Kanpachi - Gardena

I put Kanpachi on my bucket list because I wanted to compare it with Kantaro. Both boast of the cheapest high-quality sushi in the South Bay, serving up omekase in their tight, hard-to find corners.

The experience is different but equal. Kantaro affords the anonymity of hiding behind a conspicuously sketchy liquor store, while Kanpachi is lost in a lot of lights, sandwiched between a multitude of small storefronts in yet another nondescript Gardena strip.
While Kantaro offers a full experience where food goes on a journey, Kanpachi keeps it simple with an amuse-bouch-y appetizer, the omekase entree, and a dessert.

The Egg Custard appetizer is a savory blast from the past. same-same-but-different from the chinese variation, this egg-pudding is fully flavored with shitake.

Some of the nigiri stays the same, with a comparably smooth Amber Jack, succulent Sweet Shrimp, and a greasy-good, fat-marbled Toro. The Salmon Roe bursts into little balls of flavor, and the Uni is briny bliss. The Halibut slides right down, and the Tamago finishes airy and sweet.

The Red Pepper looks like a wrinkly fish, but it's just a sweet, unfamiliarly-textured slice of a familiar filler. But it's so satisfyingly sweet at the end that the Red Bean ice cream seems almost superfluous. Good thing for the Black Sesame ice cream, which finishes with a little more sass. 

Okay, so the sheer quantity of quality at Kantaro could put a Greek family to shame, but Kanpachi is still one to watch. The quality is consistent, the portions are a standard size, and the sushi is too good to only be savored once.