Shun

Neighborhood: U-District
Address: 2510 NE Blakely St Seattle (map)
Phone: 206-522-2200
Web: N/A
Parking: Free parking space

Overall Rating: 8.7 / 10pts

ATMOSPHERE:
Compared to Village Sushi on the Ave, the interior feels a lot more welcoming as the tables aren't super close to one another and you are seated on a nice large tables instead of being crammed. I am worried about their location as it doesn't stand out at all. I had heard that it was next to McDonalds near U-Village, but I drove past it, not knowing that it's located behind the gas station. There is a little sushi counter on the corner that seats about 8 to 10 people where there are usually two sushi chefs that take your order.

SUSHI:
They have special of the day, which is always a sure sign that the chef has tasted today's market of fish and have hand selected the best he can offer. Like any decent places, the best way to fully enjoy their sushi is to do omakase (chef's choice), but if you just want a few sushi and try warm traditional food from the menu, ordering from today's special will be just fine. The fish has great texture and the freshness is almost comparable to the high end sushi places in Belltown, but at a bit lower cost. They may not go into my top 5 but, it's definitely a consistent place that I wouldn't mind going back on a regular basis. The fact that their large sushi combo doesn't have any Americanized rolls is a big plus (on the photo). Someone told me that the main chef here has trained under Shiro-san for a few years.

OTHER DISHES:
They have wide selection of traditional Japanese food including cod kasuzuke and egg plant dengaku. Though not the best in town, both tempura and agedashi tofu were quite good and I would definitely eat them again. I was also attracted to their asari misoshiru (miso soup with clam in it) and soba salad. They have a few sake to choose from including Otokoyama, which you can get for a decent price.

SERVICE:
The wait staff was attentive and both the food and drink order came to the table much quicker than I expected despite the restaurant being 90% full. Overall, it's a nice mid sized sushi place where you can get to know your sushi chef if you go a couple of times and sit at the counter.