Travel by train in Japan (how could you not?), and you’ll find joy in the sight of the multicolored, elegantly decorated paper boxes sold by vendors at every station — an eternally varied culinary option called a bento box.
Bento boxes are ubiquitous all across Japan, and in Japanese restaurants here in Los Angeles, though the boxes tend to be lacquered wood, rather than colored paper. And, as you eat your rice with salad, and sushi, and perhaps some tempura or teriyaki, it might come as a surprise that the bento box dates back not centuries, but a full millennium, to the Kamakura Period when samurai warriors would carry rice in a bamboo box to eat between battles.
By the 16th century, the bamboo had been replaced with lacquer — and bento was served at tea parties and cherry blossom viewings in the spring. A century later, the boxes were made with compartments, and served during theater intermission. In the 1800s, the train station bento (ekiben) was introduced. In the early 1900s, the boxes began being made from aluminum. And these days, they’re found not only at train stations, but at convenience stores (including the remarkable Japanese version of 7-Eleven) all across the island.
They’re also available at the quietly understated Kaiyu Sushi (2.5 stars; 15333 Sherman Way, Van Nuys; 818-908-3368; www.kaiyusushi.com) as well, in a mini-mall at the busy intersection of Sherman Way and Sepulveda Boulevard in Van Nuys.
At Kaiyu, in the midst of 65 sushi rolls — some notably zany — there’s a page of bento boxes, the food served in bowls atop a wooden tray (both a reasonably priced option, and a fine way to eat a healthy meal). It’s a subtext of bento box dining. You’re going to get your miso soup, rice and salad, guaranteed.
Along with the soup, rice and salad, the choices are many. In one option, you can have two dishes, in the other three dishes, drawn from chicken (regular or spicy) teriyaki, beef teriyaki, salmon teriyaki, mixed tempura, crispy chicken karaage, spicy pork, gyoza and shumai dumplings, and six rolls — California, spicy tuna, crunch, cucumber, avocado and veggie. For $2 extra, you can have four pieces of nigiri sushi. For $3 extra, that becomes six pieces of sashimi — tuna, salmon and yellowtail.
Bento is a great lunch option, and a strikingly satisfying dinner option. But the lacquered, full-color menu is so jammed with dishes, a bento box can easily be just one part of the Kaiyu experience. Consider the tasty variety of the 19 choices of appetizers — many of which are very filling for appetizers. Especially the spicy bowl of Cajun fries, and the imposing plate of truffle parmesan fries; as the menu says, “rich and aromatic.”
The ika geso is a heap of crispy fried squid tentacles. The jalapeño poppers are stuffed with cream cheese and spicy tuna; it’s the tuna that makes them even vaguely Japanese. There are deep-fried chicken wings with sweet chili sauce and onion-flavored mayonnaise. Which is just good ol’ bar food. Served in a room that looks like it was imported from a Tokyo temple — lock, stock and barrel.
There’s a section of fried rice cakes, called a Crispy Rice Fiesta, with any of 18 toppings — running from spicy tuna and spicy yellowtail, to uni and avocado, to truffled scrambled eggs and Wagyu beef.
You can add cream cheese as a topping, too. Though why you’d want cream cheese atop your spicy scallops is beyond me. But perhaps it’s all part of the house’s penchant for mixing cuisines. As in the Peruvian style ceviche tostada … the mini ceviche tacos … the Wagyu asada … and the downright Cajun “Boiling Seafood” — in a garlic butter sauce with potatoes and corn.
There’s a page of nine carpaccio dishes as well. Which are partly Japanese, partly Italian and, in the case of the poke carpaccio, Hawaiian.
Even the sundry rolls are divided into an abundance of styles. The 21 house rolls come both cut and as hand rolls. The six No Rice Rolls include a sushi burrito … and the mysteriously named Ex Girlfriend Roll. Which consists of spicy crab, spicy tuna and avocado on the inside … and tuna, salmon, yellowtail, green onion and soy mustard on the outside. With nary a girlfriend in sight.
There are Fresh Rolls … Tempura Rolls … Baked Rolls … and One of a Kind Rolls with names like the Home Alone Roll, The Big Boss Roll … and the Truffle Ninja Roll.
Just to toss in another cuisine, there’s Thai iced tea. There’s 19th century Parisian art on a video screen. And a beckoning maneki-neko cat on a shelf. Endlessly waving greetings throughout the meal.
Merrill Shindler is a Los Angeles-based freelance dining critic. Email mreats@aol.com.
Kaiyu Sushi
- Rating: 2.5 stars
- Address: 15333 Sherman Way, Van Nuys
- Information: 818-908-3368; www.kaiyusushi.com
- Cuisine: In a plaza with many cuisines, this calming sushi bar (with some Latino touches) is a hotbed of many sushi rolls, much nigiri, lots of sashimi — and bento boxes that are a reasonably priced treat.
- When: Lunch and dinner, every day
- Details: Beer and sake; reservations helpful
- Cost: About $30 per person
- On the menu: 19 Appetizers ($5.95-$10.95), 7 “Kaiyu Signature” Dishes ($12.95-$34.95), 9 Carpaccio ($17.95-$32.95), 30 Nigiri Sushi ($2.25-$7.49), 30 Sashimi ($6.75-$22.45), 21 House Rolls ($5.95-$11.95), 6 “One of a Kind” Rolls ($17-$19), 6 No Rice Rolls ($15.95-$17.95), 13 “Fresh” Rolls ($13.95-$16.95), 11 Tempura Rolls ($13.95-$16.95), 8 Baked Rolls ($14.95-$15.95), 18 “Crispy Rice Fiesta” Dishes ($5.95-$13.95), 3 Sushi Combination Plates ($19.95-$48.95), 3 Sashimi Combination Plates ($33.95-$65.95), 8 Salads ($5.95-$22.45), 12 Noodle Bowls ($13.95-$17.45), 12 Entrées ($13.95-$36.95), Bento Boxes ($15.95-$18.95 for lunch; $18.95-$21.95 for dinner)
- Credit cards: MC, V
- What the stars mean: 4 (World class! Worth a trip from anywhere!), 3 (Most excellent, even exceptional. Worth a trip from anywhere in Southern California.), 2 (A good place to go for a meal. Worth a trip from anywhere in the neighborhood.) 1 (If you’re hungry, and it’s nearby, but don’t get stuck in traffic going.) 0 (Honestly, not worth writing about.)