sushi kinsen – redwood city

not a starred spot but somewhere i've been hoping to check out for a while. as a huge fan of edomae-style, i was thrilled to come here for my birthday tonight.

food:

1. sunomono, ebi, cucumber, mozuku (?) – i believe this was botan ebi, but i honestly cannot remember. sunomono is one of my favorite things in general, so this was right up my alley. the texture of the seaweed was fantastic, and the acidity in the dressing was spot on.
2. hairy crab, uni, apple – the hairy crab itself was succulent and sweet, with the uni as a very light touch. honestly, there wasn't a ton of uni in the dish, which was to be expected, but it added just enough contrast against the sweetness of the apples.
3. seared fish, tokyo negi, shiso – i cannot remember the name of this fish, but it was so tender. it dissolved in your mouth with each bite, and it came with a housemade soy sauce that, frankly, i'd happily drink by the barrel. a well-judged balance of flavors and just stellar execution in how the fish was grilled – giving it a lovely smoky char while staying buttery-soft.
4. clear soup #1 – meant to be a palate cleanser. the fish was delicate and the broth was light and lovely.
5. ikura, pomegranate – i believe the ikura was marinated, but i can't say for certain. i really liked this one, even though i'm not usually big on ikura. it was a fun dish, with juiciness bursting from every bite.
6. unknown fish #1 – unfortunately i don't actually recall which fish this was – it definitely wasn't bad, but i think it got overshadowed by the next item. if i remember right, this was a fish that called for a lot of chewing, not because it was tough, but because it was meant to be worked on for a while? chewy yet still pillowy, if that makes sense. i actually compared it to a bubs swedish candy to my boyfriend, in that it stayed soft but you could keep chewing it for a long stretch before it finally gave way. reminded me a little of raw scallop.
7. tilefish, its liver, chives – this might've been one of my favorite bites of the night, easily top three. the tilefish had a nice bite to it, but the liver – its own liver! – was the perfect accompaniment, making it rich, unctuous, almost buttery. i also loved the chives, which lent an almost garlicky note rather than the typical negi you'd expect as the allium of choice in an omakase.
8. chutoro, warm rice, sea salt – oh my god. this was served slightly warmer than regular sushi rice, which helps render the fat from the chutoro, so it genuinely melts on your tongue the second it touches. the salt on top gave it extra oomph, reminiscent of finishing salt on a steak.
9. kohada (gizzard shad) – good. solid. not my favorite piece but far from bad.
10. kumamoto uni – honestly the best thing i ate tonight. visually it's unassuming. chef li prepares the uni by soaking it in slightly salty water, which makes it incredibly sweet, though you do lose a bit of textural integrity in the process. still, i could've eaten a million of these. as someone who leans toward the sweeter santa barbara uni, this blew every other uni i've had out of the water.
11. chawanmushi, matsutake mushroom – i'm a sucker for chawanmushi, and this is easily one of the best i've ever had. silky smooth, full of flavor, with the matsutake lending a welcome earthiness.
12. unknown fish #2 – again, not bad, perfectly decent. i unfortunately just cannot remember what it was.
13. aka ebi (argentine red shrimp) – probably one of the biggest shrimp i've ever seen. super sweet, very meaty, just delicious.
14. hokkaido uni, bluefin tuna, takuan pickle – as much as i love uni, this wasn't my favorite dish. the hokkaido uni was exactly as expected – very oceanic. the bluefin was fine, the takuan was fine, i just personally found the shiso leaf a little overwhelming (not being a shiso person). this isn't usually served, but since the restaurant is celebrating its first year, it was complimentary.
15. shima aji (striped jack) – i love shima aji, so this was just a damn good bite. \* this may just be aji as i have the memory of also an aji.*
16. tako (octopus) – also partial to tako in general, so no complaints here. the grated sudachi zest took it to a whole new level, though.
17. clear soup #2 (not pictured) – another palate cleanser, this time with more matsutake mushroom.
18. barracuda – this was a supplement. my boyfriend and i wanted to try it, and while we're glad we did, we probably wouldn't order it again.
19. kinmedai (golden eye snapper) – i thought this bite was quite good. didn't expect it to be charred, though i enjoyed it. my boyfriend picked up a bit of a fishy aftertaste, but i didn't notice that myself.
20. tamago, aka ebi, chestnuts – i am tamago's #1 fan. the chestnut here was an interesting addition that i quite liked. compared to other tamago soufflés, i actually prefer this drier version, since i've had some that lean quite wet and dashi-forward.
21. non-dairy coconut ice cream, monaka, fruit – some of the best coconut ice cream i think i've had. as a non-lactose-intolerant asian, i genuinely am in love with dairy, but this was good enough that i didn't miss it at all. super creamy, and the monaka stayed nice and crisp.

thoughts:

service was highly personable and warm, which i think tends to be the norm at fine dining japanese establishments. it seemed like everyone there (other than my partner and me) was a regular or returning customer. chef li is so incredibly talented, and i'm continually amazed by the dedication and training it takes to do what he does.
unrelated but cute: since it was my birthday, they made a point to bring it up more than once, and i got a lovely handwritten card to take home.

tl;dr:

coming from a landlocked city, i am always thrilled to have good sushi, even if the cost ran a little higher than i anticipated (thanks to the supplements).

next year, i may try yoshizumi (if i can get in) but i’d happily return to sushi kinsen for my annual celebration.