Sushi Sang Lee — Restaurant in Gloucester

So to say the experience at Sushi Sang Lee is next level, almost seems like an understatement. And I must stress, it is the whole experience, not just the food (prep and quality!)

When you slide into the dim lit parking lot out back, trying to fund the entrance, you get a whole " speak easy' vibe. You walk into the counter, with 8 seats for the whole restaurant, all in full view of the magic to come from Chef Sang.

The 15 course meal was truly amazing, but brought to new levels by the explanation of ingredients, technique, sourcing, and more. Both by Chef Sang and also Sofia. Their knowledge was unparalleled.

Anyone that enjoys Sushi knows it is about the fish, the freshness, the prep and how it is cut. Seeing Chef Sang in his element proves this. On top of it, seeing his unique methods (from his house made Soil Sauce, to his Eel sauce, seasoning, curing, use of Kelp, and more) show how truly special the meal you're eating is.

If you are able to make it happen, it is worth it. 100% worth every penny. And I will encourage, TRY everything. if you do not think you like mackerel, or Uni, or Salmon Rowe - it is important to point out, every piece he prepared was better than like ones I have had in other restaurants, and none met pre conceived beliefs.

Omakase means " I will leave it up to you", or basically, you're putting your trust in the chef. Please trust Chef Sang And Sofia in their direction. listen, absorb, and eat how they recommend. The meal flows, is delicious, and everything is done in an order for a reason.

The Meal, the food, and the experience with Chef Sang is all well worth it, and I would 100% recommend to anyone who can. It will be THE sushi experience...

Not your typical Omakase experience if you're used to high end joints in New York, Vegas, San Francisco.

This. Is. A . Good. Thing.

The space is small, but not cramped and not fussy. There are eight seats at the bar and that's it. Once all the diners arrived, the lights were turned very low on the diners side of the bar. That was a nice sensory touch and added a little drama. It was serene. We were seated in the center and could easily converse with everyone else at the bar plus the chef, who by the way, is a really sweet guy who also takes what he's doing very seriously.

I can't remember all of the courses, but they were all very, very good. No flash. No need for gold flakes or dry ice magic. Excellent fish. Perfect rice. I'll say that again. Perfect. Rice.

The pacing was just right. We opted for the extra course, which was a toro hand roll and it was marvelous, but I struggled to finish it because I was too full.

Some of our favorites were the monk fish liver, lobster, snapper, blue fin tuna and the Naruto roll, which featured local mackerel and I think chives, cucumber, sesame seeds and, oh lord, I wish I could remember, but no rice. We've never had anything like that before. Color me surprised and delighted.

Service was friendly and operated like a well choreographed dance between the chef, assistants behind the bar and our hostess. We brought our own bottle of Sake and it was placed on ice for us and our water was never close to empty. By the way, plan ahead of you plan to BYOB as the owners of the wine store up front have retired.

We live very far away in Texas, but will do our best to make...

I can not rave about this place enough. So advanced apologies for the ramblings of a satisfied guest.

As a professional in hospitality and food service this experience checks all of the boxes. Like. This place built additional boxes and checked them off.

The food is incredible. Like life changing incredible. Every single dish that we had was the best of that thing that either me or my husband had ever had.

My husband is also a hospitality / foodservice professional who has traveled to Japan for the sole purpose of eating and training in martial arts was equally blown away. After the meal he just kept saying “it wasn’t even this good in Japan”

The thought and care that was put into each ingredient was immense. Each dish was truly a work of art.

The presentation of each bite by Sophia was at the highest level. I have been training front of house staff for about 8 years and I wish that everyone who I train could watch Sophia work. She presents everything so elegantly while connecting with each guest and providing excellent steps of service while never missing a beat.

The experience that this duo provides to each guest is one that you simply can not find anywhere else. Not at a Michelin stared restaurant, not overseas, no where. It’s is unique to this place.

I am looking forward to many more meals at...