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Once in a while, I get the hankering for some non-traditional Japanese. And of course by this I mean quirky rolls. You know, the ones with Philadelphia cream cheese, perhaps some garlic, or covered with some mayo-based sauce. Of course, when dining at such establishments, you probably aren’t going to be getting Nozawa or Urasawa type fish, but the novelty of being able to create your own rolls or trying what someone else made up is the draw of California Roll Factory.

Located on a mini-restaurant row stretch of Santa Monica Blvd., there is no fancy setup or decor. You could probably show up right after a hard work out and not feel out of place.Â

Upon first glance at the menu, one can be overwhelmed by the sheer volume of different rolls. Imagine how many combinations of shredded crab, soft-shell crab, shrimp tempura, and the various types of sushi fish you can make plus with all the extras that come with rolls. Depending on your preferences, some sound better than others.Â

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As for the taste, the rolls are quite good. The ingredients are fairly fresh and the presentation is interesting. The combinations worked pretty well in the rolls we tried. By far the best for me was “Da Bomb,” which is avacado, crab meat, and salmon tempura wrapped with sweet tofu skin. My only beef is that the rolls can be somewhat sloppily made resulting in them slightly falling apart when picked up.Â

What did surprise me was the size of the rolls and how quickly I became full. My girlfriend and I ordered four rolls and were absolutely stuffed. We were also quite hungry beforehand, which was even more amazing. The rolls averaged $8-10, which I consider a bargain for the size.

Afterwards, we realized that although the sheer size of the rolls is definitely a plus, it can also sour the experience. We grew tired of the taste of each roll after consuming eating the second massive piece. I’ve always felt that the greatest part of eating sushi is the ability to sample different types of seafood in a single meal. The concept of a roll is that one combines the different flavors and condenses the meal. I think that if we had had a group of four, whereby each person had one piece, I would have enjoyed the meal much more.

Nevertheless, the meal was a fun break from the traditional approach to sushi and given how busy the place usually is, I can safely bet that others feel the same as well.

California Roll Factory
11629 Santa Monica Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90025

By Jeff (see more of his posts).