Kusaki

Kusaki is a vegan sushi bar that looks somewhat out of place in its West LA strip mall (translation: it shares a wall with a 7-Eleven). The modern, dimly lit space gives off a general sense of serenity, and the food does a good job of pleasing both the plant-based and not-plant-based people in our lives. The vegetable dishes here are particularly tasty, like an avocado-topped crispy rice with tart ponzu sauce and a mushroom king roll with a sweet glaze best described as an eel sauce dupe. When it comes to the elephant in the room (the “fish”), though, it’s hit or miss. Every cut of tapioca-based “fish” has the right texture but lacks flavor. The salmon and seared tuna nigiri are the best cuts we had, but skip the sailfish crudo that tasted like plain rice paper.