Tomorrow! is the day of Matsuri!!

Tomorrow, we are going to close for Lunch to prepare for the big day!



It's been a long journey...(and still is for us Shojin members).
Yesterday, our little tiny oven exploded...couldn't make my desserts the way I planned... :(
But now It seems like it's fixed...so I have to do the last push!
It is going to be a long long night....heheh
I am super excited though! love to see and take a lot of pictures of our beloved customers!




And don't forget! Cash only (for the admission, extra drinks and little games and trinkets)
Cover charge for adults $20
kids between 4~10 yrs old $12
Children under 3 yrs old is free

Love to see you all
XOXO

Vegan nigiri sushi for the 29th!!

OMG~!!

I just got this picture from my boss!

They look absolutely gorgeous♪

Yesterday, the sushi chef, Hiro Tamashiro came to Shojin to make some samples

for the 29th.

I wasn't there to taste it...(I was off...)

I'm sooooo jealous.

But I am so glad that I could finally show you what a vegan nigiri is like.

I can't wait to eat it!

Live music performer for Matsuri

Mr. Kanda



He is coming to perform with his guitarist for the 29th.

His songs are Jazzy and mellow, and his CD is often played in Shojin.

His new album, "Belmonnt Shore" often gets compliments from the customers.

This album was great because a lot of his friends, LA's famous Jazz musicians, joined him; Michael Paul (Sax), Dean Taba (Bass), Osama Afifi (Bass).








Marc Gasway

He is doing Guitar Solo.

He has played in King Kay, Knitting factory in NY.

has done movie and documentary sound tracks, such as SXSW and Tribeca...

Currently, he is studying Bass/recording/orchestration at the LA music Academy.

So they are coming to play for us.

And moreover, we are in the process of getting Japanese traditional dance performer to show the piece...and all.



Please join us! on the 29th!!

Matsuri~29th

For details of matsuri...

We are going to have a couple of people who will sell
Kimonos, hand-made Jewerly and trinkets...etc.

One of the sellers came in the other day to show us what she has.



We had not yet set the children's price.
But finally, we've decided children under 10 will be $12 and kids 3 and under will be free.


Come to Shojin on the 29th!!

Vegan Radio☆

Somewhere in a very quiet neighborhood in Studio City...
I took our chef Kimiko san (along with my daughter) to record
the Vegan Radio show.
It is very exciting!! to see all the equipment and microphones!
hope everybody is able to listen to the show!

March 22nd (Sunday)
10am~
1150AM KTLK
the website of the show: www.goveganradio.com



(below: Bob, the host of the show and Kimiko san!)

Sushi class~22nd is coming up!

(Dragon Roll)

Don't miss this great opportunity to learn how to make a real vegan sushi rolls from Japanese sushi chef!

3/22/09 Sunday
2:30~4:30pm
$50
This includes not only hands-on sushi making, but also learning how to cook artisan brown rice and insanely yummy miso soup!
End of the class, you get to enjoy some desserts and drinks!


A few spots are left! So please make a call and save a spot for yourself!! (213)617-0305



(Caterpillar Roll)

Thinking about food additives and preservatives

We love to have babies around.
They are cuddly and cute. And most of all, we have a good feeling about
feeding kids organic foods that have no chemicals.
We think it is our responsibility to introduce healthy eating by using the
finest ingredients, such as fresh vegetables and fruits right from the farmer's market, and top quality soy sauce and mirin from Japan...etc...



As a mother myself, I hope that my kid can grow up knowing
what you eat makes you what you are.

Customer snapshot vol.2

Our old friend, Yoshiko and her husband.



Very very unique tattoos!!
He is a tattoo artist in downtown LA.




Three lovely ladies who loved my dessert! They got a second round of sesame ice cream!!
Thank you ; )
Nothing better than getting a flattering compliment on my actual work :P



Ms. Rosa who came to eat, wearing her beautiful Kimono. She takes Japanese tea ceremony lessons from a prestagious teacher in LA.

How classy and gorgeous!
I am expecting to see more of these kimono and Yukata on the 29th for our anniversary festival.



Whitney and Mary

They have a website called "Eco Vegan Gal!"
http://ecovegangal.blogspot.com

this wk's course menu

For dessert,
Pumpkin cheese cake, strawberry tofu cream short cake, vanilla ice cream


For main course,
grilled vegetable and BBQ seitan

plus App, soup, and salad for $19.95

Running with Veggie Oil

Bruce, his wife and his friends came to shojin the other day to celebrate his birthday!
Happy Birthday, Bruce!!

While he is a great customer to us, there's something unique about his car!!
He owns this spectacular car that runs by veggie oil (and not just veggie oil, but used oil from our kitchen!!)
He comes regularly to pick them up.
We are so glad to contribute something to the environment!
I know our oil is much cleaner than any other restaurant's because we only fry vegetable, but then we have to get rid of the old dirty oil eventually.




Back of his car, I found a sticker.

Saying, "Gas Sucks"
www.labiocars.com

Their site said,
"La Bio Cars Specialized in the reduction of your carbon footprint from converting your car to run on cleaner and cheaper fuel."



his wife told me that
the name tag "Veggie" was customized!! how cute!!

last saturday night

Was pretty busy (so I've heard!)
A lot of regular customers brought their friends who has never been to Shojin before!

I think Johnny (above Lf) went to NY for a while.
He told my boss that he came across a successful macrobiotic restaurant there.
The restaurant's name is Souen, which is owned by Japanese lady who happens to know my boss!!
http://www.souen.net/
They just opened on March 3rd.

If any of you go to NY, please try and check it out!



Sarah with her friends, Laura and Jennifer!

Thank you for coming everybody!
See you soon.

New dessert items (that I forgot to mention)

Right after valentine's day, we added new dessert items to our menu.
Above) roasted sesame ice cream with sesame tuile.

A lot of customers who ate it at the valentine's course raved about this sesame ice cream so much.
That made me feel super good~☆

Below) Classic Gateau chocolat with chocolate sauce and soy whip cream.



Personally, I like to eat them both at the same time... :P

YUM YUM Salad Soba

Interestingly enough
This mixed green salad with avocado and tomato tartar soba is a big hit at our staff meal table.

It'a little spicy and tangy from wasabi mayo. But the coldness of the soba broth and mildness of avocado match perfectly!!
hope this is going to be on the official menu!!

What is Seitan???

Long long ago, Chef Kimiko had an interview with Zen Evolution TV!!
For that, she made a Bento box with Seitan Katsu and BBQ Seitan.
It is very fascinating to watch her make it!
And also Ms. Stacey Kumagai has a great article on Shojin and our food!
So you must check it out in order to see how we prepare our seitan in our little kitchen!

You can visit the website:
http://www.zenevolution.tv

or go straight to see our Chef Kimiko:
http://www.zenevolution.tv/shojin.htm


*******************************************************************************
On the 22nd, Chef Kimiko will be on the air with Vegan Radio Show! Please tune your radio to 1150AM.
It starts 10am. She will talk about our one year anniversary blast on the 29th!!

customer snapshots for last wk!

My boss's good friend, Shio-san celebrated his birthday the other day.
Candle lights are always sentimental!

Two beautiful girls who visited from NY!

They liked us so much that they conviced some Grocery clerks to come to Shojin.

Thank you ladies!!

March is a super celebration month!

March is a very special month for Shojin.
They are going to be one year old!
To celebrate and show our appreciation for our beloved customers,
we have came up with special events, such as
1st Anniversary dinner course menu for $19.95 (5 dishes) during this month
sushi cooking class on 22nd and...

MATURI~1st anniversary party, which is going to be a big deal for everybody who loves and supports Shojin!!!
March 29th (sunday) 5~10pm
$20.00
Vegan Sushi bar and buffet.
Japanese traditional attractions and live bands are there to create a festive mood!!

I will post more details as our ideas and menu are going to be concrete.

hope everybody will be there to see the Shojin extravaganza :)


Oh,
this is our staff meal the other day,
My boss was trying out some new sushi rolls for the event.
If any of you who has an idea what to put into the sushi...etc...
please let me know! My boss is capable of rolling anything :)

My fave of the staff meal sushi was...maybe sauteed eringi with vegan mozzarella!