Kaido, Santa Monica

On the unassuming corner of Yale and Santa Monica Blvd sits one of my favorite, low key lunch spots that I hit up when I want to hook up with my good friend Jessica. The funny part about our lunches to Kaido is that yes, the food is definitely good, but what brings us back here so often is the most arbitrary thing one would never predict. No, not the sushi. Not the miso. Not even the lovely water with fresh lemon wedges. It's the salad dressing.

I know, that probably sounds ridiculous, but it is true. Kaido has the most amazing salad dressing as a part of their lunch special. It is light, yet creamy, and tastes a little bit like ponzu, sesame seeds and ginger. It truly is to die for. But aside from the salad dressing, their food is also very good.

They have a really great combination of Chilean Sea Bass and Sushi (Spicy Tuna or California cut roll) for about $13.00, decently priced sushi combos (roughly $12-14 depending on what you order), and other run of the mill Japanese lunch specials such as Oyako Dons, Chirashis, Udon and Chicken and Beef Teriyaki combinations.

On this particular day, Jessica had the calamari salad and sushi combination, and I had (yes, you're going to laugh), beef teriyaki and a spicy tuna cut roll. To begin, I tried the calamari salad, it was so amazingly delicious. They did a great job frying the squid. The squid was very fresh and tender, it was slightly sweet and not fishy at all. They fried it in a tempura batter, which I thought was a very good consistency, as it made the dish much lighter than a traditional Italian calamary.

The reason I love their beef teriyaki is because they do not use some cheap pieces of meat thrown on rice. They actually use a nice cut of steak, grilled to medium, then sliced thinly with a light layer of teriyaki sauce glazed over it. Their spicy tuna roll could use more mayonaise and a little more kick, but that might just be my Korean side talking.

All in all, you have to try Kaido if you're ever around, it's awesome for lunch. I'm sure its great for dinner too, but I've never had a chance to check out their dinner menu.

Kaido

2834 Santa Monica Blvd.

Santa Monica, CA 90404

(310) 828-7582