Sushi Murasaki, Come for the Food, Not the Chit Chat with the Sushi Chefs

If Murasaki had been located in Los Angeles, Chefs Dai and Tomu’san would have a lot more clout with the ladies as Z-list celebrities

Places like Sushi Gen in DTLA’s Little Tokyo always gets over hyped because of all the sheeple in L.A. hyping it up as “the best place ever (I’ve been there, and if you haven’t, it’s because I’m cooler than you)” mentality. If you don’t buy into unjustified hype, it’s because you’re one cool MOFO.

If you have seen or have not seen my top sushi bars in Orange County, Murasaki is on this list for good reason (the examples below back that up).

Most kitchen menus at most sushi restaurants are an afterthought, but at Murasaki they put the vast majority of Japanese restaurants in Orange County to shame.

Each item here has more effort put into it than the effort I put into deciding what to eat for lunch which by the way, I put in a ton of effort into deciding. The amount of effort than can take upwards of two hours checking reviews, number of stars, reading who is making the comments, you know, the standard procedure (I can’t risk having a bad meal).

What do you get for $15 at Murasaki, a lamb chop spread, that’s what.

Yea, $15.

I don’t care what it is, Murasaki always kills it with their preparation.

My Russian friend and Eastern Europeans would feel at home with this dish.

They don’t even slack when it comes to a salad.

BTW, if you have seen other posts, this one may look differently because I’m struggling on using the new editor to create these pages.

They of course have the typical chicken or beef teriyaki combo’s, but I’m including these lunch special shots because it shows Murasaki’s range (I also met my ex here when I asked her what kind of fish this was).

The teriyaki chicken and beef combos are very commonplace with Japanese restaurants in the U.S., but at Manpuku, even their teriyaki combo’s are better than the vast majority of restaurants out there charging a whole lot more.

More food groups here than a diet of chicken fingers and fries

A balanced meal that doesn’t include a bottomless bucket of fries.

The sushi bar with their Grimace hide chairs. No wonder I don’t see him anymore with Ronald.

I’m just going to let the pictures speak for themselves.

This is the last pic of the most recent visit which I don’t think was up to par as below.

The shots from here on out are from my iPhone, lets see how many I can name (keep in mind I’m a C- student, this one is aji btw).

*Hirame* (halibut) makes me think “that’s hella’va butt”

Not 1 pic, but two….or three pics of kanpachi

*Daikon oroshi* (grated radish with on top)

TIP: Leave the plastic in the wallet and try to pay with cash because they will give you a small discount if you do.

Snow crab grilled in its shell with crab miso paste, mushrooms, greens and topped with tobiko caviar. Image courtesy of Sushi Murasaki.

Pros

The best Japanese restaurant in Orange County (and beyond) not only for their sushi, but also for the kitchen menu. One such kitchen item is the “grilled snow crab grilled in the shell w/crab miso, bok choy, and mushrooms for $14.5. Pricing overall is very affordable with omakase starting at only $50!

Cons

Trying to come here for lunch on a Monday, the day they’re closed.

The best in Orange County

My top 10 Authentic Japanese Orange County Sushi Bar list

Sushi Murasaki

2901 W MacArthur Blvd #108
Santa Ana, CA 92704
(714) 241-1000
www.sushi-murasaki.com

Mon	Tue	Wed	Thurs	Fri	Sat	Sun
Closed	11:30-2:00pm 6:00-9:30pm	11:30-2:00pm 6:00-9:30pm	11:30-2:00pm 6:00-9:30pm	11:30-2:00pm, 5:30-10pm	11:30-2:00pm, 5:30-10pm	5:30-9pm