SHINGO — Restaurant in Coral Gables

SUMMARY: At this price point, STAY AWAY if you are used to traditional omakase in Japan or NYC!!! Lacks the intimacy and true omakase experience you will expect. They don't know if their identity is a high end intimate experience (decor and price) or a party omakase (batch produced sushi, 8 customers per chef, loud groups, flash photography allowed).

DETAILS: HARD TO FIND - You can't easily find it from the street. You have to wander around the block to figure it out. The valet from the nearby French restaurant has to help you figure it out. CHEF ATTENTION - If you have done higher end intimate omakases in Japan or NYC, you are used to an intimate customer to chef experience, where the ratio of customer to chef is usually 2-4 customers per chef. Here it is 8 customers to 1 chef. Very impersonal and leads to #3. ASSEMBLY LINE SUSHI - Because of large customer to chef ratio, they don't take the care that other high end omakases do cut the fish in front of you and prepare the course. Since each chef has to prepare for so many people, they PRE-CUT / BATCH ALL THE FISH IN THE BACK and just do the final rice preparation in front of you. You see more sushi production sitting at a local sushi bar. Ridiculous. See photos. NOT A QUIET OMAKASE - They sat a very loud group of people next to us. We couldn't hear ourselves, let along what the chef was saying about each course. At one point, a lady in the group was Facetiming someone at the table. No one said anything to them. Traditional omakases at expensive price points don't allow this, as it disturbs other customers. FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY ALLOWED - The guy next to us brought in a big camera and a hand held flash! Every time we wanted to eat a course, he was pulling out that big ol flash so that he could get the "perfect" shot of the fish. No one said anything to him. Once again, ZERO CARE about the customer experience of others. See photo. HIGH PRESSURE UPSELLING - I specifically sent a note prior to them saying I did not want alcohol. They proceed to have two separate people ask if we want the sake pairing. They also put this menu with prices of additional items in front of you near the end which is embarrassing at this price point and number of courses. Traditional omakeses rarely do this. Party ones do. Probably should've brought out a shot menu too. CONFUSING THEME - They need to decide if they want to be a traditional omakase or a party omakase. The interior and sushi preparation wants to be traditional. You do not get the modern truffle, weird sauces, blow torch action here. That's completely fine and appropriate. But, then also do not allow the groups to also be super loud, use flashes, and make a party out of it. Decide how you want your restaurant...

Secluded in the historical and charming Las Palmas Hotel in the heart of Coral Gables, Shingo is the Japanese experience that pays homage to its hometown culture by bringing the best in art, culinary gastronomy, and colorful flowering arrangements. Their intimate setup serves as the perfect reserved area to host their all-hands warming Japanese service. Impressed by their welcoming spirit (very typical of their Japanese characteristic), the positive vibes and good aura will bless you with the correct mood to enjoy their delightful bites Salmon or Tuna Teka Maki, meticulously cut and seasoned by the acclaimed Michelin Award Chef, Shingo itself. Who will always make sure to sprinkle the right amount of soy sauce on each roll piece. One of the lovely owners and hosts, Kaori, will guide you through the sophisticated drink selections, not limited to their classic Sakes (Junkai Ginjo Kikusul or the well-balanced between bitter and crisp: Shintaro, or the Karakushi Honjozo), but also including the finest Valée (75 Mois de Cave) champagne, or a more Italian Bianco del Maestro Mastropietro White wine. All of them pair very well with their bites, but for me, the top winner is their organic raw matcha, for the first time, I really felt I was drinking the legit one, as it tasted so natural that you could really absorb all of its ingredients and tea flavoring. Their handcrafted art offering is composed of delicate pieces of vases that vary from flower bases, tea servers, or useful bowls; all of them are offered for sale; which makes perfect sense to hold any of the colorful flower arrangments curated by Shingo’s flower girls. ありがとう Shingo and team for taking us to the soul of Japan in the middle of...

TLDR: A decent omakase, not yet mind blowing, should improve.

The centerpiece of Shingo's interior is it's long one piece wood counter top, but it might be too long for its own good. It's too long for a single chef, and so looses some of the private intimate feel that smaller omakase places have. Pacing of the meal could be slightly improved, total service time was around 2:30. The menu could do with another hot course, which would help to buffer the time.

Nigiri offerings were fairly typical. It would be nice to see more variety here especially in the bonus ala carte menu which consisted entirely of previous course repeats. The local sashimi course (yellowtail?&grouper) was not particularly appealing. I didn't care for the miso soup, it was more bouillabaisse than dashi with a red miso. Tasty but perhaps out of place?

The back wall is dark and bare, perhaps some art or veneer would make the place feel more furnished.

All in all its is nice to have a good omakase spot in Coral Gables. It will be interesting to see how...