Hoei L.
Yelp
Ambiance ****
Reservation only, with no sign at the front other than a wood plank with a couple of kanji letters on the frosted window to the right of the door. Interior was sparsely decorated, simple, modest, neat, and clean. 8 Bar seats, and I think only up to 8x 2-tops that can be arranged to accommodate larger groups, but I think the place is really intended more for couples and smaller groups. Similar feel to Restaurant Gish. Open kitchen, though can't really see the chefs' tables from where we were.
Service *****
Impeccable. Courteous, friendly. We made our reservation for 3 Omakase and 1 A'la Carte, decided to switch it to 2-2 at the restaurant, accepted without any fuss. For drinks we tried 3 different teas, each came as in its own pot. Servers kept the pots refilled at all time until the end. Smooth transition from one plate to the next for the omakase. Excellent introduction to each. I should record the explanation so I can remember some of the details.
Only one shared restroom. If it was not vacant, they'd ask you to wait at your table, they kept track of the queue and let you know when it's available.
Quality *****
Start to end, it was great. Satisfying. Unlike other high-end sushi/omakase place that I have tried so far, I did not have the urge to fill-up somewhere else afterward. When searching for a good sushi place, I want to either try something new that I haven't had before or very high quality fish/seafood, at a price point that reflects the experience or quality. Sushi Jin met those.
The fish/seafood were fresh, there was no fishy after taste at all, and new experience for me. One flight of sashimi plate had Barracuda, Flying fish, and I think mackerel belly that was soft and tasty very unlike any mackerel I've ever had before. Another flight had different types of mackerel. And we opted to add the Uni tasting plate that was price relatively high but we thought it was worth it. The finishing touch of creme brulee infused with sake was also new to me.
Presentation was as expected for omakase-style sushi, nothing fancy.
Price & Tipping Practice *****
We thought that for the quality, service and experience, it was a pretty good deal. 20% Tips were mandatory for group of 6 or more, optional otherwise. Waiter left the PoS on the table and did not check until after we were halfway out the door.
Pretty sure we will be back to try out a few items that were not part of the omakase.