"Mori Sushi provides a quiet, intimate atmosphere for a serious dive into omakase nigiri. However, it suffers from a bloated price tag, lackluster ambiance, and lack of a wow factor compared to other Michelin star sushi establishments. Getting reservations here is also needlessly difficult vs. all other restaurants which have moved to Tock. This review is mostly comparing Mori Sushi's $280/person omakase with other comparable restaurants that we've visited such as n/naka $250/person kaiseki, Michelin 2 star), Sushi I NABA $180/person, Michelin 1 star, Manhattan Beach), Hidden Fish $100/person omakase 18 piece, Michelin Guide, San Diego), Sushi Tadokoro Michelin 1 star, San Diego) as well as places outside Southern California like Sushi Yasuda Michelin 1 star NYC and Tokyo) and Sushi Taro Michelin 1 star, Washington DC). Highlights: 1) Intimate atmosphere When we visited, we were the only two patrons in the establishment. They require showing proof of COVID 19 vaccine, but I did not realize that you would have the entire restaurant to yourself. It's very quiet and peaceful inside, but it also felt a bit dead. 2) Kaiseki second course Chef Maru's kaiseki second course left quite the impression. Not only was it a work of art, but each item was excellent. The box crab was lovely, the smoked abalone was intense and maybe needed something to counteract the dryness. The abalone liver was exquisite. Smoked toro and smoked root vegetables were also outstanding. 3) Nigiri quality Each piece that we tried was truly exquisite. The octopus, for example, was a lovely texture and tasted silky soft instead of chewy rubbery. The pickling on the saba was muted/nuanced and didn't taste vinegary. The ocean trout with a bit of torching was sublime. The quality alone was top tier. 4) Smoked items Maru's smoked items are stellar. Each one we tried which he had smoked I believe over applewood chips was just incredible. We had smoked toro, smoked vegetables, smoked abalone, and more that really had a deep flavor that left a big impression. Needing Improvement: 1) Making reservations Instead of using Tock, Mori Sushi requires you to call and leave a message with your party details and dates and your phone number. They will then text you back if there is space available. You give them all of your details including your credit card over text message, which didn't feel quite so secure. After no response after 24 hours, I texted back to ask whether my reservation was confirmed or not. It was confirmed, but in the meantime, I had assumed I had no reservation. I had not received a reply! 2) Price Tag Compared to the comparable establishments I listed above, Mori Sushi is more expensive than its competitors at this haute cuisine level. For example, Hidden Fish in San Diego does a similar quality 18 course omakase for $100/person a steal by comparison! I've listed out other comparable restaurants at the beginning of my review, and Mori Sushi is simply overpriced for what you get. 3) Ambiance Though we had the establishment to ourselves, the interior is a bit outdated and didn't seem to me like such a well regarded establishment walking in there. For example, n/naka has a very romantic atmosphere and beautiful partitions. Sushi I NABA is set up like a cooking class where you gather around a U shaped bar and watch the master in action. It's way more fun at I NABA. 4) Wow Factor Besides the kaiseki second course and the smoked items, Mori Sushi didn't have too many things that blew me away. Most of the fish I had tried before at similar quality. Only a few had a house preparation that was truly novel."
