TBA
Shin Sen Gumi
Seems like a slightly later crowd for dinner on Santa Monica Blvd. these days. Passed by a few minutes earlier and didn't see nearly as big a crowd-- but at 7:15pm a ton of places were packed, including California Roll Factory, Cafe 50's, Qusqo, En Sushi, and yes, even all by itself at the north end of Sawtelle, Shin Sen Gumi had a pretty good crowd.
Most surprising was the kitchen-only slave factory, Colony Cooks (or is it The Colony) that emerged right as COVID-19 started. Before they literally were a bunch of kitchens and some business names for Uber Eats and Doordash drivers, with mystery chefs apparently deciding they could scratch out a living. It may have been legit but the promise of any sort of quality food definitely seemed far-fetched to me. They now have some legit restaurant names to their credit, including the recent addition of Western Bagel and Kimukatsu (!), and a little outdoor seating area. Might have to stop by sometime when it's less busy?
Shin Sen Gumi's ramen locations are kinda okay for yakitori, their specialized yakitori location in Gardena does a much better job. But it's still a nice addition to the ramen.