I was searching this place up to see if they were open since dine-in is now available, but wow, really sad to hear that this location is closed ): Had a great time coming here with my aunt, sisters, and boyfriend when she was in town (pre-covid). During my last visit, we got their salmon carpaccio, uni, raw oysters, uni toast, and truffle fries. The oysters were so fresh - they shuck them right in front of you. Their uni was very buttery and creamy (I believe they were from Santa Barbara. The uni toast was a must try for us and the sweetness of the toast, with bits of nori, and some other type of cream underneath the uni really added in another level of umami. The salmon was fatty and their ponzu sauce paired perfectly with it. Really sad to hear that we lost this location ): I will definitely be visiting others but this one was such a nice addition to the mall.
L B.
Had a great time eating off the happy hour menu as well as the alcoholic drink for lunch. I even ordered double of the oysters on a half shell. I'm pleased. Would go back again.
Vivian C.
Sad to hear this location closed. I've been to a couple EMC locations but this was one of the only ones that did Happy Hour oysters. Wanted to leave a short review for my own memory. My last visit I tried the following: 1) $1 HH Oysters: Smooth, creamy and a little metalic right at the end. 2) Uni Toast: Good quality uni but not worth the cost. The bread was a bit sweet which clashed with the uni 3) Scallop Carpaccio: The scallop has a nice lingering pepperiness that pops. A gnice quality of ponzu and the scallops are so creamy and sweet. 4) Garlic Butter Charred Oyster: Delicious and not too buttery though there were specks of sand so I wish they were cleaned a bit better. I definitely will be back at other EMC locations but this one was so convenient, I'm sad to see it close.
Ram Bowman
We ordered Lobster Dumplings, tempura fins wings and #1 yellow tartare for appetizers. For the main course we ordered Scalibut and Duroc Pork Chop with a side of Dirty Rice.
Ti Mao
If you like seafood, this is the place to go. Seafood is fresh service is courteous!
Alice W.
Wow, new fan here. Saturday night, last minute reservations. Found the sashimi to be really fresh, as were the oysters. Yeah it is in a mall. But both food and service were really good. No special coupons, just trying for the first time. Solid choice. Albacore, tuna, salmon sashimi all great. The yellowtail was superb. My hubby and I both impressed. I will be back!
Fernando Islas
the only problem we had was with the portion size on some of the plates we ordered being too small. the location is easy to find within the mall and it's really enjoyable as you're not really inside and you're not really on the outside. we were told that there is sometimes a line or reservations needed so i suggest you make sure to come out a little earlier to make sure you're seated
Maling H.
Came here on a Friday night around 9pm and it wasn't busy at all. Thought more people would be here for the happy hour special from 9pm-11pm. I've been here before when it first opened and I felt the quality of the food has gone down. Uni pasta, something was off. ($26) Didn't taste the same. It was kinda of bland and the noddles tasted cheap and over cooked. This is usually my go to dish but I was quite disappointed. We had their happy hour chicken wings ($9) and that was extremely bland. It had some fried garlic pieces on top but the wings needed sauce. No taste whatsoever. Had to ask for ranch. Ranch saved this dish. We order a dozen oysters and of course those were good. Can't go wrong with $1 oysters. Probably the best dish we had that night were the fish tacos. Fish tacos were delicious. The shrimp tacos were ehhh. ($6) Service was good. The people were attentive and sweet enough to bring over an extra heat lamp since it was cold. Overall, I don't think I'll ever come back to EMC again in a very long time. Maybe the one in Ktown is better. My favorite dish which is the Uni Pasta no longer tasted the way I remembered it. Quality has definitely gone down.
Joanne B.
Uni Pasta = Yes, yes, yes! I visit the Santa Anita Mall frequently and always pass by here when walking around. I've been wanting to try this place and I'm glad I did! If you're big on seafood I recommend this place. It's a little pricey, but totally worth it!
Karen N.
Located inside the mall, it's definitely not a big restaurant or anything lol. Prices are pretty high, which is to be expected because it's mostly seafood! We got half a dozen of the oysters from California which was $18 and garlic noodles for $11. The portions are ridiculously small for the price, in my opinion. Staff members were friendly and it definitely satisfied the oyster craving.
A couple of 2 and a separate party of 3, totaling 5 apparently cannot sit adjacent and be considered two tables and use two separate independent Groupons as independent groups of humans that converse with each other. That is a shame to their management.
Gary W.
Waiter & Service 5 stars. Sharp guy. Energetic. Gave some great suggestions. Very polite. Food 4 stars. Lobster rolls, Uni pasta, and fried calamari. Did not realize Uni pasta contained ZERO cheese. It was great how it tasted, even if it ruined my calories counting for the day. Fried calamari tasted more like something you can pick up with a Canton restaurant. Value 4 stars. A bit pricey. But accounting for mall and location and the taste of the food, could be about right. Not sure. Ambiance 5 stars. Great views in the mall. Open kitchen. Want to give 4.5 stars, but if I were to pick, I round down because this would likely a once or twice a year restaurant, not a monthly one.
Anna Yan
The baked oysters are fat, juicy, and packed with flavor. I love garlic, and they garlic the oysters like crazy here. The lobster is delicious, and is cooked perfectly with butter. It’s so much fun to dig into. We also love getting the Uni Pasta. It’s a very rich meal every time. It’s in the middle of a promenade food court in a very Asian area. Though it’s got nice modern decor, you are sitting in an open area where little kids will be running around and Asian parents will stare. I’m cool with that so it’s a good experience every time.
Anastasia S
Love their uni pasta! HIGHLY recommend their happy hour oysters as well
Arielle O.
Just so happened to stop by right as happy hour was starting. My bf and I tried the spicy tuna roll, lychee margarita, Santa Anita pear, and hot sake from the happy hour menu. Everything came out almost instantly! My favorite had to be the salmon carpaccio! Best salmon I've tried. We also shared the lobster noodlesdelicious! We had a groupon for $30 and it covered most of the non-happy hour items
I was searching this place up to see if they were open since dine-in is now available, but wow, really sad to hear that this location is closed ): Had a great time coming here with my aunt, sisters, and boyfriend when she was in town (pre-covid). During my last visit, we got their salmon carpaccio, uni, raw oysters, uni toast, and truffle fries. The oysters were so fresh - they shuck them right in front of you. Their uni was very buttery and creamy (I believe they were from Santa Barbara. The uni toast was a must try for us and the sweetness of the toast, with bits of nori, and some other type of cream underneath the uni really added in another level of umami. The salmon was fatty and their ponzu sauce paired perfectly with it. Really sad to hear that we lost this location ): I will definitely be visiting others but this one was such a nice addition to the mall.
Had a great time eating off the happy hour menu as well as the alcoholic drink for lunch. I even ordered double of the oysters on a half shell. I'm pleased. Would go back again.
Sad to hear this location closed. I've been to a couple EMC locations but this was one of the only ones that did Happy Hour oysters. Wanted to leave a short review for my own memory. My last visit I tried the following: 1) $1 HH Oysters: Smooth, creamy and a little metalic right at the end. 2) Uni Toast: Good quality uni but not worth the cost. The bread was a bit sweet which clashed with the uni 3) Scallop Carpaccio: The scallop has a nice lingering pepperiness that pops. A gnice quality of ponzu and the scallops are so creamy and sweet. 4) Garlic Butter Charred Oyster: Delicious and not too buttery though there were specks of sand so I wish they were cleaned a bit better. I definitely will be back at other EMC locations but this one was so convenient, I'm sad to see it close.
We ordered Lobster Dumplings, tempura fins wings and #1 yellow tartare for appetizers. For the main course we ordered Scalibut and Duroc Pork Chop with a side of Dirty Rice.
If you like seafood, this is the place to go. Seafood is fresh service is courteous!
Wow, new fan here. Saturday night, last minute reservations. Found the sashimi to be really fresh, as were the oysters. Yeah it is in a mall. But both food and service were really good. No special coupons, just trying for the first time. Solid choice. Albacore, tuna, salmon sashimi all great. The yellowtail was superb. My hubby and I both impressed. I will be back!
the only problem we had was with the portion size on some of the plates we ordered being too small. the location is easy to find within the mall and it's really enjoyable as you're not really inside and you're not really on the outside. we were told that there is sometimes a line or reservations needed so i suggest you make sure to come out a little earlier to make sure you're seated
Came here on a Friday night around 9pm and it wasn't busy at all. Thought more people would be here for the happy hour special from 9pm-11pm. I've been here before when it first opened and I felt the quality of the food has gone down. Uni pasta, something was off. ($26) Didn't taste the same. It was kinda of bland and the noddles tasted cheap and over cooked. This is usually my go to dish but I was quite disappointed. We had their happy hour chicken wings ($9) and that was extremely bland. It had some fried garlic pieces on top but the wings needed sauce. No taste whatsoever. Had to ask for ranch. Ranch saved this dish. We order a dozen oysters and of course those were good. Can't go wrong with $1 oysters. Probably the best dish we had that night were the fish tacos. Fish tacos were delicious. The shrimp tacos were ehhh. ($6) Service was good. The people were attentive and sweet enough to bring over an extra heat lamp since it was cold. Overall, I don't think I'll ever come back to EMC again in a very long time. Maybe the one in Ktown is better. My favorite dish which is the Uni Pasta no longer tasted the way I remembered it. Quality has definitely gone down.
Uni Pasta = Yes, yes, yes! I visit the Santa Anita Mall frequently and always pass by here when walking around. I've been wanting to try this place and I'm glad I did! If you're big on seafood I recommend this place. It's a little pricey, but totally worth it!
Located inside the mall, it's definitely not a big restaurant or anything lol. Prices are pretty high, which is to be expected because it's mostly seafood! We got half a dozen of the oysters from California which was $18 and garlic noodles for $11. The portions are ridiculously small for the price, in my opinion. Staff members were friendly and it definitely satisfied the oyster craving.
Restaurantji Recommends
A couple of 2 and a separate party of 3, totaling 5 apparently cannot sit adjacent and be considered two tables and use two separate independent Groupons as independent groups of humans that converse with each other. That is a shame to their management.
Waiter & Service 5 stars. Sharp guy. Energetic. Gave some great suggestions. Very polite. Food 4 stars. Lobster rolls, Uni pasta, and fried calamari. Did not realize Uni pasta contained ZERO cheese. It was great how it tasted, even if it ruined my calories counting for the day. Fried calamari tasted more like something you can pick up with a Canton restaurant. Value 4 stars. A bit pricey. But accounting for mall and location and the taste of the food, could be about right. Not sure. Ambiance 5 stars. Great views in the mall. Open kitchen. Want to give 4.5 stars, but if I were to pick, I round down because this would likely a once or twice a year restaurant, not a monthly one.
The baked oysters are fat, juicy, and packed with flavor. I love garlic, and they garlic the oysters like crazy here. The lobster is delicious, and is cooked perfectly with butter. It’s so much fun to dig into. We also love getting the Uni Pasta. It’s a very rich meal every time. It’s in the middle of a promenade food court in a very Asian area. Though it’s got nice modern decor, you are sitting in an open area where little kids will be running around and Asian parents will stare. I’m cool with that so it’s a good experience every time.
Love their uni pasta! HIGHLY recommend their happy hour oysters as well
Just so happened to stop by right as happy hour was starting. My bf and I tried the spicy tuna roll, lychee margarita, Santa Anita pear, and hot sake from the happy hour menu. Everything came out almost instantly! My favorite had to be the salmon carpaccio! Best salmon I've tried. We also shared the lobster noodlesdelicious! We had a groupon for $30 and it covered most of the non-happy hour items