Shinbay

Jan 17, 20202 min read

Old Town – Scottsdale, Arizona

22+ course | $185 | 12-seat

Located conveniently on Scottsdale road in the middle of old-town lies the third iteration of Arizona’s omakase-only dining experience. Originally located in Chandler in the early 2000’s and then in the Seville Shopping Center in Scottsdale from 2011 to 2016, Shinbay has come and gone as one of Arizona’s most unique and adventurous sushi counters offering exquisite raw fare. Run and owned by Chef Shinji Kurita comes the third Shinbay reboot, shaking the Arizona dining scene with it’s $185-dollar price point and unconventional “trust the chef” style.

As an Arizona native, we were very excited to finally see an omakase option emerge in Arizona. We immediately made reservations for the family on our upcoming trip home, explaining to them how this experience would be different and more stringent than our average sushi dinner out. After mentally prepping the team for our two-hour raw sushi adventure, we excitedly walked into the beautifully furnished space.

Shinbay holds with it the same personal touch of many well-known omakase bars in both Chicago and New York. Chef Kurita’s passion and dedication to his craft is apparent the second you sit down at the bar. Every single detail of the restaurant has been hand-picked, from each unique presentation dish and plate down to the wonderfully curated wine and sake list. Mirroring this essence of elegance, service was impeccable. The hostess is both attentive and personable, giving the experience a very comfortable and enjoyable vibe.

We can comfortable state that Shinbay has by-far been the most adventurous tasting menu we have ever partaken in. Although we have dinned at many chef counters and partaken in countless “trust the chef” experiences, Shinbay contained a multitude of unfamiliar ingredients and bold selections. This alone both pleased and intimidated us. Items such as jellyfish – which tasted like the most delicious noodles we have ever had – and toppings such as egg yolk sauce and caviar, truly took us out of our comfort zones.

As far as the food goes, we only had one negative comment, which focuses on the multiple pieces of sashimi. While we appreciate unadorned sashimi, we enjoy it in moderate amounts; however, Shinbay was not shy in the portions of uni, shrimp, and other raw fish unaccompanied by rice. On a more positive note, even in land-locked Arizona, Kurita is able to serve some amazing cuts of sushi. Our favorite part of the night was tied with both the adventurous vegetable starter cups, and the delectable edomae style nigiri. Pieces such as shad (kohada) and horse mackerel (shima aji) had us very impressed.