RESTAURANTS • First Person
About 10 minutes and one chawanmushi course in, sushi chef Nozomi Mori brought out a century-old ceramic plate with a live hairy crab perched on top. The eight of us dining at Mori Nozomi, her small studio-like space in Sawtelle that opened in March, oohed and ahhed with delight, as the chef laughed and explained that, yes, it came from Hokkaido.
The crab disappeared, and then came several kaiseki dishes: soft baby squid paired with unadorned fava beans, binchotan-grilled belt fish kissing a tiny branch of purple shiso flowers, and the first procession of nigiri. As Mori served piece after piece, she and her staff of three — all women, a striking rarity in high-end sushi restaurants — kept the conversation flowing, and our sake glasses full. The service was (as expected of an omakase of this caliber) polished, yet the atmosphere was astoundingly relaxed.
An hour after its debut, that crab returned — now, steamed — and Mori got to work breaking it down. She pulled off its legs, mixed up its roe, and delicately chopped off pieces of shell. Then, she composed my favorite nigiri of the night: just-cooked crab leg topped with fresh crab roe.
It would have made for a stunning finale, and yet... Our meal was far from over. Next, a cup of soup, rich, with a deep flavor befitting the two types of miso that went in it, followed by a perfect palette of Hokkaido uni, butter-tender Spanish mackerel. More crab, concentrated into stew and topped with shiso flower, uni, and caviar. Then, a steaming piece of utterly creamy eel, and finally, tamago, served hot. For dessert, two types of green tea — toasted and matcha — served alongside three ripe cherries from the farmers market and handmade wagashi filled with black sesame.
As we left, a fittingly warm touch: Mori handed us each a packet of Japanese black tea, each inscribed with a personalized thank you note, and all four women waved goodbye as we stepped out the front door. What a night. –Emily Wilson
→ Mori Nozomi (Sawtelle) • 11500 West Pico Blvd • Wed-Sat, single 7p service ($250 per) • Reserve.