Kasen [Fountain Valley]

My SO turned me onto Kasen describing it as one of the few Fountain Valley Japanese restaurants he's been to where there were only Japanese patrons dining. He raved on and on about the sushi, but my experience at lunch wasn't so spectacular.

Perhaps it was because I ordered the Regular Sushi Combination ($12), instead of the deluxe set which would have cost me $6 more. There wasn't much to choose from, given that Kasen's only lists two sushi combinations, two chirashi bowls, and one eel plate on its menu for lunch.

I found the sushi unremarkable, though it was fresh and unfishy. And while I'm not the type to turn my soy sauce into a wasabi paste, there was hardly enough wasabi in the sushi rice. The flavors on the fish would have much crisper with it. My sushi combination came with albacore, toro, salmon, ebi, eel, and another chewy fish which I couldnt identify. The plum rolls were good. All lunch orders come with a bowl of miso soup.

The Eel Roll ($10) wasnt the broiled saucy stuff you normally get, but rather a light and fleshy sea eel with only a touch of sauce for sweetness. At best, the rolls were nice to look at and not unpleasant to eat.

I wouldn't call the food bad and I wouldn't venture to deem the sushi mediocre--just nothing special. Kasen definitely warrants a revisit for dinner.

Kasen
9039 Garfield Ave
Fountain Valley, CA 92708
(714) 963-8769