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more japanese vegan goodness at shojin + DYNAMITE!
29August 26th, 2010LA restaurants, shojinoh shojin, i love you to bits! but who doesn’t?! i think we all can agree that the modest restaurant located in the little tokyo shopping center in downtown LA is one of the best vegan places to eat in this city, with its constantly changing menu and always inventive japanese cuisine.
i hit up shojin recently with some friends, and as usual, the food was delicious. but i’m not here to tell you ONLY STUFF that you already know, i’ve also got news that shojin has added a new sushi roll to their regular menu. but more on that later, first let’s talk about our dinner!
spicy rock shiitake tempura: tempura shiitake mushrooms tossed in spicy wasabi mayonnaise. $6.95
we started with an order of the spicy rock shiitake tempura as an appetizer, because everyone is kind of obsessed with this dish…and you will be too once you try it. the small plate comes loaded up with little nuggets of breaded and fried mushrooms, all soaked in a scarily good spicy mayo-style sauce. holy shit guys, it’s unreal. no joke, everyone i know who has tried these has proclaimed them to be the “best mushrooms ever,” and i’m no different. there’s something about the crispy shell and the creamy mayo that makes these babies irresistible. trust me! order ’em!
spicy seitan bbq roll. $7.50 shiitake & avocado roll. $5.95
next, of course we got some sushi plates. shojin has by far the best vegan sushi in los angeles, and no visit to the restaurant is complete without a roll or two. pictured above are the shiitake avocado roll, as well as the spicy seitan bbq roll. the shiitake avocado is as you’d expect: rice tightly wrapped around big hunks of cool avocado and sliced mushrooms. what makes it special is the delicious marinade they soak the mushrooms in, as well as the added kombu cooked in soy sauce. the spicy seitan bbq roll is even better—shojin’s homemade wheat meat along with greens and kaiware sprouts mixed with spicy soy sauce and vegan mayo. i die!
clear shio ramen: simple, delicate and profound. sea salted. sweet vegetables, baby bok choy and mushrooms. $10.95
for my entree, i went with the clear shio ramen. the menu describes it as “simple, delicate and profound,” which is pretty accurate. in fact, this dish was a little too simple for my palate. the vegetables were fresh (i loved the kale!), and the noodles were spot on, i just found the broth to be a tad too basic for my taste. i chalk it up to a bad ordering decision—i should have gone with the “hot and spicy ramen” or the “creamy sesame ramen”, both of which sound divine. next time!
so, let’s talk about that sushi roll i mentioned earlier in the post. according to their twitter page, shojin recently added the MOTHER FUCKING DYNAMITE ROLL TO THEIR MENU! pay attention!
this roll started out as a special for shojin’s weekly sushi nights, and when i tried it, i was instantly smitten. it’s spicy mock tuna mixed with avocado, then wrapped in rice and topped with spicy mayo and green onion. seriously dude, seriously, the BEST VEGAN SUSHI I HAVE EVER HAD. i was ecstatic when i saw that shojin added this to the regular menu. so please, please, PLEASE go eat it and help keep it around. i’d hate to see this item axed due to low demand.
that’s about it, kids. in closing: shojin still rules as one of the best restaurants in LA. always order the spicy rock shiitake tempura, fill up on sushi, and get adventurous with your ramen choice. oh yeah, and THE DYNAMITE ROLL IS AVAILABLE. i’m done.
shojin
333 S. Alameda St. Suite 310
(Little Tokyo Shopping Center 3F)
Los Angeles, CA 90013
Tel: 213-617-0305Monday, Tuesday
Tags: downtown la, dtla, japanese, mushrooms, noodles, sushi
5:30pm – 10:00pm
Wednesday, Thursday
11:30am – 2:30pm,
5:30pm – 10:00pm
Friday
11:30am – 2:30pm
5:30pm – 10:30pm
Saturday,
12:00pm – 10:30pm
Sunday, Holidays
12:00pm – 10:00pm
26 responses to “more japanese vegan goodness at shojin + DYNAMITE!” 
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those mushrooms are clearly a gift from the heavens.
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Holy hell. Those mushrooms & those sushi rolls look INSANELY GOOD. Must plan trip to LA immediately.
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I’ve never had the mushrooms. I’ll have to check it out soon.
The dynamite roll however, it’s the first thing I order everytime I go. Hands down best vegan friendly sushi roll I’ve ever tasted!!! -
my gf and i both get an order of the mushrooms when we go bc we’re greedy and won’t share this amazing dish with each other 😉
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I think someone needs to take me here and order for me. I’m never that stoked on it.
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I agree with the statements about the ramen. Shojin is one of the best restaurants around, but that ramen is kind of bland.
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Whitesnake August 26th, 2010 at 17:22
My partner won’t go with til they serve booze and I’m just dyi’n to go. Any updates on that yet? Heard it will be any day now.
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Hey Rich, you fucking ass wipe: Why don’t you read the post before you comment? Idiot. QG rips on the ramen.
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delisalad August 26th, 2010 at 17:30
Oh god. I am going there tonight. Effing LOVE their sushi. Yum yum fucking yummy yum.
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Every Colin I’ve known I can wipe my “Super Fluffy” ass with, so I can’t give QG a hard time about the over usage of her terms?
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Rich, I totally agree. QG should be given a hard time for “over-using” terms, especially when posting an honest review and not using the terms you are talking about. (Get a life)
I’m not saying your point isn’t valid, just read the fucking review before you open your mouth.
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See u later to the haters. This is the best vegan blog I’ve ever read. I hope you win the Vegnews award.
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Gregalor August 26th, 2010 at 17:59
If you like spicy food, go for the Hot & Spicy Ramen. They are NOT kidding when using those adjectives.
Also, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: the BEST seitan I’ve ever had is from Shojin.
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Sharon August 26th, 2010 at 18:04
I went to Shojin with some friends last week. My friend got the hot and spicy ramen, and it was so spicy that she could only eat 1/4 of it. Even though it was spicy, it was pretty bland…everything else was very good, though! The homemade ice cream and the mango dessert were amazing!
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I now know where I’ll be having dinner Sat nite! Thx!
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I had the hot and spicy ramen last week and i agree, it was waaaaaay too spicy–I was sweating and only ate 1/4 of it. And yes, even though it was spicy, the broth was really bland and like you, thought it was just a bad ordering choice. Otherwise, all the other treats we had, which was almost identical to what you ordered above, were delectable.
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Michelle August 27th, 2010 at 08:43
Uh-oh, I ordered way too much food last night, and got the hot-and-spicy ramen to go for lunch today! I love spicy food, so I think I’ll be okay, I’m just hoping I like it better than the other reviewers did…
But, the DYNAMITE Roll was AMAZING! So yummy. Was not so excited by the BBQ Seitan roll, way too salty for me. Veggie tempura was also great.
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Michelle August 27th, 2010 at 11:44
I got it with added tofu. It was pretty decent, definitely filling, but not really that spicy… I was just really happy that they put the noodles and kale in a separate container so they didn’t get soggy!
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Gregalor August 27th, 2010 at 17:04
Oh, and last time I was there, some cheap-ass family came in and got food to go, then walked right over to the nearest public table in the mall and ate there. You could look right out Shojin’s window and see them, it was hilarious.
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Gregalor August 28th, 2010 at 00:57
LOL
It’s been a while since the last oversensitive prude wandered in here. Do you write letters to the FCC, too, when you hear a “naughty” word on TV?
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I have to agree with the blandness of ramen there- I had the shio/clear one, and my fiancee had the hot and spicy (sans seitan, as straight up gluten is one of the least healthy things a person can eat). The hot/spicy had a good amount of heat, but not tons (we were both fine with it), yet both still needed FLAVOR in a major way.
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@ Gregalor:
Shut up you Fucking Doofus. It’s not about the “naughty words”. It’s about learning when and where to use this type of language. Who the hell wants to read the word “SHIT” when reading about some yummy vegan foods?One more thing douche bag, about the family that went and ate at a public table… who the fuck are you to laugh at anyone? Really? Your sitting up on a blog at 1 AM… making fun of other people that have a life.
Get Bent~
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veganinla August 31st, 2010 at 11:08
I’d love to go and give it a try but…I hate brown rice, mushrooms and sea veggies or anything that tastes fishy. Does that leave me any options on the menu?
3 Trackbacks / Pingbacks
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[…] fish from my diet forever. Â The Dynamite Roll lived up to its name, and according to vegan website Quarry Girl is the proverbial cream of the crop when it comes to sushi. Â It was good, and I’m not […]
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[…] and also the spicy rock shiitake tempura! they serve beer, wine, and sake. check out their website check them out on quarrygirldynamite sushi roll at shojinhugo’s restaurant has two locations (in the valley and west […]
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a vegan birthday celebration at shojin in downtown los angeles | quarrygirl.com May 2nd, 2011 at 07:29
[…] we decided to go all out and order a million sushi rolls for the table to share. we started with the dynamite roll, which i didn’t photograph, but it was epic as always. it earned a place on our latest vegan […]
britt August 26th, 2010 at 08:34