THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Rika Restaurant-Diamond Lounge

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Rika Restaurant-Diamond Lounge Restaurant Review:

Consistent with this hip stretch of Sunset Boulevard, Rika's dining room---occupying a second floor perch in trendy Sunset Millennium Plaza---is sleek and stylish. The most notable feature amidst a nearly all-black setting is an eye-popping backlit onyx sushi bar. A patio overlooks the Sunset Strip and the adjacent Diamond Lounge is a brighter, futuristic space with a strong James Bond influence, including a sound track of classic 007 opening themes and some modern-day Bond girls behind a diamond-studded leather bar. Back in the dining room, sushi chefs Shigeru Kemi and Tracy Griffith (Melanie's sis) turn out both traditional and contemporary creations at rather high prices with mixed results. Among Griffith's progressive sushi is a 007 Roll with prosciutto, pear, endive and sweet Gorgonzola with fig-balsamic-soy sauce, while entrées from chef Hugues Quintard include caviar-topped monkfish with green tea soba noodles, tomatoes and mozzarella; Kobe beef sushi steak on a warm risotto cake; and Chilean sea bass in kuzu sauce topped with masago egg caviar. A decent list of sakés is available and hands-on owner Rika Horie makes a charming hostess.