LET’S GO ZEN!
Good water. Good sake. Good meat.
Good seafood. Good vegetables.
“Go” means “five,” and these are the “five good things” that make the name “Gozen.”
The things you eat are the things that make YOU.
Our menu embodies a culture and a way of thinking that starts with the careful selection of the cleanest, most wholesome ingredients. It’s culture that you can taste.
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THE FIVE GOOD THINGS
Good Water :
Japan’s most renowned rice and sake always come from areas with the best water, and there is no question that soft water is an essential component for enjoying the full flavor of Japanese ingredients. Gozen’s water filtration system provides our kitchen with an unlimited supply of water that closely replicates the softness of Japan’s best natural water. Our soft water restores the body to alkalinity and normalizes balance from within. -
THE FIVE GOOD THINGS
Good Sake :
Gozen serves only Junmai sake. This sake is made only from rice and water, fermented slowly and with no added alcohol. This is what gives Junmai sake its characteristic pure and robust flavor, which complements our food. Gozen proudly offers all three categories of Junmai, which are divided according to the polishing ratio of the rice: Junmai Shu, Junmai Ginjo, and Junmai Daiginjo, the highest grade. -
THE FIVE GOOD THINGS
Good Meat :
We use beautifully marbled Angus-Wagyu hybrid beef, obtained from our special suppliers. Our pork dishes feature only richly-flavored US-raised Berkshire pork. We freshly butcher our whole Jidori chicken, and prepare each part to bring out its best flavor. We simmer our bones to make sauces and stock. All our meat is carefully inspected for quality, and then processed by our chef’s own special methods to ensure that it will be tender and flavorful. -
THE FIVE GOOD THINGS
Good Seafood :
Freshness is essential for seafood. All of our fish comes directly from Japanese fish markets, where it is processed using proper bleed-out methods (to prevent bad odors), before being flown out to LA. We also use fresh local seafood. The fish is then grilled, boiled, fried, steamed, or otherwise cooked in the way that best complements its natural flavor. At Gozen we are very particular about how we process our ingredients before cooking. -
THE FIVE GOOD THINGS
Good Vegetables :
Gozen offers a broad selection of organic, non-GMO, pesticide-free vegetables and other natural produce. Japan’s careful attention to the changing of the seasons is one of the things that makes Japanese cuisine so exquisite, and we want you to enjoy the unique flavors of each season.
PHOTO GALLERY
SPACE
FOOD
DRINK
FROM THE OWNER
I have a career directing films and commercials. So why did I open a restaurant?
Because there is still so much more that I want to teach the world about Japanese craft and culture. Gozen Bistro is about more than just food: it’s about my culture’s love for crafting things of beauty. To start with, the ukio-e prints which decorate the walls of my restaurant are originals dating from the end of Japan’s Edo period, more than 300 years ago. Many of the serving dishes which accentuate the beauty of our food are also from the Edo period, or hand-made by some of Japan’s finest master craftspeople. We exclusively serve premium, small-batch, Junmai sake, carefully and lovingly crafted by master brewers. And our massive on-site filtration system takes LA’s hard water and softens it, closely replicating the clean, gentle flavor of Japan’s purest water. That purity is essential to all of our dishes and drinks, and you can taste it in the first glass of water we bring you when you sit at your table. We source our ingredients from suppliers with the highest standards of quality and safety. We do all of this so that our chef can prepare dishes that will delight and entertain you, served by a waitstaff dedicated to providing the utmost hospitality. In an age when we are increasingly at the mercy of artificial intelligence, and many things no longer bear the mark of human touch, I want my restaurant to stand as a reminder that the most beautiful things are still crafted by human hands.
Yours sincerely,
Mr. hide / Owner
