Nishiazabu Sushi Shin — Restaurant in Tokyo

Very conflicted about this one. The restaurant felt disjointed. We arrive early, but not much (15 minutes). The prior service had yet to be cleared. Apologies were made and we were seated. The noise from the kitchen was loud and as the night progressed we learned the cleaning and clanging of the kitchen was part of the meal.

The service was good but not excellent. It was odd to receive superior & very attentive service at any number of noodle shops and feel as if this Michelin starred restaurant was somehow missing the mark. Everything was very routine and borderline rude. i.e. - "Would you like miso? It is extra."... "This is the last piece. Do not expect dessert, we do not serve it."

So...the food. There were excellent pieces of fish. There were piece of fish that, while I'm certain were a very high expression of the cut, were simply bland (thinking of you flounder). I felt as if my date and I were offered the beginner's course. The other three sets of diners were served more adventurous dishes while we received three pieces of tuna. I get it... we're Westerners and you have low expectations of our palate but.... unacceptable. Notice our discussions, engage us or simply ask.

Overall the food was very good. We had a very fine pieces of pike, uni & ikura. The chef's mastery of technique was self-evident. He was a joy to watch. That said, I thought the miso up-sell on $600 tab was tightfisted and I did leave hungry. Which leads to the value discussion....

Perhaps $250 a head is simply what it cost to eat premium sushi in Tokyo. I don't know. I do know that I've had better overall experiences at that price point and much better meals in Japan for substantially less. Given the difference between this and a standard sushi-ya I expected an equivalent upgrade in the experience. I didn't find it.

A meal at this price point should be perfect. While good, this particular meal was not. I wouldn't make another visit and I wouldn't recommend a friend drop the loot for this experience.

We left Japan reminiscing of our kaiseki experience in Kyoto and raman from the subway and I think that says it all. Hope...

My girlfriend and I went with the 25000 yen dinner omakase and had an excellent experience. The interior of the restaurant is beautiful and understated, and it doesn't have the oppressively serious atmosphere of some high-end sushi shops. After settling in, all diners at the counter were laughing, conversing, and having a great time. They have an excellent and reasonably-priced selection of sake that is served in beautiful carafes. You even get to choose which glass you would like to use to drink your sake out of, all of which are unique and beautiful.

The sushi was very good. As some other reviewers have noted, if you are a foreigner they seem to assume that this is your first time having high-end sushi, so they tend to stray away from giving you anything too adventurous. There were two instances in our evening when Japanese couples who were paying the same amount as us got a more unusual cut of fish. But it was hard to be unhappy with this since each piece we had was still extraordinary. There were also two parties there who were clearly regulars - these people conversed openly with the chef and were given completely different meals. Again, I can see why this turns some people off but it was hard to be too upset since we aren't regulars! It made sense that we got a more basic flight of sushi.

The single complaint I have about the food, something that only an ultra-elite sushi nerd would care about, is that the rice is not quite as fresh as you'll find in other high-end nigiri. In many shops like this the chef will constantly ask an apprentice to get fresh rice throughout the night. This didn't happen once during our 2.5 hour meal and it slightly showed.

FYI, this shop is very English-friendly and is one of the easier spots of this caliber to get a reservation in Tokyo. Highly...

To be honest, we chose this place to try omakase because they allow children to dine in and also fit in our trip schedule. So we give it a try. But we have to book a private room. So when we entered, the whole restaurant was separated into different rooms and because the hallway was very small, it felt quite unpleasant. The food was so so. The major upset was the rice. They put way too much vinegar, so the sour taste was too strong; most of the time, it overrided the taste of the sashimi on top. So after a few pieces, we tasted without the rice, and the sashimi were fresh and yummy, especially the urchin and the red shrimp. Although the waitress was nice and food were serving fast, I would not recommend anyone with children to come to this place. Firstly, the room is very small, and not easy for them to sit with that tatami setting. Secondly, the food choice for young children is really less. Either egg roll, deep fried shrimp roll, or cucumber roll. Thirdly, the steps to the toilet were really steep, quite dangerous to go in my opinion. Overall, the price is on the high side and to have this kind of quality you don't have to go for omakase just a regular sushi...