Review: Kiwami in Studio City

Sushi star Katsuya Uechi takes a traditional approach at his new restaurant. For the ultimate, reserve a spot at his backroom omakase bar.

By S. Irene Virbila, Restaurant Critic March 4, 2009

I hear a shush, shush, shush sound and look up to see sushi chef Katsuya Uechi grating a piece of fresh wasabi root, bearing down with all his might. I catch my Japanese friend's eye. Any sushi chef who grates his own wasabi is serious about his ingredients. It's a small touch, but one that's telling.The 50-year-old chef is well-known for the trio of Katsuya by Starck restaurants that serve pretty but standard-issue sushi almost as an afterthought to the scene. But before he hooked up with Sam Nazarian and the SBE group or the prolific French designer Philippe Starck, he was sushi royalty in L.A., right along with Nobu Matsuhisa, Masa Takayama and Mr. Nozawa. Sushi lovers flocked to Uechi's Studio City restaurant Sushi Katsu-ya (note the hyphen, which is what distinguishes it from the trendy Katsuyas) for his fusion-influenced sushi dishes.

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