SHINN EAST — Restaurant in New York

The freckling trend of the personalized omakase experiences dot each NYC street with a new offerings, diversified by price structures, ingredient source, adventurousness, and ambience. Shinn East swiftly serves a dilettantish, 15-round series of maki & nigiri for $65, the affordable end of the spectrum, in a warm setting with attentive service.

Our reservation registered for 9pm on a Thursday, but we were seated at approximately 9:30pm. No worries though as it seemed a trio of besties were just finishing their final round of sake, and I would have only hoped for similar patience to finish and enjoy our meal when I sat down with my crew. Though very little instruction is given upon taking our places nor is there a menu to confirm the evening's choices, Chef Mike promptly slides the circular ash slab and its associated mountain of pickled ginger at your chosen position. Noah, the less graceful of our trio, inhaled his entire ginger mound with two jabs of his chopsticks. I was happy he was enjoying himself. Dissimilarly, a frowning couple sat a social-distance away from us, fearing our ever-growing and crude guffaws as we began the evening's multiple courses.

For beverages, we enjoyed the most affordable sake, served in small, psychedelic, painted glass bowls as well and an equally trippy matcha-infused dark-green beer in iced mugs.

Calm, bright yellow lighting illuminated the crevices of each careful fish cut. The initial piece of hamachi stunned with its deep and fleshy pink and purple hues and meaty size. A profound start to the series, which varied somewhat in style and strategies as it continued. Some choices were less memorable compared to the starting hamachi, whose profundity came with the statement made by the fish itself and less by the garnish or sauce, which disturbed later bites, like the acidic spicy yuzu or the torched mushroom. The final hand-roll arrived sloppily. Throughout the meal, our waitress regularly refilled our green teas, and despite some of aforementioned criticisms, we certainly had a good time and enjoyed every bite. I can't recommend Shinn East as the end-all be-all sushi experience, but for $65/pp, you'll have a wonderful...

I visited Shinn East for their omakase during lunchtime on a weekday, and it was a pleasant experience. There were only two parties dining (including myself), so it was very peaceful and quiet, allowing us to fully enjoy our meal without the usual lunchtime rush. The atmosphere was calm, which made for a very relaxed and enjoyable meal.

Our server was fantastic—attentive, friendly, and efficient. They kept our glasses full throughout the meal, and their timing between courses was just right, ensuring we had a seamless dining experience.

The omakase itself was moderately paced, with limited interaction from the chef. While I personally enjoy a bit more conversation during an omakase experience, I understand that this style suits some diners more. There's nothing wrong with the pacing; it's just an observation.

The value for the price was exceptional. At $69 for 13 courses, the omakase is very affordable, and there’s even an option to add additional courses towards the end if you're still hungry. It felt like a great deal, especially considering the quality of the ingredients.

As for the courses, they were quite good. The menu included - Hamachi Madai Botan Uni Ikura Zuke Akami Chu Toro Toro Caviar Hotate Saba Kanpachi Salmon Unagi Toro hand-roll

Each piece of nigiri was made with a fresh cut of fish, and the flavors were clean and delicate. My personal favorites were the Botan Uni, O Toro Caviar, Ikura, Chu Toro, and Hotate. Each was perfectly prepared and stood out for its freshness and taste.

Overall, Shinn East offers an affordable, high-quality omakase experience, and I would highly recommend it for anyone looking to indulge in sushi without...

Chef Mike serves up a good value and fairly casual sushi omakase experience, with a playful take on nigiri, though ultimately has room for refinement.

We had lunch here for $65 before tip and tax for 12 nigiri pieces and a hand roll, representing excellent value within the NYC sushi scene. The menu in order was:

Hamachi (amberjack) Medai (sea bream) Botan Uni (botan prawn with sea urchin) Ikura (house marinated salmon roe) Zuke Akami (marinated lean tuna) Chutoro (tuna belly) Ootoro Caviar (fatty tuna belly) Hotatte (scallop) Miyazaki Wagyu Foie Gras (beef) Uni (sea urchin from Hokkaido) Salmon Unagi (freshwater eel) Negitoro hand roll (minced tuna)

There was some flow to the menu, though I found it perhaps too repetitive in the use of uni in today's menu (the Saba was not available and was replaced with the Wagyu). The nigiri combinations were interesting, such as the sea bream with the skin-side seared with a touch of yuzu and salt, the chu-toro with pickled wasabi(?) and the botan-uni bite; but some felt perhaps a bit too experimental or even excessive, which I found muted the taste of the ingredients. Some were too heavy in a bite and didn't showcase the ingredients to their fullest potential, such as the seared Ootoro with caviar and gold leaf, or the salmon with Foie Gras and shiso flower. I'd have loved to see some added refinement in the nigiri designs. Though perhaps I am too critical, seeing that I appreciated the fun use of different ingredients, which made for an enjoyable and casual experience.

I hope Shinn East continues to be bold in their creations and critical in their pursuit of their ideal...