Maruhide Uni Club- Torrance, CA

Once again, we would like to apologize for our paucity of posts. Since our winter vacation in India, we’ve been busy with school and other activities.  Nonetheless, we want to assure that we have continued to eat delicious food (both homemade and otherwise), and have traveled all over.

To make up for this lack of diligence, we are going to catch up this summer- where we are planning on eating at various delicious places in Europe and California.  We are also planning to finish the posts we’ve already started.

For the first part of our summer, we have been staying with our grandparents in Southern California where Popo (our grandmother) makes a point of cooking us hearty and delicious meals nearly everyday.  Southern California is also known for its diversity of ethnic cuisines.  We have been enjoying quite a few delicacies, including fresh baked breads from 85 degrees C, shaved snow from Class 302, Indian food on Pioneer Boulevard, Beijing Duck from Sea Empress (in Gardena) and peruvian food from Inka Wasi.  While these places are all yummy, we want to draw your attention to a NEW place we’ve discovered:  Maruhide Uni Club.

Maruhide Uni Club was recommended to us by Doctor and Person (and Zander). (Thank you very much) Here is a link to the website: http://www.maruhide.us/

We were informed that Maruhide Uni Club used to be a site for fishermen to sell their uni.  Uni is a Japanese-style sea urchin delicacy with a melt-in-your-mouth quality that few other foods offer and is often offered in high-end sushi restaurants. As Karsen says, you either love it or like it (we are part of “love it”).

Recently, this place was converted into a restaurant (we think this choice has been beneficial – to both customers who have access to delicious meals and to the proprietor who seems to be profiting from a very crowded restaurant!).

We took Da E-Po, Popo, and Kung Kung with us, since we all know how much Popo loves uni. Every single item on the menu contains Uni – so for those of you who love Uni, this is your place!  Here is a link to the menu: http://www.maruhide.us/PDF/uniclub_menu_20130515.pdf

We arrived for lunch and with no reservations, there were no tables open.  The service staff were kind enough to offer us seats at the sushi bar.  This turned out to be advantageous for us-WE got to see the sushi chef/master at work!!!

As is most popular, all of us ordered different Uni-dons (or Uni served on a bed of rice with different cuts of sashimi).  Each of our orders comes with a salad and an uni soup. This is a picture of the salad:

Truth be told, the salad was quite mediocre.  Nonetheless, Karsen was so happy when the food came that his face looked like this-HILARIOUS!!!

When he figured out I was taking pictures, he finally gave in–hence his expression.

Next, we were served uni soup, which had seaweed and uni cooked in a flavorful broth. The yellowish thing inside the soup is that typical melt-in your-mouth uni.  The soup was definitely better than the salad.

For our appetizer, we shared uni croquettes (recommended by our server Yasu), which are the equivalent of cream puffs or scotch eggs (with UNI inside-DELICIOUS!!!) I have to say, that this was one of the highlights (the other being Karsen’s salmon roe, but we both agree on this one).

All of the Uni-dons were spectacular – and filling.  Karsen ordered the Uni Ikura Salmon Don which featured uni, salmon roe, salmon sashimi, and an uni egg omelet, all over sushi rice. Every order also came with wasabi and ginger and daikon. Karsen LOVES ginger!!! In fact, every time we go to a sushi restaurant, we all donate portions of our ginger to him.

Anya had the Uni Ika Salmon Don, since, unfortnately she does not like salmon eggs, much to Karsen’s and Popo’s displeasure. This dish had uni, squid, salmon, and uni egg omelet served over sushi rice.

 Mommy got Uni Club Don which has uni, tuna, salmon roe, salmon, scallop, yellowtail, and an uni egg omelet served over sushi rice. We decided to include her dish because it is their signature Uni-don!

Overall, while the salad and soup were relatively mediocre (similar to many other Japanese restaurants), the Uni-dons and the Uni croquette were AMAZING!!!  We would definitely go back – and as an FYI, you can also purchase Uni there to go!!

We rate this restaurant

a well-deserved

😀 😀 😀 😀 😀  5 Smiley faces!!!!

The service was great, the food excellent, and overall it was a great uni experience.  And how many uni experiences are available???  For Uni-lovers, this place is a go-to destination!!