The Hump, a trendy Santa Monica hangout for jet setters and exotic sushi fanatics alike, may have served its last plate of endangered wildlife.
On Wednesday, Federal prosecutors filed criminal charges against the Hump, a sushi restaurant located in the Santa Monica Airport, for allegedly dishing out sashimi from a sei whale, which is classified as an endangered species. Santa Monica Councilman Kevin McKeown has stated that he has spoken with the city attorney about possibly revoking the Hump's business license.
According to an Internet posting at the food obsessive website Chowhound, it looks like those craving sea turtle sashimi may also be out of luck. In a posting in the Los Angeles board entitled "Help me catch up on Restaurants!!!," dated August 9, 2007, a poster named "Brunello" writes the following about the Hump:
I had a truly amazing omakase there based around it (and pretty much every rare fish you could imagine.) It only shows up once the weather changes. It's also the only place I've had sea turtle sashimi (3 yrs ago and way out of my price range, but 8 Japanese men had arranged it at the restaurant and once they saw my curiosity from another table, offered me some.) Some pretty amazing stuff there sometimes. (I don't even know if that turtle was legal since I see quite a few sea turtles are protected.)
When asked if he enjoyed the sea turtle by another poster, "Brunello" writes,
It was served in its very large shell (polished up and flipped to make a beautiful bowl in the center of a round table) and there was very little sashimi. I don't speak Japanese so one of the waitresses did the translation between myself and the businessmen. If I remember correctly, most of the turtle was being used to make other dishes but the sashimi came from the legs. It was meaty like a thick cut beef tenderloin (cut 1/4" thick), but the grain was distinctly in one direction. It wasn't "melt in your mouth" but it tore very easily. Flavour was distinct, firmness was of dry aged beef, did have some salt (the Himalayan pink salt they are partial to there), no fishy scent at all. I guess the closest thing it tasted to was alligator (which, I guess, makes sense) but it wasn't quite that either because 'gator is more gamey. The meat was very lean (no marbling.) I'd probably have it again except now I know of conservation efforts.
While the Chowhound poster did not reveal the exact species of sea turtle he devoured, wildlife conservation agencies generally agree that all species of sea turtles are listed as threatened or endangered.
Santa Monica sashimi fanatics need not fret, however. Located a mile from the Hump, Musha, a lively Izakaya bar, serves an outstanding version of aburi saba, raw mackerel marinated in vinegar. The dish is priced at $11.00 and mackerel is sustainable and high in omega 3 fatty acids.
