Sushi Mon
Monday, July 31, 2006 8:54Sometimes you want traditional sushi — nigiri, sashimi and a sushi chef that will remove your pinkie finger if you ask for a California Roll. Sometimes you crave creative rolls, packed with different kinds of fish, maybe some tempura and yes, at times, artificial crab. Well, maybe you don’t, but I do.
Sushi Mon is just around the corner from the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica. The area isn’t necessarily known for it’s great food options, but when you’re down there for a movie, a bookstore or just to enjoy a night out walking around, you still have to eat.
We tried out Sushi Mon after they had moved into an old Shabu-Shabu place. Funny enough, they didn’t bother removing the control knobs for the gas burners, there is just a piece of tape over the knob and a small note saying “don’t touch”. Other than that, the space is pretty nice, big windows and high ceilings with minimalist design.
Although Sushi Mon isn’t the most traditional of sushi joints, they do serve some quality nigiri. The pieces are on the large side, which I don’t mind, but some people might. If you have a problem doing two bite sushi, you might look like a chipmunk putting the whole piece in your mouth.
A picture of one of the aforemention “creative rolls”. This one was tasty and packed with goodies. I actually can’t remember exactly which one this is, but you can scan the menu here and help me figure it out.
The prices are pretty standard, not cheap, not expensive. The quality is high, good fish, served fresh. This is a fusion style place though, not for snobby purists.
Sushi Mon
401 W Santa Monica Blvd,
Santa Monica 90401
At 4th St
Phone: 310-576-7011
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.
Vivian says:
July 31st, 2006 at 6:32 pm
A friend took me here a while ago (maybe 8 months ago) for lunch and I was a little sketched out by the Shabu Shabu turned Sushi place decor. From the look of the menu, I knew I shouldn’t expect classic sushi fare, so I ordered the 3rd Street Roll {baked scallop,rice cake, mushroom on CA roll). It was huge! I love baked scallops. I love mushrooms. I love CA rolls. So, it was an indulgence I subjected myself to.
The service was a little spotty … the waitress hardly came by at all. I haven’t gone back since my initial visit. The food is decent, but I only suggest Sushi Mon as a last resort for sushi around 3rd St Promenade.
Dan says:
February 15th, 2007 at 11:20 am
I eat here often for the quality and the price. The service, however, is among the worst in town in terms of waitstaff attention and also with regard to forgotten or imcompleted orders. Too many times I or another of my party have not received a part of their order until it was too late.
Being entirely Korean run, it is indeed not for purists. Luckily, the chefs are well trained and the food is tasty, thought the whole place could take a lesson on service; sorry but Japanese restauranteurs in my experience have never been this dozy.