A sense of restrained elegance threads itself throughout each meal at Mori Nozomi, the newest high-end sushi experience ($250) to occupy the West L.A. space that once housed now-closed Mori Sushi. Somewhat awkwardly located at the intersection of Pico, Gateway and Exposition Boulevards, the restaurant’s exterior has been given a fresh coat of white paint and Japanese-inspired landscaping, including a medium-sized bonsai tree. Inside, the minimalist dining room is largely unchanged aside from a stunning floral arrangement on a glass-and-concrete accent table set off from the eight-seat sushi bar. It’s a familiar enough scene for anyone well-acquainted with L.A. omakase joints, save for one immediately noticeable fact: Head chef Nozomi Mori is female, and so is the rest of her small staff.
Having tried 48 different omakases in Los Angeles, plus the city’s high-profile kaiseki restaurants, I can count on one hand how many times I’ve been handed a piece of nigiri made by a woman. The predominantly male world of highly skilled sushi chefs, or itamae, has long discriminated against women for myriad reasons, including a widely held false belief that the average female core body temperature adversely affects how women handle raw fish. Of course, like all aspects of patriarchy, this idea is utter nonsense, but the end result remains—walking out of my first visit to Mori Nozomi earlier this spring, I was struck by how refreshingly different the high-end sushi experience felt for me when everyone involved in creating it is female. Grace and thoughtfulness permeated every aspect of the experience, and the overall effect is not dissimilar to my experiences at Niki Nakayama’s two Michelin-starred n/naka, which happens to be the best restaurant in Los Angeles, if you’re asking me.
From a purely technical perspective, Mori is operating at or near the highest level of L.A. omakases. She takes pride in sourcing beautiful gold-lacquered ceramics—serving vessels being a key element of both high-end sushi and kaiseki—and across both my meals, not a single course missed its mark. In terms of sushi rice, Mori tends to lean closer to slightly firm in texture and close to room temperature. Firefly squid, a seasonal mainstay of high-end sushi, arrived perfectly grilled over binchotan charcoal. Live hairy crab is presented with the necessary fanfare (I even saw a little bubble of seawater burst from one’s mouth!), and so is the official paperwork for a bluefin tuna sale from Tokyo’s Tsukiji Market. I’ve seen all of these performative status-signaling aspects of omakase before and more, but Mori also serves a handful of more unique cuts, including a piece of thinly sliced pen shell clam wrapped in nori that’s absolutely spectacular. Her Osaka-style tamago, served piping hot, is also a welcome change of pace from the sweeter, more cake-like Tokyo-style pieces more commonly found around town.
But is there a good reason to choose Mori Nozomi over the others? Absolutely. Unlike most other omakase experiences, Mori serves delicate hand-shaped wagashi (a category of Japanese sweets, of which mochi is just one kind) and ceremonial-grade matcha at the end of every meal. As first reported by Eater, she integrates elements of traditional Japanese tea ceremony into the high-end omakase experience. The team’s level of thoughtfulness is unparalleled; on my second visit in mid-June, Mori swapped out my grilled tilefish course for barracuda, since she had noticed I had already tried this course on my first visit two months earlier. For those who appreciate artisanal tea and anyone avoiding alcohol, there’s a $55 five-tea pairing made with premium varieties imported from Japan. Brewed directly in front of you and served out of glassware, the tea pairing option strikes me as more of a non-alcoholic pairing than traditional tea ceremony, though the high-quality teas, served both iced and hot, speak for themselves.
Despite the chef’s relatively young age and her having less than a decade of formal training (Mori has also worked at West Hollywood’s Sushi Ginza Onodera and Moto Azabu in Marina del Rey), I would say Mori Nozomi already holds its own against other standard-bearing edomae-style sushi spots like Morihiro and Sushi Kaneyoshi. Right now, there is simply nothing else like this in Los Angeles, and not only because the chef is a woman.
The vibe: Minimalist and elegant, but feel free to come casually dressed—this is the Westside, and rich people often dress like slobs.
The food: 15 to 17 unique courses including appetizers, cooked seafood and nigiri, plus seasonal fruit and Mori’s subtly sweet handmade wagashi.
The drink: A high-end sake bottle list, plus a more limited selection of sake by the glass, hot green tea, as well a $55 tea pairing.
Time Out tip: Have a particular date in mind? Set your alarm—Tock reservations for Mori Nozomi are released at midnight on a 30-day rolling basis.