Diamond Bar Travel Guide

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The food is very good and the ambience is very nice. Mushu pork was delicious. The barbecue short ribs was a little too fatty for my taste but the flavors were good. Vegetable fried rice was very good. Garlic crusted halibut was not too garlicky. Salt crusted roast chicken was a little bland for me even with all that salt around it during cooking process. We also had chow mein that was very good.

Who would have thought that there's a great sushi place in a complex occupied with car tire shops, mexican & italian restaurant, and law offices. The restaurant is kinda tucked in a corner, but you can see the sign from the parking lot.

Once you get in, you'll feel like you're no longer in the US. You'll be greeted by Erico (the waitress) and I'd strongly suggest that you sit at the bar. The place is not big, but you can feel such a warm atmosphere there. You can see on the wall that they don't serve rainbow rolls, california rolls or any kind of teriyaki rice bowls. They only serve authentic Japanese sushi. Also you can see on the wall a sign that says "Take it easy. Trust me!" That's Hiro-san's (owner/chef) motto. I'd suggest you 'trust him' and let him work his magic. You won't be disappointed. His 'trust-me' menu would run about $40-$60 / person.

Hiro-san is very friendly. He laughs a lot, jokes with customers, and he knows his customers by name. You can tell that he has passion for what he does. He also hand picks the fish every morning too. Overall, this is a very good place to go to.

Favorite Dish: - Salmon sushi topped with sweet seaweed
- Blue crab handroll
- Uni (sea urchin)
- Anything else will be just as good :)

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Just down the street from my in-laws' (where we typically stay), this is a frequent haunt of my and Rita's families. Small menu but all the dishes are done very well. The thing I like about this place is that they have BBQ and tofu combos so I can get both in the same order! Their BBQ (kalbi, bulgogi, and chicken) are well-marinated and cooked to perfection (i.e., cooked but tender). The tofu comes out piping hot in stone bowls and are very flavorful. You choose the level of hotness: white, mild, medium, spicy, extra spicy. I have to say that medium is pretty pedestrian so if you like a kick to your food get the spicy or extra spicy. I had the kalbi/kimchi tofu combo. Many choices of tofu: clam, mushroom, kimchee, and others. And of course they serve the rice by scooping it out of a hot stone pot and serving it in metal bowls (I've never figured this out) and you can get the remaining crunchy bits of rice in the stone pot with hot tea poured over it to make a delicious rice soup. Mmmmm, just like when I was a kid!

Other dishes include the seafood scallion pancake (very tasty but their kochoojung sauce was more soy sauce than I prefer. My mom's kochoojung sauce is the best!), old style bulgogi, and BBQ only dishes, and knife cut noodles in broth. The old style bulgogi contains tender pieces of marinated pork in a heavy broth with cellophane noodles, onions, and cabbage. Very tasty. The knife cut noodles are homemade, thick, and wonderfully chewy. The chicken based broth is perfectly seasoned with minimal traces of fat.

Their pan chan (the small side dishes) are really good here including the small fried fish which you don't always see at other Korean restaurants. Plus the small sheets of seaweed lightly fried in sesame oil. Great for wrapping up your rice and eating. So good! And save room for dessert as there is a self-serve soft ice cream machine for all!

Favorite Dish: Kalbi, knife cut noodles in broth, kimchee tofu, seafood scallion pancake.

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I read about this place Chowhound and apparently it has at this out-of-the-way location for a while. Like say 24 years! What I can't believe is that we've never heard of it even though it's only 5 minutes from where my parents live!

There is a bar around the small sushi preparation area and approximately 8 tables in the small restaurant. A lot of the folks sitting at the bar were obviously regulars who not only knew the chef but also each other! The sign behind the sushi bar said it all: "We only serve traditional style sushi". A chalkboard lists the fish that the chef recommends for that day leading one to believe that these are the freshest and most interesting offerings.

Hands down some of the best sushi I've ever had. Probably the only sushi at Morimoto in Philly and Next Door Nobu in NYC rate at the same level among places I've previously eaten. The sashimi is fresh, fresh, FRESH! I mean melt in your mouth fresh! And they have fish I've never had before: butterfish (so tasty!) and New Zealand snapper (in season at the time). If you are a sushi-hound then I recommend getting the omakase which allows sushi chef Hiro Takemoto to decide what to make and provide for each course. The omakase isn't set so it can go for as many courses as you can stomach. So take your time and allow Chef Takemoto to do his thing. I had 5 courses which included 8 different types of nigiri sushi and all were excellent. The first course was a blue crab handroll, another first, which was simply wonderful. My tab (no alcohol although they do have beer and sake) came to about $40. Not bad!

Only sushi is served in the evenings. Ramen, tempura, teriyaki, and a few other dishes area available at lunch in addition to the wonderful sushi that Chef Takemoto goes out to purchase at least three times a week. And do introduce yourself and talk to the chef. He has a great sense of humor and personality. And check out the great website!

Favorite Dish: Nigiri sushi. Get the butterfish if it's available.