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| - 3.5 Stars.
Well, I'm not sure whether to cross Shuhei off of my Japanese run restaurant list. The servers and two sushi chefs that I met on my two visits were not Japanese... but the owner, Hiroshi, is. At least one of the hostesses is also Japanese. Compared to Sushi Rock and Pacific East, this is a much more traditional joint.
On both occasions, we went for Moriawase nigiri combinations, with some Morimoto beers. The second visit, I tried the Ramen (no options, only ramen), a seared Yellowtail platter, Agedashi tofu, oshinko, squid, tataki and ... something else that eludes me.
All preparations were "more" japanese, but the Ramen included peppers and a number of flavour elements that were more suggestive of the continent, or south east asia. Agedashi tofu used a dilute Ponzu sauce, without the usual garnishes. Still, the crisp skin was reasonably managed.
Sushi quality wasn't too bad... Better than Pacific East, and a little worse than Sushi Rock in terms of freshness. I did not inquire as to their ship dates, so I don't know whether the Sushi represented the fresh end or old end of their stock.
The rice bed was a tad soggy for my taste, but held together well. Not a lot tartness.
Wasabi was from the tube, I think... given the consistency.
Decor is a bit low key, reminiscent of the slew of Japanese restaurants built in the late 80's.
Will I be back? Probably. But I still haven't found that one nihonshoku-ya that will be getting my regular patronage.
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