $1 a piece any day in that case.
Jonah says:
May 4th, 2006 at 9:03 am
I agree sneakypete, it’s not really a risk and what’s the worst that can happen? Your fish is cut a little too thin?
I would be interested to listen in on any instruction the students get too!
Sam says:
June 4th, 2006 at 4:03 pm
My girlfriend went a month ago. I keep telling her to remember that they’re students, took almost 10 minutes for a roll and another 15 minutes for two orders of nigiri sushi. I hope this student wasn’t the top of the class or he/she will be out of a job.
Mali says:
September 27th, 2006 at 11:35 am
I went to the CSA… actually took the class.. the fish isnt the BEST ..but it is GOOD.. fish is fresh.. and also be patience.. this is actually a class Internship.. so they are trying hard to make the rolls and sushi as quickly as they can !!!
BaddAss MisterJ says:
October 9th, 2006 at 10:52 pm
I’m a graduate of the California Sushi Academy. But I was from the very last class from the Hama Hermosa location. This new location in “Hama Cafe” is a tiny location compared to the last school in Hermosa Beach. There is only enough room for 3 chefs at the bar. The rice is superb cause the seasoning (Sarizu) is NOT the boxed “Mizkan” vinegar seasoning most restaurants use. Their fish IS the best quality you can get — Think about it people, Hama Cafe is an “Omakse” restaurant that you can’t just come and sit at the bar, you need a reservation or else you wait 2 hours or more to get served by Toshi Segiura (Considered to be the best sushi chef in L.A.) — so they use the same fish. (Hama Cafe is open in the evening) So you are paying an 1/4 of what you would pay for at most restaurants. The best time for the freshest fish delivered by the fish mart is Mon, Tues, Wed. The rest of the time you are chancing it. Also depending on when you go, you can be at the start of the class or the end of their session. Its a 3 month program, so if you go on their final session, that is when they are at their best. So ask the students how far along they are and when their final week of serving is, so you can see improvement.
Since graduating, I worked for Shinatro (formerly Yamakasa) in Hollywood, Seki-Shi in Century City Westfield Mall, and Sushi Hiroba in Hollywood near Melrose. Also sometimes outsourced by Wolfgang Puck for his Academy Awards Governor’s Ball Party.
California Sushi Academy is a great school to learn how to do sushi for the Restaurant Industry.
If you think you know Sushi, take a One Day class at the Sushi Academy! It will change your view on sushi and make you more aware on what to look for http://www.sushi-academy.com
sensei retired says:
January 21st, 2008 at 10:21 pm
the school is great fish is fresh, the concept of the school is an excellent idea. allows hose to actually have a real chance to achieve somthing they would not be able to do anywhere. The biggest down fall for the school is the (owner) Toshi…he is simply intrested in $$$$ the students are not his main focus. I would feel those who wished to or dream of becomming a sushi chef, they should approach a sushi bar speak with the owner / head chef tell them you want to work & learn. Not only will you learn but you will even get paid (possibly not much at first). this is far better than giving up 6000 dollars to go to CSA.