Aburiya Kinnosuke is a restaurant that really understands the art of presentation. The dining room is simple, made up of  small intimate rooms with sliding paper doors and loose curtains. In the back, there’s a small open-robata kitchen with a few seats to watch bandana-clad chefs prep and cook. If you’re lucky, you’ll witness their expertise as they filet a whole fish counter-side.

This is not Americanized California roll type cuisine. They cater to a Japanese crowd with the daily specials printed in Japanese characters. The menu can seem overwhelming. If your head starts to spin, you can opt for their prix fixe choice. During the day, $16 goes a long way with their fixed priced multi-course lunch. At dinner, there are usually two 8-course options with prices ranging from $45 to $60.

Try a selection of dishes so you can fully appreciate the variety of what the menu offers, plus the flourish and pizzaz of each dish. Dried skate fin comes with a table-top Shichirin (七輪) charcoal grill so you can toast the fin to your own crispy comfort. Salt encrusted Scottish salmon requires a mallet to break the salt block.  Pyramid-shaped rice balls open to reveal itty-bitty sardines, which seem like they’re trying to swim away. Homemade tofu comes in bamboo baskets with three different salts for seasoning- yuzu citrus, wasabi, and sea salt.

For something simple, order the custard omelet, it’s a nice combination of sweet and savory flavors. If it’s on the menu, the sea eel with lemon and fresh wasabi is grilled nicely and served with a side of crispy, crunchy eel bones.

There is a full sake and shochu list and a small beer selection. Shochu cocktails are served with juices and fruit, for you to do your own squeezing.

Dining at Aburiya Kinnosuke is like traveling to Japan and is definitely a culinary trip with taking.