Update 1:
It had been awhile since our last visit to Shin Sushi, time for a revisit!
Chef-Owner Taketoshi Azumi is hard at work, preparing our opening course when we arrive.
Suehiro Ken - The Sword - Daiginjo Sake (Fukushima, Japan):
Suehiro’s Daiginjo has always been a reliable Sake. We first enjoyed this back at Kiriko on Sawtelle years ago. It’s approachable, summer fruits, sweetness, but balanced with something earthy perhaps, and a clean finish.
Sake fans will be happy to know Take-san has expanded his Sake menu now, to include a few major standouts, including the venerable Tatsuriki Brewery.
Opening Course:
Hotaru Ika - Firefly Squid - Toyama, Japan:
Served with Karashimiso (Japanese Mustard and Miso Sauce), the Hotaru Ika (Firefly Squid) is becoming a signature item for Take-san (as we’ve seen it on most of our visits). It’s ultra-tender, slippery, silky.
Iso Tsubugai - Sea Whelk - Hokkaido, Japan:
Firm, with a slight chew, but sufficiently tender, nicely seasoned (just a delicate savory touch).
Wasabi Tofu:
Housemade Tofu, silky, smooth and topped simply with freshly-grated Wasabi Root. It exuded a strong Soybean flavor.
Sawagani - Japanese River Crab:
The adorable little Crab posing on the plate is Deep Fried Sawagani, or Japanese River Crab. It’s been fried at a high enough temperature that its shell becomes brittle enough to eat whole, like Soft-Shell Crab, but crunchier.
This was a great pairing with the Suehiro Daiginjo Sake.
Toro no Kunsei (Smoked Fatty Tuna Belly) + Takuan no Kunsei / Iburigakko (Smoked Pickled Daikon Radish):
Local Sushi fans might be able to spot the influence that Maru-san (Mori Sushi) had on Take-san, as this bite is something straight outta Mori Sushi’s Zensai Course. But it’s an outstanding item there, so how would this version turn out?
Smoky, luscious, fatty. The Toro no Kunsei and Takuan no Kunsei were both very enjoyable and a nice Sake pairing. 
But if you look very closely, we both felt that Maru-san’s preparation at Mori Sushi was just that much better, more intense, more refined, more flavorful as well.
Kanidofu - Crab-Infused Housemade Tofu:
For the 2nd Tofu preparation, Take-san makes a Kanidofu, or Tofu infused with Crab, in-house. This was nicely oceanic, tasting of Crab essence, but still maintaining a silkiness in the Housemade Tofu.
The overall Opening Course was fun, a great opener, and it feels like a signature of L.A. Sushi these days. It doesn’t top Maru-san at Mori Sushi, but this Opening Course is still enjoyable and a great start to our meal.
Madai Kobujime - Red Snapper Marinated in Kelp:
Take-san starts off our Nigiri Sushi course with Madai (Japanese Sea Bream) marinated in Kelp. It’s pleasingly light, with a delicate chew; a nice way to set the palate.
One of the marks of a great Sushi Chef that we enjoy is being able to hold a good conversation with the customer. What makes Take-san standout from many of the local Itamae is his friendly, gregarious personality. He loves chatting it up with the customer.
He shares a story of how he and Yoshi-san (Chef-Owner of Kaneyoshi Sushi) are good friends, and they’ve great friends since working together back in Osaka. Neat.
Kasugodai - Baby Red Snapper - Shizuoka, Japan:
The next piece was a nice contrast in flavor and texture of the same Fish essentially: Kasugodai is a Baby Red Snapper as Take-san puts it, and it was a nice way to explore the differences between this younger version of the Fish and the previous adult version (in the Madai).
This one was wrapped with a Sakura Leaf which lent it that gorgeous florality that only Sakura can impart.
Kurodai - Black Snapper - Chiba, Japan:
Outstanding! 
That perfect balance of lean and fatty, but with a more taut meat than something like Toro. One of the highlights of the meal. 
Hotate - Scallop - Hokkaido, Japan:
Served with a touch of Yuzu citrus, today’s Hokkaido Scallop was very good. Silky, tender, supple.
Tatsuriki - Yokawa Yoneda - Junmai Daiginjo Sake (Hyogo, Japan):
In a massive upgrade from Shin Sushi’s original Sake menu (when he only had 2 selections), we’re happy to see Take-san take our recommendation to heart a few years back, to add Tatsuriki. Yokawa Yoneda Junmai Daiginjo has come recommended by a few friends, and I was excited to try this finally. It was crisp, with a lot of depth, but it surprisingly had a bit of an alcoholic tinge, before settling down and finishing smooth. Perhaps it was a bad bottle, or that is the style.
But given that, we much prefer Tatsuriki’s flagship Akitsu Junmai Daiginjo, which Mori Sushi carries, as well as Nihon no Sakura Junmai Daiginjo. Again, it was enjoyable, but compared to the other 2 Tatsuriki we’ve had, this was our 3rd favorite.
Hon Maguro - Bluefin Tuna - Mexico:
This was a solid preparation for it. Not the best we’ve had, but just fine.
Yuki Masu - Snow Trout - Nagano, Japan:
Another signature item of Shin Sushi these days is Yuki Masu, or Snow Trout. In fact, we haven’t seen this offered at any of the other local top Sushi-yas, so it’s a nice touch that Take-san is establishing. The Yuki Masu on this visit was flawless. The best version we’ve had in our ~5 - 6 visits. I loved the light torching on top, imparting a smokiness, as well as the inherent fattiness and lean meat balance of the Snow Trout. Highlight of the evening!
Miso Fish Bone Broth:
And Take-san takes different types of Fish bones on this visit and cooks this down for hours so it’s almost like a rich “Tonkotsu Broth” in a way, but with Fish. It’s lightly smoky, surprisingly rich and luscious.
Menegi - Tokyo Green Onions - Japan:
We’re glad to see the Menegi return. It’s seemingly “basic” but the thin Tokyo Green Onions are amazing, Spring-like, refreshing and it resets the palate.
Shima Aji - Striped Jack - Miyagi, Japan:
Very good, a nice firmness, but still nicely balanced.
Ohtoro - Fattiest Tuna Belly - Mexico:
Take-san flash grills this over Binchotan charcoal to help release some of the oils. The result is a smoky, super fatty, decadent bite of Ohtoro, a different way to experience it.
It should be noted, Take-san’s Shari, his Sushi Rice, is fine. We like the balanced usage of Vinegar, and it’s not overcooked, but it’s definitely not as standout as Maru-san’s fantastic Rice at Mori Sushi, as a point of comparison. Still, it’s sufficient.
Donchichi Aji - Special Spanish Mackerel - Shimane, Japan:
Take-san shares about how the Aji (Spanish Mackerel) that he’s serving on this visit is a special variation called Donchichi Aji, which is a higher quality Aji, fattier as well. This was quite good, and there definitely tasted a bit more of a lush quality to it.
Botan Ebi - Botan Shrimp Aged 2 Days - Santa Barbara, U.S.A.:
This was unusual in that it was aged 2 days before serving. Take-san confides in us that he doesn’t like the meat texture of an instantly dispatched Live Spot Prawn (that we usually see at various local Sushi joints), so he gets the Live Spot Prawns from Santa Barbara, dispatches them, but then lets it age 2 days before serving it. He feels the texture is better.
And taking a bite: It is indeed less “muscular” and less firm and taut, it has a nice mouthfeel, softened a bit, but we actually prefer the freshly dispatched Live Botan Ebi more.
Ji Kinmedai - Golden Eye Snapper - Chiba, Japan:
This Ji Kinme (Special Golden Eye Snapper) is also finished lightly grilled over Binchotan charcoal imparting a nice smokiness. Lovely flavors with the natural light fat & lean portions. It’s also quite flavorful in general, but not overly oily like Hikarimono (Silver Skinned Fish).
Bafun Uni - Sea Urchin - Hokkaido, Japan:
This was the one miss of the evening: One of the worst pieces of Uni we’ve had in years(!). 
It was just going bad, having a very heavy stench of bad ocean water. This was not pleasant. 
It shouldn’t have been served.
Tamago - Egg:
And the mark of the end of the Omakase meal, Take-san brings out his Homemade Tamago (Egg), prepared Omelette-style, mixed with Ume (Japanese Plum). This was fragrant, piquant savory and just one of the better Tamago we’ve had in a while.
Yuki Masu - Snow Trout - Nagano, Japan (Part 2):
The Yuki Masu (Snow Trout) was so good we had to order another round just to experience it again. And… just as stunning as the first bite earlier! Smoky, fatty, pleasing mouthfeel. Wonderful!
Torotaku Temaki - Fatty Tuna Belly mixed with Smoked Pickled Daikon Radish Hand Roll:
Normally a Torotaku Handroll is amazing already. But when Take-san takes Fatty Tuna Belly and chops it up with his Housemade Takuan no Kunsei (Smoked Pickled Daikon Radish)? You have magic!
It’s decadent, luscious, fatty, high-quality Toro (Fatty Tuna Belly), chopped and minced with the crunchiness of Takuan, but it’s smoked! So you get crunchy and light smoky, and all wrapped up in a decent Nori wrapper (not crispy enough like Maru-san’s legendary Nori), and you have another highlight of the evening!
Tofu Mousse Kuromitsu:
Another signature of Shin Sushi, Take-san makes his own Tofu Mousse in-house, which results in a light, airy texture that indeed seems like a traditional “Mousse” but it’s made with Tofu(!). It’s finished with a Kuromitsu (a Japanese Black Sugar Syrup).
Shin Sushi continues to deliver a solid Sushi Omakase experience. In comparison with the rest of the top tier Sushi bars in L.A., it doesn’t surpass the best, but it’s Top 5 for a few key reasons. First, the heart and soul of the restaurant, Chef-Owner Taketoshi Azumi. Take-san is affable, warm, outgoing, really fun to chat with and he’s a jokester. He makes you feel welcome and livens up the evening just by himself, even if no one else wants to talk. That’s one of the great things about finding your favorite Sushi Bars: Building that rapport and Take-san is the most gregarious of all the top Itamae in L.A., bar none.
Secondly, the overall value: For the quality of the Fish you are getting (and solid Shari), there are enough highlights here to warrant repeat visits, especially for the price of his Omakase, which right now during the pandemic and supply chain issues and price hikes everywhere lands in the ~$170 - $200 range. Most of the unproven places in L.A. (new Sushi-ya, those without a Michelin Star and those that are just hype) start at $250 per person now. And certain top places command $350 - 400 per person. In light of the industry right now, Shin Sushi is a bargain, and deserving of its 1 Michelin Star.
We hope Take-san continues to hone his craft, improve the Fish selection and perhaps branch out to more Shellfish, and build out his Sake menu some more, but for overall value and the chance to chat and learn / hear stories from Take-san? Shin Sushi remains a charming local favorite.
Shin Sushi
16573 Ventura Blvd.
Encino, CA 91436
Tel: (818) 616-4148
