TAKA SHIN — Restaurant in Palm Springs

After years of hearing this restaurant from my Japanese patient who also works there, my spouse and I finally went there this evening for our authentic Japanese fix! This is because we have been researching a ryokan in Kyoto/Tokyo area in our upcoming 2-weeks Japanese cruise with Silversea in Spring 2023 for Sakura appreciation. It is of course delayed from this past Spring due to COVID.

We are accustomed to authentic Japanese cuisine, having visited Japan many times for my spouse, lived in South Bay Torrance, where many Japanese business people live. Moving to the desert and finding quality Asian cuisine is always a challenge.

Fortunately, this is not the case for Japanese sushi anymore. If you are looking for REAL JAPANESE sushi restaurant, this is it!

Tonight, we started the dinner with Asaki clam miso soup, shrimp/veggie tempura, chawanmushi. For entree, my spouse had toro, hamachi, albacore sashimi and I had Taka Shin special Chirashizushi. We were so impressed with the quality that we added soft shell crab karaage and miso seabass.

Pros: food quality is superb. The clam miso soup is fresh and umami, and tempura is as good as a tempura bar at Shinjuku train station. Chawanmushi was a pleasant surprise with gelatin-like texture with creamy egg plus all sort of seafood and meat. Toro was as smooth as butter while my sashimi quality was equally great. What sold me on this restaurant is their sushi rice which most restaurant can’t get it right. Of course, the soft shell crab too was awesome. I thought the miso seabass is more flavorful than the one served on Crystal cruise Nobu restaurant. I also enjoy Japanese inspired background music and minimal contemporary design with few photos reminding our good memory in Japan: Gold Pagoda in Kyoto, wild school of cranes in Hokkaido, red Shinto temple gate, etc.

Cons: I have not found one yet.

Cost: it’s a bit pricey but expected for this top notch quality.

We already are thinking about returning next week with friends.

Kudos to the team!...

When we entered, the place was filled with a strong smell of chlorine. The tables were positioned very close to the bathrooms as it's a small establishment. The sushi bar's refrigerator had fewer pieces of fish. The portions were smaller than the usual serving size. I ordered a seaweed salad and a shrimp tempura appetizer, both of which were incredibly small and thin, almost the size of my finger.

We also ordered a rainbow roll and a California roll, but they were not well-made. As soon as you picked up a piece, it would break apart because they used half the normal paper. You can see it in the picture, and it made it difficult to enjoy each bite. On the positive side, the fish and crab were fresh and of good quality.

Another issue was in the kitchen; one of the employees wasn't wearing a hairnet and had all his hair exposed, while another had a cap on backward. Additionally, I witnessed one of the waiters touch the placemats, and I didn't see him wash his hands afterward. My overall experience was not the best, and the waiter kept explaining that the sushi chef was facing delays...

One thing any restaurant needs to do is compare what their patrons could get elsewhere for the same price. I have no huge objection to the food I was served, it was fine if not exceptional. For $50 I got one average glass of Chardonnay, a very small spider roll and four pieces of shrimp tempura. I do not have a huge appetite but actually left a little hungry. I dined as a single person and was not checked on once during the meal. From the get-go I was told that there would be a delay in getting my food as there was only one sushi chef serving the entire restaurant. I understand with Covid that it’s been difficult to hire people so I don’t hold that against the restaurant. I was informed. Unfortunately,I’m gonna take my 50 bucks and eat a lot better somewhere...