Welcome and thanks for the report!!
Please report back, and say Hello to Maru-san for me!
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Hi @moonboy403,
Welcome to FTC! 
Nice first report, and it’s great to hear another positive experience at this new place.
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Dang. Great first post. Thanks for sharing.
And welcome!
Yes, that’s why I now basically only post one-liners! 
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Powerful first post! Welcome!
Revisit on 12/7/19:
Shin seemed to have upped their game a bit overall despite three instances where I found a piece of oyster shell, bone, or scale in my bite. Rice was toothsome and had a lovely mouthfeel but they weren’t as strongly seasoned as say SGO which I prefer.
The bill was about $170 before t&t so pricing is approaching that of LA sushi.
Hightlight:
- akami
- iwashi
- miso soup with sweet shrimp head
- amaebi
- sake zuke
- sawara
- mirugai
- maguro zuke
- hokkaido zuwaigani
- seared otoro
- sb uni
- tofu mousse
otsumami trio
ankimo - nowhere as creamy and smooth as SGO’s but it’s still good nonetheless. who needs foie when we have ankimo?
shigoku(?) oyster with ikura - meaty, creamy, briny…and nice pops of flavor from the ikura but several pieces of shells marred this great bite
maitake/shungiku - mild and clean flavored dashi braised chrysanthemum greens act as as excellent counterpoint to the pleasantly smoky and vinegary flavored shroom
madai / sea bream
kasugodai / young sea bream
hotate / hokkaido scallop
ebodai / butterfish
bonito / katsuo
black snapper / black sea bream
akami / wild bluefin tuna from boston - rich, meaty, extremely tender
iwashi / sardine - meltingly soft and oily but the dab of grated ginger cut through much of the fattiness
menegi / japanese chives
miso soup with sweet shrimp head - strong and concentrated shrimp essence!
amaebi / sweet shrimp from canada - the homemade amaebi miso slightly over-accentuated or detracted from the sweetness of the shrimp but the snappy texture is excellent!
saba zuke / marinated japanese mackerel topped with sesame - not prepped with the traditional vinegar and salt. this saba is marinated with soy sauce and sugar iirc
sake zuke / marinated king salmon
sayori / needlefish
sawara / spanish mackerel - smoky and buttery…clean tasting
higesoridai / grunt
kamasu / barracuda
mirugai / geoduck - oh so sweet and pleasantly crunchy!
maguro zuke / marinated bluefin tuna - so darn smooth and flavorful
hokkaido zuwaigani / snow crab - succulent city
seared otoro / fatty bluefin tuna
uni / santa barbara sea urchin - you can’t lose with crispy roasted seaweed and briny yet intensely sweet and creamy uni
anago with sea salt and yuzu zest / saltwater eel - this anago is almost pillowy soft in texture and lusciously fatty. while the use of yuzu zest tamed the fattiness a little bit, i do miss the traditional sweet and savory eel sauce.
tamagoyaki / egg
tofu mousse with black sugar sauce - fluffy and light tofu mousse plays second fiddle to the viscous but flavorful black sugar syrup
hojicha ice cream - toasty counterpoint to the other two sweet leaning desserts
lychee ice cream - i love the bites with pieces of lychee in them
Post sushi bang bang at Pizza Wagon of Brooklyn:
@JeetKuneBao this is the only proper way to dine in encino
spinach roll - intensely spinach-y and garlic but the roll itself is a bit dry
pepperoni pizza - slightly crisped up pepperoni cups sitting on a tangy tomato sauce that’s slathered over an extra crispy and thin crust…excellent stuff
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I might do the same because I have early dinner res at Shin and need to kill some time afterwards for traffic out of LA
you MUST
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Love seeing that traditional / old school / legit AF prep of maguro zuke that Take san is doing!
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i wonder if the zuke prep is a recent addition since i remember you asking take-san to do a zuke prep on the spot when you went? i was also bummed out that they didn’t have kohada last night…
I hope their will be kohada on my visit.
Tunas and white fishes are easy to like and crowd pleasers but I really like hikarimono’s the most.
As much as I would love to go okonomi with double orders of the highlights and some maki’s I need to save room for pizza at Pizza Wagon (a slice of pepperoni, a slice of pesto, maybe a Sicilian slice and those Spinach rolls to go)
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ooe?
correct. i do wish that they offer ika, nodoguro and kinmedai
Excellent report @moonboy403 !
I have had it both ways at Shin. The latter is excellent. Take-san told me he butchers the anago himself to get that pillowy soft texture.
Agreed, the seared otoro was one of my favorites surprisingly. I usually don’t find otoro all that interesting but this was fantastic. The mouth feel was incredible.
have you went? anything to report?
The trio of appetizers were really nice, especially the warm monkfish liver. So much better with a slight warmth to bring out the sweet and fat taste.
The sushi, there was one piece I didn’t like and I can’t remember which. Yes the variety is not like Shunji, but there is variety in preparations. I appreciate that and some of the preps really bring out the flavor like seared fatty tuna belly and one of the non-tuna zuke (different!). I like the Sardine!!!
The young sea bream, wow that is way better than adult. The sea urchin was from Mexico, maybe just a hair less sweet than a good Santa Barbara. No kohada. No negi sushi. No kanpyo (I asked Take if he could make his family’s futomaki). No ume. That’s okay. This was still a very delicious meal.
If I have one minor quibble and it probably comes down to personal preference is the rice. It is a little more dense.
Chef Take is very open and friendly with his life and experience. That really makes for a great dining experience! I enjoyed hearing about his father…he did not want his sons to endure the life of a sushi apprentice (Cliff Notes: it’s a very hard life, most apprentice quit after a year or 2 according to Take). He remembers going to Tsukiji in the morning and seeing the Tokyo Sushi Masters. I love that his fathers knife is displayed. So heart warming to see.
Just a note, probably preaching to the choir here but you must reserve for dinner! There seems to be 2 seatings a night. Take is only Chef here so anymore than 4 customers will greatly effect the quality, so that’s why you are turned down at the door even though it’s “empty”.
I would return!
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Thank you for your report!
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Glad you made it!
The young sea bream (kasugodai) incorporates the skin as part of its preparation, and could also be cured in vinegar (or just salted or kelp marinated, just speaking in general), and tends to have a bit springy mouthfeel compared to the madai. The madai is a bit more about the texture and mouthfeel, maybe just a hint of stickiness, although if the skin were included (from being prepared correctly) it could be pretty tasty as well (but I think Take san may be going for a more simplistic approach where he wants you to taste it a bit more au naturale).
Yeah I really enjoyed the sardine too…don’t really see it up here anymore lately as it’s out of season, but with some curing techniques and a little sear if a piece is fatty, it can still be quite glorious.
Take san’s approach is different compared to the others for sure. Although it being further out of the way makes it feel like it’s a nice escape away from the heart of LA.
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Going Saturday night. Should I BYOB or is there a sake on their list that’s reasonable value? If BYOB, @beefnoguy any particular sakes you recommend?
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