Sushi Noguchi Awards

Sushi Noguchi Restaurant Review:

From the outside, this Yorba Linda restaurant looks like a typical strip-mall sushi venue. The perception changes the moment you enter, as the interior of light woods, flourishes of orchids and family photos strewn about creates a genuine ambience. It also provides the backdrop for the warm hospitality that owner Jun Noguchi provides each customer as they arrive, or when they seek her guidance in choosing from the solid list of sakés. Her husband, Hiro, mans the pristine sushi bar, which is stocked with fresh seafood that he personally and carefully hand-picks to craft a menu built from ingredients at peak flavor and seasonality. While guests can belly up to the bar and select from an ever-evolving array, we recommend ordering omakase-style, sitting back and watching Hiro present morsels with flavors that don’t need to be masked in heavy soy or wasabi. Chief among these are the delicate uni served in a sea urchin shell, fatty salmon belly and the indulgent monkfish liver. Sushi Noguchi also offers Japanese tapas and entrées that are prepared with just as much care, such as wasabi-marinated octopus, grilled amberjack collar and Grade A5 Wagyu beef accompanied by yellow mustard. Be sure to save room for the delicate, creamy mille crêpe cake at meal’s end.