Garrett SnyderLeading up to this year's Best of L.A. issue (due out Oct. 4), we'll be counting down, in no particular order, 100 of our favorite dishes.
46: Edomae Tendon Bowl at Hannosuke.
The saying goes that good tempura should last about as long as a snowball in August (or September, if you happen to be caught in a late-season heat wave). It should be eaten immediately, in other words, so as to preserve its crispy architecture before it starts to sink like soggy newspaper.
Before it closed early this past year (and was replaced by Ramen Hayatemaru), the best place for tempura in Los Angeles was Komatsu, which specialized in a tempura made to order at the bar, sizzling jagged-edged pieces of seafood spread onto sheets of parchment paper the moment that they rose from the fryer. There were even cute little bowls of sea salt flavored with matcha and yuzu to sprinkle on top of fried strips of cuttlefish or fat Japanese plums.
Since then, searching for a tempura specialist has been tough (though Torrance's I-naba isn't a bad substitute). Tempura is an art form — as much as you can call deep-frying anything an art form — that is overlooked in most restaurants.
But then comes Hannosuke, the new kid in the Mitsuwa Marketplace food court on Venice Blvd., which specializes in tendon (a portmanteau for tempura donburi, or tempura over rice). We might be getting that lovin' feeling once more.
Hannouke's tempura is fried to order in a big steel pan you can see through kitchen's bubble-shaped window. Fried eel, a soft-boiled egg, shrimp, sweet potato, nori, a shishito pepper, and a kakiage of shrimp and scallop all get a dip in batter and a swim in bubbling oil until they develop a beautifully golden and crunchy outer shell. Everything is piled onto a mound of rice drizzled with dashi, mirin, and soy sauce. The egg is pierced and the gooey yolk dribbles down over the rice. Just make sure to eat it quickly — which shouldn't be too difficult a task.
Check out the rest of our 100 of our favorite dishes. Suggestion? Write us a comment.
100: Lukshon's Dan Dan Noodles
99: Cemita de Milanesa at Cemitas Poblanos Elviritas #1
98: Chichen Itza's Cochinita Pibil
96: La Cevicheria's Bloody Clam Ceviche
94: Peruvian Chicken at Pollo a la Brasa
93: Squash Blossom Quesadilla at Antojitos Carmen
92: Thai Boat Noodles at Pa-Ord
90: Furikake Kettle Corn at A-Frame
89: Live Santa Barbara Spot Prawns at Providence
88: Fried Pig Tails at Night + Market
87: Egg Salad Sandwich at Euro Pane
85: Truffle Honey-Laced Fried Chicken at Manhattan Beach Post
84: Mool Naeng Myun at Yu Chic Naeng Myun
83: Chicken Vampiro at Mexicali Taco & Co
81: White Anchovy, Tomato and Fresno Chile Pizza at Pizzeria Mozza
80: Shu Mai at Elite Restaurant
79: Tandoori Chicken at Al-Watan
78: Chocolate Bread and Butter Pudding at The Hungry Cat
77: Agedashi Tofu at Izakaya Bincho
74: The Sea Urchin Tostada at La Guerrerense
73: Wood-Roasted English Peas at Tar & Roses
72: Persian Mulberries at Weiser Family Farms
71: Hunan-Style Preserved Pork with Tofu at Hunan Chilli King
70: Brisket Banh Mi at Gjelina Take Away
69: Yukhwe Bibimbap at Oo-Kook Korean BBQ
68: Lamb Pie at Beijing Pie House
67: Son of a Gun's Uni and Burrata
66: Pastrami Reuben at Art's Delicatessen
65: Beef Koobideh at Kabab Mahaleh
64: The Whipper Burger at Hawkins House of Burgers
63: Slippery Shrimp at Yang Chow
62: Whole Channel Island Red Sea Urchin at Water Grill
61: Going Dutch Panini at Bread Lounge
60: Huckleberry's Green Eggs & Ham
59: Pickled Watermelon Salad at L&E Oyster Bar
58: Spaghettini with Abalone, Pickled Cod Roe and Truffles at n/naka
57: Brown Brown Bread Ice Cream at Scoops Westside
56: Smothered Chicken at R and R Soul Food
53: The Sycamore Kitchen's Double BLT-A Sandwich
52: House Wonton Soup at China Café
51: Almond Croissant at Proof Bakery
50: The Southern Fry at Plan Check Kitchen + Bar
49: The Dodger Dog at Dodger Stadium
47: Lucky Baldwins' Traditional Full English Breakfast
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