Print
E-mail
Comment
Rate
Fall In Luv With Fish At I Luv Sushi
 |
| SMILES FOR SUSHI. The friendly and knowledgeable staff of I Luv Sushi, including (left to right) Bo, Jonathan, Ton and Ak, make it easy to enjoy fish. —Gazette photo by Maureen Vastardis |
By Larry Hill
Gazette Restaurant Writer
I Luv Sushi, 3215 Carson St., 421-8917.
• Hours: 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, noon to 9:30 p.m. Saturday and noon to 9 p.m. Sunday.
• Location: Located near the Lakewood Country Club on Carson midway between Lakewood and Long Beach Boulevard.
• Staff/Service: Staff is friendly and knowledgeable; service is amazingly fast.
• Food/Drinks: The menu has something for everyone, sushi lover or not. Like I Luv Sushi’s sister restaurant, Sushi Studio, the menu is very creative. For the non-sushi eaters there’s teriyaki, tonkatsu (pork cutlet) or tempura. For everyone else, choices include sashimi, sushi and some of the most creative rolls in Long Beach.
Rolls include the usual: Crunch, Caterpillar, Spicy, Volcano, Spider and California, many at $8 or less.
Then there are the weird and wonderful, and simply whackadelic rolls that just amaze.
Rolls like Yellow Submarine (vegetable tempura and mango), Monkey Roll (shrimp tempura and banana), Green Machine (fresh veggies and avocado), Sexy Girl (shrimp and jalapeno topped with mango), and In and Out (shrimp in rice topped with shrimp) are crazy and tempting at the same instant.
There are daily specials, rice bowls and appetizers to choose as well, and a decent saki selection and wines and beer for those who insist.
• Atmosphere: The dining room is bright, long and narrow like a city café. It is easy to sit and relax or blast in and out for a quick sushi selection at the sushi bar.
• The Taste: Jennifer and I stopped on Halloween. Everyone was dressed for the occasion, which just made the evening all that much more fun. We started with a simple appetizer: Summer Roll.
Shrimp tempura was wrapped in wonton skin with asparagus and cream cheese and deep-fried. It was very tasty.
Then we moved onto some rolls. I’ve been working my way back to sushi for some eight years now.
On a birthday that many years ago, my body thought I was trying to poison it with sushi, not the liter of tequila I’d drank. But slowly, I’ve been working my way back to fish. A roll here and there and some sushi from time to time has worked wonders in my recovery.
So I’m eating fish again.
We ordered a Crunchy roll, shrimp tempura, cream cheese, asparagus and tempura flakes. Jennifer loved this roll.
And a Sexy Girl, which was simply amazing — spicy and sweet with a beautiful presentation. Then came a Monkey Roll. I maybe certifiable like the time I had an Ice Cream Burger at Hamburger Henry’s so many years ago, but that Monkey Roll was astounding.
Shrimp tempura and a banana with a sweet sauce and crunchy coat combined to make a roll that was easily the strangest sushi roll I’ve ever sampled.
But it was wonderful; weird but wonderful.
We finished with Yellow Submarine and In and Out.
The Yellow Submarine is great for vegans and also beautiful. The In and Out is almost drab by comparison, but elegant in its simplicity. I Luv Sushi kicks butt and takes names. Jennifer and I loved its whimsical creativity, beautiful presentations, excellent preparation and friendly service.
I Luv Sushi is one of the best sushi eateries around. It reminds you that food can still be fun. That’s special.
Price: Lunch or dinner for two is $15 to $40+ with wine.
• Hours: 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, noon to 9:30 p.m. Saturday and noon to 9 p.m. Sunday.
• Location: Located near the Lakewood Country Club on Carson midway between Lakewood and Long Beach Boulevard.
• Staff/Service: Staff is friendly and knowledgeable; service is amazingly fast.
• Food/Drinks: The menu has something for everyone, sushi lover or not. Like I Luv Sushi’s sister restaurant, Sushi Studio, the menu is very creative. For the non-sushi eaters there’s teriyaki, tonkatsu (pork cutlet) or tempura. For everyone else, choices include sashimi, sushi and some of the most creative rolls in Long Beach.
Rolls include the usual: Crunch, Caterpillar, Spicy, Volcano, Spider and California, many at $8 or less.
Then there are the weird and wonderful, and simply whackadelic rolls that just amaze.
Rolls like Yellow Submarine (vegetable tempura and mango), Monkey Roll (shrimp tempura and banana), Green Machine (fresh veggies and avocado), Sexy Girl (shrimp and jalapeno topped with mango), and In and Out (shrimp in rice topped with shrimp) are crazy and tempting at the same instant.
There are daily specials, rice bowls and appetizers to choose as well, and a decent saki selection and wines and beer for those who insist.
• Atmosphere: The dining room is bright, long and narrow like a city café. It is easy to sit and relax or blast in and out for a quick sushi selection at the sushi bar.
• The Taste: Jennifer and I stopped on Halloween. Everyone was dressed for the occasion, which just made the evening all that much more fun. We started with a simple appetizer: Summer Roll.
Shrimp tempura was wrapped in wonton skin with asparagus and cream cheese and deep-fried. It was very tasty.
Then we moved onto some rolls. I’ve been working my way back to sushi for some eight years now.
On a birthday that many years ago, my body thought I was trying to poison it with sushi, not the liter of tequila I’d drank. But slowly, I’ve been working my way back to fish. A roll here and there and some sushi from time to time has worked wonders in my recovery.
So I’m eating fish again.
We ordered a Crunchy roll, shrimp tempura, cream cheese, asparagus and tempura flakes. Jennifer loved this roll.
And a Sexy Girl, which was simply amazing — spicy and sweet with a beautiful presentation. Then came a Monkey Roll. I maybe certifiable like the time I had an Ice Cream Burger at Hamburger Henry’s so many years ago, but that Monkey Roll was astounding.
Shrimp tempura and a banana with a sweet sauce and crunchy coat combined to make a roll that was easily the strangest sushi roll I’ve ever sampled.
But it was wonderful; weird but wonderful.
We finished with Yellow Submarine and In and Out.
The Yellow Submarine is great for vegans and also beautiful. The In and Out is almost drab by comparison, but elegant in its simplicity. I Luv Sushi kicks butt and takes names. Jennifer and I loved its whimsical creativity, beautiful presentations, excellent preparation and friendly service.
I Luv Sushi is one of the best sushi eateries around. It reminds you that food can still be fun. That’s special.
Price: Lunch or dinner for two is $15 to $40+ with wine.
