Cody P.
Google
I’ve been wanting to try Sushi Yuen for a couple years now, after a friend recommended it to me, but had always been a little late to get a reservation. Luckily, I found a spot on a Wednesday night at 5:30pm. I had walked past Sushi Yuen’s wooden door many times, and finally I would be able to go inside!
The inside feels simple, yet refined and classy. There is a single intimate bar, seating about 10 people. There were 7 guests total during our seating time - many of which seemed to be regulars and know the chef, Chef Ryan. Chef Ryan was kind, friendly, and humble. He had a lot of knowledge of his ingredients and seasonality. “This fish is from here. This fish can only be eaten during this season. Winter is the best because the fish are bigger.” Listening to him was interesting, and I learned a lot about sushi. For reference we dined in September, so our menu was “summer going into fall.”
My favorite bite of the night was the sawara - king mackerel, which Chef Ryan described as having properties more similar to tuna than mackerel. These properties definitely reflected in the taste of the sawara.. Rather than the salty brine we usually associate with mackerel, this fish was buttery, clean, and slightly sweet. As a tuna enthusiast, I really liked it. If I had the option to, I would’ve asked for another piece. Speaking of tuna, I also liked the chopped toro handroll with pickled radish. There was a freshness to it similar to that of negitoro that I really liked. I found the akami and the settoro, however, just decent in comparison to other tuna I’ve had at lower price points. It was my first time hearing of and having settoro. Chef Ryan describes it as having a leanness between that of akami and chuutoro. Chuutoro is one of my favorite pieces of sushi, but that night, I found myself thinking that even the chuutoro was a bit lean. I wonder if seasonality had something to do with this. Perhaps winter really is a better time to visit.
In addition, there were some dishes that I didn’t particularly enjoy. The beltfish, to me, was a bit plain. I’m also not the biggest fan of textures like uni or botan ebi, which unfortunately made several appearances throughout the night. And although I enjoyed the hairy crab chawanmushi, I also did not enjoy the gelatinous texture of the hairy crab with vinegar sauce.
On the other hand, the A5 Wagyu shabu shabu with matsutake mushroom and shellfish broth was delicious. The beef was excellent quality and melted in your mouth. Dessert was also impeccable. I believe the Crown Honeydew Melon is something of a signature for the chef - you know, those super expensive Japanese melons that people always talk about. It was delicious. The flesh of the melon tasted so ripe, sweet, and juicy. The grilled mochi served alongside it was also very good.
The experience is definitely pricey, but I think it’s worth it for special occasions. Chef Ryan’s hospitality was warm and his knowledge of his craft made this an enlightening experience. Overall, even though there were some dishes that were not my favorite, there were a lot of delicious courses, and I enjoyed my time at Sushi Yuen.