Dinner
Sushi On Brand - Brand New Find
This entry is dedicated to fans of Sushi Today. I was extremely depressed last year to find my favorite sushi restaurant closed permanently. Where was I going to go for my spicy seared albacore? Apparently, nowhere. I found a couple more sushi places that had this on their menu, but they just weren’t the same. They didn’t make it the way Kim makes it. Then I got a hot tip: Kim moved to Sushi On Brand.
Sushi On Brand is as the name says, on Brand Boulevard, across the street from Porto’s. There are, of course, non-sushi items on the menu (teriyaki and tempura), but it seems like almost everyone in the restaurant was eating sushi, whether they were sitting at a table or at the sushi bar. Upon entering Sushi On Brand, the first thing I did was spot Kim and sit myself right in front of him. First thing I ordered was - no surprise - the Spicy Seared Albacore Platter. For people who don’t enjoy hot dishes, note that this really isn’t a very spicy dish. There’s just a small kick in the sauce that is poured on top of the seared albacore, which is topped with some crispy red onions. If you still have doubts about the spiciness level, I’m sure that Kim (or any of the sushi chefs there) will be happy to make this dish without the kick for those with a sensitive palate.
Next up was another one of my favorites, the Spicy Rainbow Roll. My companion told me that on his last visit, he made the mistake of ordering the plain rainbow roll, and it wasn’t nearly as good as the one in this photo. The difference is in the sauce. I have no clue what Kim puts in the sauce, but I just know I love it. Each cut roll has two different types of fish, shrimp, green bean, avocado, and caviar. I might be missing some ingredients, but this is what I savored in each bite.
The special toro was quite good, but in all honesty, not that special. I truly feel that the way Kim makes the spicy seared albacore and spicy rainbow roll is unique to him. The special toro was very tender, but I don’t think it is very different from what you would find at any decent sushi restaurant. One thing that may be uncommon, however, is that Kim gave generous portions of toro for sushi. As you may see in the picture, there are a couple slices of toro per rice ball, and the toro even wraps underneath.
Another one of my favorites is Tempura Lobster Roll. I typically don’t order this at sushi joints, however, because I find most of them go way heavy on the tempura and are very stingy on the lobster. I can tell you that this wasn’t the case today. I loved tasting lobster in a lobster roll. Imagine that!
So a few side comments:
1) Parking is hard to find. There are spaces in front of the restaurant, but they are almost always full. Behind the restaurant, however, is a parking lot. It’s metered parking but you can park there for three hours, and it’s 50-cents per hour.
2) I usually include prices when I post an entry, but I have no clue what the prices are here. My friend was kind enough to treat me to this wonderful meal.
3) All of the sushi chefs at Sushi On Brand appear to be pretty good. If you want to specifically go on days when Kim is there to make his signature dishes, he’s there every day except for Thursdays and Sundays.
Sushi On Brand
308 N. Brand Blvd.
Glendale, CA 91203
(818) 241-0133
M-Th: 11:30am-10:30pm
F: 11:30am-11pm
Sat: 4pm-11pm
Sun: 4pm-9:30pm
By Pauline (see more of her posts).
Discussion
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That seared albacore looks amazing! I have had seared albacore with crispy onions at Katsuya, which is fantastic, but no spicy sauce. Also, the portion you show is much larger. This looks like a great place.
Great write up, Pauline! I really wanna go there TODAY!
Prices can be found on their link that you thoughtfully provided.
Sounds like another Americanized Sushi Joint! BLAH!
The seared albacore was great, but the portion really isn’t THAT much. I think it looks larger because of the crispy onions.
Glad there’s a menu on the site! :)
There are some Americanized sushi here, but they also have traditional, standard sushi and sashimi without any fanfare. I just chose not to order them because I knew which ones are more unique to the sushi chef I was ordering from. So, before you write this restaurant off as “BLAH,” give it a chance first. If you’ve tried it and hate it, then I’ll respect that opinion a lot more.
There’s street parking if you’re willing to walk 1-2 short blocks behind Brand blvd. (in other words, east of Brand).
You don’t need to feed the parking meters behind the building if you’re there after 6 p.m.
This place is not that expensive, though it’s not cheap. We ate there Tuesday and the bill came to a total of $50 for: 1 miso soup, 1 wakame salad, 1 seared tuna with japanese salsa, 1 ca roll,1 spicy tuna roll, 1 salmon skin roll, 1 large beer.
Being my hood, I’ve gotta throw in my two cents. I have sushi at least once a week. Of the sushi places on Brand Blvd. I have to recommend Ichiban. It’s my favorite of all the places. Sushi on Brand has been okay, but I personally Ichiban. It’s over by the movie theater by the spitting frog fountain. Its pretty cheap, and the service is great. Especially at the bar.
Ask for Jessie or Tony.