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2017-01-09
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Posting in response to the reviews of Sushi Shin I’ve read. I understand both viewpoints, and why they seem so passionately opposed.I had dinner here the other day with one other person at the sushi counter, and we had the Omakase. At least I think we did since we weren’t given any other option. This is what we wanted anyway and is often the custom at high-end sushi joints, although I do believe you can order a la carte if you ask.I think perhaps this is where some people begin to be turned off.
I had dinner here the other day with one other person at the sushi counter, and we had the Omakase. At least I think we did since we weren’t given any other option. This is what we wanted anyway and is often the custom at high-end sushi joints, although I do believe you can order a la carte if you ask.
I think perhaps this is where some people begin to be turned off. Sushi Shin is exceedingly Japanese in décor, dress and custom; from the minimalist wood used for furniture and fixtures, the cozy and compact sushi counter, to even the outfits and demeanor of not just the sushi chefs, but the staff. However, at its heart, it is very much a Hong Kong restaurant. The staff is 100% local and the day I went, it had far more families and noise than a typical Japanese sushi restaurant. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think of this as positive or negative (except for its impact of sushi choices which I’ll get to later), but it definitely flavors how people view its authenticity and importantly, how much they’re willing to spend there. If I didn’t know the approximate range I would pay at Sushi Shin, I would be shocked at how much my meal would eventually cost, since local HK Japanese food can be very affordable.
And let me be clear; I think the meal was excellent. The fish was incredibly fresh, and the chefs are innovative and exciting in their preparation. There were at least four or five pieces of sushi, prepared in a way I’d never seen before. The kinmedai (Splendid Alfonsino aka Golden Eyed Snapper aka who comes up with these names) was very memorable. And we had many courses – I don’t think I’ve ever been so full after an Omakase meal. We probably had 11 or 12 different courses of sushi/sashimi in total, including some fruit and ice cream at the end. The chefs are also conscientious about explaining the fish used and very obliging with any questions you might have. Service in general was excellent – very attentive and made an effort to be unobtrusive.
I do have a few complaints about the food:
1)Way too much sashimi – we had 3 or 4 courses of sashimi before we even began sushi. This is irregular for a sushi-ya, and not really what we came for. The complaints I’ve read about sashimi being used to possibly jack up the price of the meal I do sadly understand. I say this although all the sashimi was excellent, and I do get that sashimi does have its fans. Again however, this may be where expectations don’t match delivery, and might lead to resentment (especially at these prices).
2)Unbalanced fish selection based on what I can only ascribe to accommodating more casual tastes. This is obviously a generalization but based on anecdotal sushi demand – the general preference is for creamy, rich, heavy fish/cuts of fish, and a connection between cost and richness e.g. Toro is rich which means it and fish that taste like it should be expensive.
Almost all of our sushi was either very rich itself (fatty tuna), prepared to make it richer (seared olive flounder), or both (seared tuna cheek was insane - both in a good and bad way). This is of course a personal taste preference but after a delicious sashimi course of horse mackerel (I think?) near the start, there was not a single piece of unadulterated light sushi (shining fish (hikarimono) or white colored fish (shiromi dane), for the rest of the meal. I’ve always found balance to be key to the satisfaction of sushi meals: the 5th piece of seared fish belly is just not as enjoyable as five different pieces of fish.
All in all, I get why people don’t like this place. My meal cost about 1600 per person with one beer. By any measure that isn’t cheap, and is probably a ~20% premium to a similar meal in Tokyo or even New York. Further, the bill, as Omakase never is, was not itemized, and given the price, might have been a bit of a shock.
However, I also understand why people do like this place. We had plenty of excellent sushi/sashimi, the service was top-notch, sushi chefs were skilled and charming, and for another perspective of the pricing; given how overpriced HK is in general for good food, a 20% premium isn’t actually that bad for top quality (though quite heavy) sushi.
All in all, I think if you know what you’re in for when you go, you will not leave disappointed.
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