I NEVER KNOW what thrills I'll thrill to when I walk into this pocket-sized Lynnwood cafe and commandeer one of only six seats at the sushi bar. (You might choose one of a handful of tables.) But whatever Tomokatsu Takayama is making, I'm taking. I let other customers order California roll-combos and tempura, while Taka-san scans his small fish case, then sets me up with whatever floats his boat. And that is when my ship comes in. One day he'll build an elegant sashimi tower; scoop golden roe from a prickly sea urchin before placing it, quivering, over a thumbprint of rice; then offer up a pristine pair of Spanish mackerel. On another he'll blend fresh sansho leaves into a vibrant green sauce, drizzling the pungent sauce over glistening white fish; pique my palate with icy wasabi-infused granita served in a pretty spoon; then hoist a heavenly hamachi-filled hand-roll over the counter while I try not to swoon. All this in a low-slung industrial strip mall? Hai!

[Reviewed 12/14/07 by Nancy Leson, Seattle Times]

You won't have to blink to miss Taka Sushi. Consider that a good thing. With only six tables and a six-seat sushi bar, its off-the-beaten-path location is a blessing. (Pssst: It's hidden in a light industrial park just off Highway 99, south of PetSmart in Lynnwood.) Those savvy enough to find the place, and lucky enough to cadge a seat, will be rewarded with the gift of serious seafood priced to keep customers coming back and crafted by a sushi chef happy to have recently downsized from a much larger operation.

The original Taka Sushi, located for 10 years on an unfriendly Shoreline strip, not only failed to appeal to the patrons chef Tomokatsu Takayama hoped to attract, but was severely lacking in charm: an attribute his new joint quietly flaunts. Few chefs are purveyors of albacore and toro as meltingly buttery as Taka-san's. His small sushi case is heaped with pristine products that, along with his sushi rolls, have earned him a devoted clientele.

[Reviewed 1/24/03 by Nancy Leson, Seattle Times]