Yatta Truck Brings Custom Sushi to the Street

The latest food truck yadda yadda is all about Yatta, a new player in the mobile sushi scene that's bringing a D.I.Y. theme.

Yatta isn't the first sushi truck out there, in fact Fishlips has enjoyed a monopoly on that market up until now. However the Yatta truck is challenging what we typically accept sushi to be -- offering up decidedly non-Asian versions of your average roll as well as a make-your-own system that essentially lets you be the sushi chef.

Business partners, owner Jun Hua and chef Hiro Igarashi, were originally college friends who bonded over having the same culinary dream -- to create what Hua calls "fast food" sushi that brought it back to its roots on the street. "People forget that sushi started as a street food in Japan," Hua tells us. With the recent boom of food trucks in L.A., joining in was the perfect way to put their idea into action.

But don't be fooled by their apparent "McSushi" mentality. Hiro hits the fish market at 5:30 in the morning every day, along with the best seafood chefs in L.A., to pick out the freshest ingredients he can find.

And though the menu is small, there are a multitude of items at Yatta Truck's "Creation Station." By the window, patrons will find three long rows of different colored sticks, each representing a different item. Collect up to four and Hiro will happily twist up your customized roll.

There are only 6 preconceived sushi rolls on the menu, but the one getting most of the attention is Yatta's cheeseburger roll -- sliced beef , pickles and melted cheese wrapped in seaweed and rice, then deep-fried and served with ketchup and mustard. Yeah we know -- rice and seaweed does not sushi make, but an idea so bizarre just begs to be tried. The roll tastes about how you think it would -- like a Double Double with fried rice -- deliciously junky, but a contradiction in your mouth. We felt better about the shrimp, crab, avocado and sprouts roll with eel sauce we conjured up. And at $6.50 for 8 pieces (and only $3.75 for 4 of one of the menu choices) it sure beats the drive thru.

Find the truck by following @YattaTruck on Twitter.