Shin-Sen-Gumi Chanko - Gardena — Restaurant in Torrance

Shinsengumi Chanko specializes in food that is associated with feeding Sumo- wrestlers, the most famous being Chanko Nabè which is a hot pot containing Dashi/broth from dried Katsuo/bonito or chicken. All sorts of Japanese vegetables such as Daikon, etc. & To-fu. Rich in protein there is usually chicken, fish, sometimes beef. Chanko Nabè is not in itself fattening, but the mega doses of Nabè, rice, beer, noodles cooked in the Nabè broth eaten by Sumo- wrestlers make for rib sticking food.

Ergo, the décor is mostly Sumo- based decorative motif such as autographs & hand prints, photos of champions, posters, placards, etc.

Shinsengumi offered Seiro- Mushi at a discount around Fathers' day so we opted for this unusual dish that is rare in Socal. Culinarily, Mushi refers to steaming.

Seiro- Mushi is steamed in a traditional Hinoki wood box that uses no nails for its construction. The bottom is made of narrow bamboo slats that let the steam pass through from the pan of boiling water below to cook the ingredients.

Thinly sliced fatty, meat pork belly, Shimeji mushrooms, To-fu, big tiger shrimp, okra, zucchini, purple Okinawa sweet potato, red bell, Japanese eggplant, cherry tomatoes, Japanese pumpkin, sweet white corn, okra, cabbage, Nappa cabbage, asparagus, snap pea, eggy Chawan Mushi/Japanese egg custard soup.

All the above was steamed in the box w/ the top on for 20 minutes. While we waited, we ordered Orion beer from the southernmost prefecture of Okinawa which is a refreshing lager w/ toasty sweetness, bit of acidity, light bitter hops.

Seiro- Mushi is the ultimate heath food since it is vegetable based using only steam to cook the entire dish. Dipping sauce is Ponzu which has Dashi based soy sauce, Japanese rice vinegar, touch of citrus for fruity gastrique. Grated Daikon, chopped green onion, their house made Yuzu Kosho-, which is piquant green chile, Japanese citrus zest, sea salt, can be added for different taste variations.

They also have other menus that do not follow the traditional Sumo- based menu. Also, you can order the Yakitori from next door. Service is quiet, understated, competent unlike enthusiastic yelling & noise making by the staff that can be heard from next door at Shinsengumi Yakitori. Overall,...

Been to many locations for their infamous ramen🍜 including the 'Shin Zen Gumi to go' d just down the street from this location. Me, the wifey, & daughter came here because we usually like to go to the 'Jedaya' Japanese restaurant which is in the same plaza. There was a 45 minute wait on a Sunday evening and we didn't want to wait.

Since Shin Zen Gumi was just a short walk away, we decided to come here.

We didn't realize that it was based on Yakitori grilled styled Japanese and therefore I wasn't gonna be able to get any tempura like I normally would, however a change in pace would be just as fine.

We studied the menu for a few minutes and were easily enticed to order some yakitori meats 🍡 which was surprisingly delicious with a garlic dipping sauce, couple bowls of Shio ramen which was delicious for that style of ramen they didn't have tonkatsu style available , some grilled gyoza 🥟 for our daughter, karaage which also was delicious and fried to perfection , and finally I ordered a plate of their garlic 🧄 shrimp 🦐 fries🍟.

Now I normally do not ever get fries at a Japanese restaurant however I randomly chose this item and didn't regret it one bit. The shrimp were tantalizingly grilled to perfection with its own unique flavor accompanied with their own amazing sauce They drizzled the fries which were straw style and just perfect with the way they served them up. Last but not least a large Sprite, Kirin Ichiban Bottled Beer, and some water to wash it down.

The place was crazy busy, however the staff made you feel at home with the way they shout their welcoming and departing greetings.

The restaurant was clean, organized, and outstanding service which made our first time experience an awesome one. I give it a 5 star rating for their excellent dining experience 👌

We'll definitely come back here for more of their Yakitori style cuisine! Awesome job...

We’ve been going here since 2012. We live in NYC area but visit our family 4 times a year, and every time we visit, we always had yakitori here.

Our last visit to this place in December 2023, we ordered our usual yakitori dishes along with some other food items from kitchen menu. When the chicken thigh came out 2/3 burnt, I said let’s just take off the burnt part and eat them. However, when the chicken skins came out, they were completely burnt. All black burnt. I told the wait staff and told him the chicken skin was too burnt, he took it to the manager. Then he came back and told us that the yakitori was supposed to be like that according to the manager. No apology. No sorry we’ll make it again.

Now, I can say a lot about yakitori- how not only we live in NYC for 20 years to know enough about Japanese cuisine including how yakitori should look and taste like, we have been to countless famous yakitori places in Japan to experience the best of the best.

However, I’m not complaining about how burnt their chicken skewers were. Accidents can happen all the time, but how you manage them is what it matters. As a manager of a popular restaurant, you should be professional, or at least pretend to care a little about your food and your customers. When my husband tried to talk to the manager how we had been coming here for many years and this was the first time the food was burnt, the manager couldn’t care less. He simply said OK with whatever attitude. Take it or leave it attitude just made me sick in my stomach. I felt like I wanted to throw up everything I ate there for last decade. Maybe it was my fault too, to line up before its opening time to give them an impression that they can treat their customers as rats on the street. NEVER AGAIN. -...