With several decades of cooking in well-known Los Angeles kitchens under his belt, Hideo Yamashiro opened Orris in 2004, bringing his characteristic ingredient-perfectionism to a casual, pub-like atmosphere. The native Japanese chef earned his reputation as supreme sultan of Angeleno-Asian cuisine with his mastery of catfish, but his vibrant and casual Sawtelle spot steers clear from past certainties for a more daring menu of cosmopolitan scale. Rooted in Franco-Japanese tradition with global ambitions, dishes show no borders, as one late winter menu proves with choices as varied as sashimi salad with passion fruit dressing, shrimp mousse ravioli with shiitake mushroom sauce, and lamb loin carpaccio. The idea is to share several small plates, but many find it difficult to hand over the last plump scallop in garlic butter sauce. The final sip of perfectly paired sake or wine may prove the perfect ending. Beer, wine and sake available. Serving dinner Tue–Sun. Closed Mon.
Where the Locals Eat Rating
Best Asian Fusion
Top 100 Restaurant, Los Angeles
"Yamashiro ... has a new inside-outside spot with small tables, small plates, and a sushi bar where a chef with a backward baseball cap might be sipping beer between slices."
—Los Angeles magazine
"Hideo Yamashio is one of the deans of Asian fusion. His casual ... Orris ... is akin to an izakaya, or Japanese pub, serving small plates to nibble on while drinking sake, beer, or wine. ...Yamashiro's art lies in pristine ingredients and precise cooking."
—Gourmet magazine
"Orris is the great marriage between California casual and the Japanese izakaya, a great place to drop in for a beaker of daiginjo sake and a plate or two of smoked scallops garnished with salmon roe, seared tuna with sweet onion marmalade, or even what amounts to lamb sashimi."
– Jonathan Gold, Los Angeles Weekly
"You can see the spring in Shiro's step. Though he's still playing it a bit safe, it's a good kind of safe, with appealing, crisply executed dishes at reasonable prices. ... I can't help but think that ... Shiro is going to burst out with more wild and crazy dishes that he's been itching to cook for years."
—Los Angeles Times
How others rate Orris
Zagat 2009
26 food rating (extraordinary to perfection)
Los Angeles Times
** (very good)
LA Weekly
Jonathan Gold's 99 Essential LA Restaurants, 2009