Location: 1250 Prospect St, La Jolla, CA 92037
Get ready for CUTENESS OVERLOAD when you come to Harumama! This place is just soooo adorable from their signature character buns to their plates and napkins you’ll be giggling and smiling with delight. Situated right in the heart of La Jolla downtown this little gem also has some of the best ocean view seating you can get around here. Overlooking La Jolla cove, you can dine and watch people and sea lions playing along the shore it’s really a great area to relax and unwind.
My husband and I stumbled across this place one day after having dinner in the area. It’s located on the lower level of the restaurant plaza and is beautifully decorated with modern touches mixed with traditional Japanese minimalist style. As you walk in you are greeted by the host and walk past the open kitchen on your left. You then entire the dinner room area and your eyes are immediately drawn towards the large back wall of bay windows overlooking the strikingly blue Pacific ocean!
I found out soon after that this place is actually two restaurants in one: Harumama and Blue Ocean Sushi. How great is that?! Harumama is a chain restaurant known for their SUPER CUTE SUPER ADORABLE character animal buns and ramen noodles. Meanwhile Blue Ocean Sushi as the name suggests serves up your typical Japanese favorites like fresh sashimi, sushi rolls, and nigiri.
Of course we had to try the best of both so we ordered up their Chicken Bun as an appetizer to start. When the steaming hot buns came to our table they were really too beautiful to eat. You can tell they were artfully and skillfully made and you can smell the delicious chicken, mozzarella cheese, and caramelized onion filling….SOOO GOOD! One small downer is that I wish there were more!!!
Next we had to try their sashimi, my husband was feeling like blue fin tuna that day so that was just what we ordered. Like the buns it was artfully plated on a mound of shaved ice which to my surprise actually had a blue flashing LED light inside, fancy! The fish was succulent and super fresh like how great sashimi should be. Just a small dip in soy sauce with a hint of wasabi and OMG you are in heaven! I don’t usually like eating raw fish but this was really awesome with quality as good as our other favorite Japanese place Ken Sushi Workshop (you can read my review about it here).
We also ordered a sushi roll and opted for their signature surf-turf roll, which was filled with tempura shrimp, crab, cucumber, avocado and topped with a seared steak brushed with the chef’s special sweet soy sauce dressing and masago fish eggs. The roll was very delicious and a great combination of different meats and textures, you really can’t go wrong there.
After filling our bellies our waitress suggested we try another character bun for dessert and she recommended the Koala Bun. Who doesn’t want to pass up another dose of cuteness?! So we eagerly said YES bring it on! The Koala buns with their little heart shaped cheeks were not disappointing and filled with a fragrant strawberry cream custard that hits just the right level of sweetness. These little guys are so much fun to eat as much as they are fun to look at. If you’re looking for a unique experience I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend you give this place a try not just for the fun and adorable food but also for the magnificent views!
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