This new restaurant is serving the best takeout sushi in Los Angeles

So much grab-and-go sushi has an instantly recognizable stench. A sharp, sweet, slightly sulfurous aroma that involuntarily wrinkles the nose. It’s the same scent regardless of the contents in your plastic clamshell. If swiped from a refrigerated case, the California roll and the pieces of rubbery nigiri all smell the same. Even the stuff from the best Japanese markets (and a few chain sushi restaurants) will supply that familiar whiff to varying degrees.

I braced myself for the smell when I walked into the new Tiger’s Den, a Japanese market and restaurant that opened in the center of Koreatown in May. Behind a long counter, a cluster of chefs slice fish for nigiri, and splay more tiles of tuna and salmon over boxes of sushi rice for chirashi. As soon as a roll or row of sushi is formed or cut, it’s packaged and placed in an open refrigerated case near the register.

You jockey for position with other people in line to peruse the minute’s selection. The last time I was in, the four people in front of me demolished the case. But a few minutes later, there was more.

The chefs make sushi throughout the day, and the assortment varies. There might be futomaki, delightfully oversized rolls of crisp, lightly pickled vegetables, tuna and salmon. Or slices of torched salmon over sushi rice. What you won’t find is that familiar takeout sushi smell.

“We use Nishiki premium rice and we control it at every step,” says owner Sam Koo, a veteran chef who opened his first sushi restaurant more than two decades ago. “That’s why the shari doesn’t have that smell,” referring to the seasoned, vinegared rice that forms the foundation of sushi.

Koo’s team has decades of experience making sushi, with the greenest employee boasting 15 years behind a sushi counter. The nigiri mirror the meticulousness found at some of the city’s most lauded restaurants. Pieces of fish are hand sliced to the ideal thickness and length, and beautifully adorned with garnishes that dazzle the eye and strategically heighten every bite. A tiny heap of yuzu and black salt sits atop each piece of sweet shrimp. Hot, sharp yuzu kosho is dotted over tender octopus.

The shari is balanced, lightly sweet and subtly salty with a savoriness that enhances whatever fish is draped over its surface. And the quick turnover ensures that the rice’s temperature never dips too chilly. It keeps its texture, squeezed between fish and nori in the maki, with grains that don’t clump together or mush.

Otoro with caviar from Tiger’s Den in Koreatown.

(Jenn Harris / Los Angeles Times)

You could view the sushi case at Tiger’s Den as a meditation on the omakase format, with Koo’s history and tastes revealed through the selection on the shelves. There is no spicy tuna roll, because Koo doesn’t eat them. He sources his fish daily from two local wholesale seafood distributors, filling the case with whatever is freshest, and his favorite.

A negihama roll brims with chopped yellowtail studded with scallions, and enough fish to nearly obscure the rice. Fatty tuna collapses on the tongue, with salty pops of caviar and green onion. Lightly torched salmon belly is slightly smokey and ultra buttery.

The chef’s special chirashi boxes are striking, opulent collections of the day’s bounty. Recently a box showcased sweet, custardy amaebi, salmon belly, chum ikura, uni, toro, Hokkaido hotate, octopus and kizami wasabi adorned with various flowers and pickles.

The casual setup and price points at Tiger’s Den swing the sushi pendulum away from ultra luxury and back toward its origins in Japan as a quick, working-class meal. I shy away from using the word “affordable” when evaluating the price of any meal out, because it’s relative. Instead, I will say that the pricing feels just. The chirashi boxes range from $23 to $55, while the rolls start at $5.

Hidden at the back of the dining room, along the wall of Japanese pantry products and behind a display of snacks is a narrow display of bento. Here, you’ll find musubi filled with squares of Spam and fluffy tamago, and golden nuggets of karaage that taste of ginger and soy under an uber crunchy coating. Or grilled mackerel, eel and salmon over rice with tsukemono, and caramelized yellowtail and salmon collars. Everything is priced between $4 and $11.

A combination nigiri and maki box from Tiger’s Den in Koreatown.

(Jenn Harris / Los Angeles Times)

“It’s important to sell good quality stuff for a good price,” says Koo, who decided to lean into the hybrid restaurant and market model after closing all five of his former restaurants during the pandemic. “Most people are having a hard time surviving right now. I’m trying to keep lower prices so more customers can come and try my food.”

Koo credits his good vendor relationships with helping him control expenses. He also refuses to spend any money on advertising or marketing.

“A lot of my friends who own restaurants told me that you need to court influencers,” he says. “But if the food is good and reasonably priced, then someone coming will tell their family and friends.”

Consider this me telling my family and friends.