[Laguna Hills] [Japanese] Shinkou Sushi

Shinkou Sushi
24881 Alicia Pkwy, #C
Laguna Hills, CA 92653
(949) 340-3714
http://www.shinkousushi.com

We got a 15% off Grand Opening special coupon from Shinkou Sushi in the mail, and decided to check out this new restaurant.



It's a small place with about 5 tables. Majority of the customers get to-go or delivery orders. We placed our order at the counter and paid, then found a table to sit. While we were waiting for our food, we chatted with the owner and his wife and found out more about them and their restaurant. There are 4 people working in the restaurant: the owner is the cook, the wife is the cashier/delivery person, there's a sushi chef, and a waitress. The husband and wife moved down to OC from Alhambra. The owner is Indonesian, and he was a computer engineer, but worked in Japanese restaurants when he went to school. The sushi chef is Japanese. They have a semi-open kitchen, where you can see the chefs working and making your food. Both the owner and his wife are very very nice and friendly.



Green Salad

Our meal started with complimentary green salad. At first glance, I thought the salad dressing was mayonnaise, but it was actually sesame dressing. The consistency of the dressing was thicker, so more like mayo. It was quite good.


10 Pc Sushi Combo ($19.00)
1 of Tuna, Salmon, Yellowtail, Albacore, Halibut, Shrimp, Crab, Uni, Ikura, Unagi

Dr. P ordered a sushi combo. He picked the more expensive one because of uni and ikura. But then they informed us that they didn't have uni that night. Since we paid already and it was too much trouble to get a refund to downgrade to the regular sushi combo, they offer to give us two pieces of any sushi we picked. Dr. P chose his favorite yellowtail sushi as a replacement. The sushi was delicious! Everything was very fresh. We were really surprise that the crab sushi was made with real crab, not the imitation kind.


Albacore Salad

What a nice treat! The owner brought us a plate of Albacore Salad to sample. He said this item is not on the menu yet. The thin sliced albacore was tossed with fish roe, sliced onion, scallion and ponzu sauce. It was absolutely delicious! We would definitely order it if it was on the menu. The owner also told us he would have us try his marinated cod, but it wasn't ready because it had to be marinated for 2 days.


Pork Katsudon ($5.75)

Pork Katsudon was great also. The pork cutlet was tasty and tender. Love the soft egg and onion over the rice. I wish it had a bit more sauce for the rice though.


Shinkou Roll ($8.95)
Shrimp tempura, crab meat and cucumber inside topped with salmon, chili & shiso leaf finished with eel sauce

When I saw shiso leaf in the description, I had to order Shinkou Roll. I just love the flavor of shiso leaf. This was a really really good roll. We were hoping that the crab meat inside the roll would be real crab meat like the sushi, but it was just imitation crab. But this roll is still yummy. Everything just went so well togeter, the shrimp tempura roll topped with salmon, fish roe, a bit of chili sauce, and the yum yum shiso leaf. The description said the roll would be finished with eel sauce, but it was actually done with spicy mayo sauce. I like the mayo sauce so much better. I think they should keep making the roll this way.

We compared this place with Sango Sushi in Laguna Niguel, where we visit all the time. It's the same order at the counter type of semi-fast food Japanese restaurant. This place is a bit more expensive than Sango Sushi, but the food felt more gourmet-like. We enjoyed the food and the service at Shinkou Sushi. Now we'll alternate or visits between Sango and Shinkou.