The freshest imaginable seafood, tasting as if it were pulled from the Pacific and rushed up from San Pedro under police escort immediately upon order, distinguishes this Japanese restaurant and sushi bar on the scruffy fringe of Little Tokyo.

Yet R23 isn’t an Asian restaurant that emphasizes its raw nibbles to the neglect of all else; the cooked entrees are every bit as good. A highlight of our dinner was a four-piece serving of amazingly tender yellowtail sashimi, or hamachi, which, grouped with two-piece sushi portions of halibut and albacore, formed a sensual starter course. Regrettably, we were still enjoying it when the entrees—shrimp tempura with vegetables and sauteed scallops that cooled suspiciously quickly—were whisked to the table. The waitress later brought the check when we’d barely begun a ginger gelato dessert. What’s the rush here? R23 is housed in a restored industrial building in the rundown but recovering Artists’ District: To enter, ascend the loading dock in an alley and enter a space with bare brick walls, candles everywhere, Gaugin-derivative paintings on the walls, and cardboard chairs (yes, that’s right) designed by Frank Gehry. There is a nice view of the skyline, and a bustling sushi bar along the back wall. First-timers beware: The menu (rife with misspellings) lists no prices for the 21 chef’s specials. We found ourselves feeling ridiculous asking, “How much for the lobster tempura? How about the rib-eye? And the eggplant?” —Eric Noland