Moving to Los Angeles has sparked my interest in one new food: Sushi! I heard about the Asian fusion menu at Tengu, and it seemed like the perfect spot for Japanese. Plus, it’s named after the Japanese god of “mischief”, so I HAD to go. When haunting the streets near UCLA, Tengu in Westwood is a great place to go if you’re looking for a chic spot with good food. Check out the full experience after the jump…

Walking into the tall iron gates, the first thing I noticed was the decor. The main entryway leads you to what appears to be a stark front room separated from the main dining area. The lights are very low, but it’s easy to make out the black leather couches and gray walkway leading to the main area. On its busier nights, there seems to be plenty of room for lounging during your wait. Anyone interested in getting a drink can take a seat at the stocked bar while waiting for his table. Having a reservation is recommended because the place can get crowded. This particular Friday night wasn’t as busy as it could’ve been, but the tables were full and several people sat at the bar. As we were lead to our table that was beside the sushi bar, but also a tad too close to the kitchen, I noticed it was the house DJ spinning the melodic house and groove that I heard upon walking in. There was something very New York about this restaurant, and I was picking up on it more and more.

Every dinner is better with a drink, and that’s how it started out. Apparently the bar does not make the popular lychee martini circulating the drink scene, so there was an unsuccessful attempt to devise one out of Grey Goose and most likely a bit of lychee juice concentrate. It looked pretty, but it was not up to par. In fact, it was sent back, removed from the bill and replaced by a Grey Goose cosmo. We started the meal with miso soup and edamame, both of which were pleasing to the palate. Edamame is one of those dishes that may be hard to mess up, so this bowl of soybeans was just as crispy and salted as any other bowl I’ve ever had. The most interesting part about the miso soup was the mini smoke stack rising off the top layer, creating a thick wispy cloud above the bowl.

For our main meal, we each ordered something different. I went with the spicy scallop rolls and tuna rolls, while the grilled chicken teriyaki and shrimp tempura rolls were ordered by the rest. Our waiter, who was very nice but not quite cut out for the food service business, brought out the main dishes after about fifteen or twenty minutes. We sampled plates from the land and sea, and in my personal opinion, the best dishes on the table were the chicken and shrimp tempura. Although tasty, there was nothing remarkable about the tuna or scallop rolls. Looking at my plate, I realized that I wanted presentation and pizazz, which I was missing. The tempura and chicken teriyaki, on the other hand, had color schemes and architecture (in the sense of food that is) on top of the fact that they were both very good.

Because we were full, no after meal drinks or sweets were ordered. We asked for the check and left satisfied. Tengu is one of those places where you probably should go more than once to know if you truly love it or not. The rich decor is inviting, but the place isn’t so big that you feel like you’re in an upscale cafeteria. You can get a stiff drink at the bar or at your table and enjoy the sounds of the DJ. You can lounge in a private area with your party of ten or just with your date for the evening. The atmosphere is young and trendy without being too Hollywood and snobbish, which is most likely due to its proximity to a college campus. The prices are nothing out of the ordinary—expect to pay at least $30 if you want a cocktail with your meal. There are various specials that pop up on different nights, so find out what’s going before you go. If you’re a Happy Hour hound like myself, DEFINITELY check out their aptly named Hours of Mischief from 5:30 pm-7:30 pm Monday through Friday. Just imagine the trouble you could get into when sushi and kitchen appetizers are half off. Or go for Sake Sunday and shoot your way to a splendiferous night of half priced sake drinks. Just make sure that your mischievous ways don’t keep you from work the next day.

If all of that weren’t enough, the Santa Monica Tengu is not too far down the road. I’ll be there for a celebration hosted by LA.com, and I hope this will be my second opportunity to fall in love with Tengu.

Take a look at the www.losangelesrestaurants.com review along with a short menu listing HERE…