Sushi Koto

In this era of social media addiction, people tend to be “influenced” to visit restaurants rather than discovering them organically, and places without social media accounts become all but invisible without significant in-person word of mouth. That’s why our discovery of Sushi Koto felt so special: We randomly came across this thoroughly and traditionally Japanese restaurant while driving through its Fountain Valley neighborhood, then enjoyed memorable meals that still stand out locally.

Previously known as Sushi Mimi before changing its name to Sushi Koto in 2009, this restaurant has long been famous for its chirashi – sushi chef-curated and artistically presented predecessors to Hawaiian poke bowls, using a combination of premium ingredients assembled using more than ice cream scoops. Either nodding to trends or trying to keep itself in the discussion, Koto sells a poke bowl for $21.50, approximating $15 alternatives offered elsewhere. (Note that it doesn’t seem to need to lower its standards to keep seats filled; because of the excellence of its sushi, Koto is or was on the short list of local restaurants patronized by Shuhei Ohtani and his former interpreter, who apparently worked at the restaurant some time ago.)

There are at least 10 chirashi options here, including the deluxe Hakodate Don we ordered (shown above), which goes for $39.50 and includes Japanese scallops, toro fatty tuna, sweet shrimp, and multicolored roe, as well as other premium fish, plus a separate bowl of miso soup. We also ordered deep-fried oysters, a Japanese specialty, which were perfectly panko-crusted and crunchy outside, bursting with lightly briney flavor inside. But they weren’t necessary; nor was the (good) miso soup, or the Japanese citrus gelatin-red bean-matcha-cream dessert we finished with.