Sushiman looks like a rather new restaurant in the Seattle suburb of Issaquah, a place where I would probably not expect to find sushi of this quality. While I feel more comfortable in Japanese restaurants with wood floors and wood decor than the black modernist style of Sushiman, the head sushi chef makes people feel comfortable upon entering that they will receive personal attention and good food.

Like the good sushi restaurants in Seattle, Sushiman places the fish behind glass where you can see what looks good. The chef here also makes recommendations about the fish that would be good, fresh, or the type you would like to try. When I went he recommended the Yellowtail, which turned out to be the ultimate in freshness and flavor.

I wanted to try the Salmon Nigiri since it seems as if I can never get enough salmon. This was not one of the specially recommended sushi items, and I did not think it quite had the flavor of the Yellowtail, but it was one of the best salmon sushis I had ever eaten.

I usually order a cooked items along with sushi, and this time I chose Vegetable Tempura. This was actually a big disappointment after the great sushi I had just tasted. The tempura batter was rather bland, and the vegetables inside the batter were very starchy, with several types of squash served. This may be the totally authentic way to serve tempura, but I did not like it very much. The tempura dipping sauce was thin, and really did not add much flavor.

The sushi was quite impressive-- more limited but probably just as good as many restaurants in Seattle.