Shiki: The Closing Argument: Five Charleston Sushi Restaurants in Six Nights

What began as dinner at KYN on Monday somehow became a full tour of Charleston sushi. Tuesday brought the 17-course experience at Sushi|Bar. Wednesday was our usual visit to Aji. On Thursday, we went to 167 Sushi Bar. After taking Friday off, presumably to prevent mercury poisoning and financial ruin, we completed the sweep at Shiki on Saturday.

This was not planned. Apparently, I simply woke up one morning and decided carbohydrates were optional and raw fish was a civic duty.

Each restaurant made a different case for itself. KYN brought youthful energy, excellent hand rolls, and dishes built for excitement. Sushi|Bar delivered a genuine world-class tasting experience filled with unforgettable bites. Aji was the familiar, dependable ritual at the center of the week. At 167 Sushi Bar, surprising flavor combinations, clever garnishes, excellent rolls, and pristine nigiri proved that creativity can enhance beautiful fish without overwhelming it.

Shiki was the necessary final stop. It had been years since I had eaten inside the restaurant, and I wanted to see how Charleston’s quietly enduring sushi institution fit into a dining scene that had spent the preceding four nights demonstrating just how dramatically it has evolved.

Shiki does not announce itself with theatrical lighting, elaborate storytelling, or a procession of heavily narrated bites. The room is small, the tables are close, and the menu is enormous. You mark your selections on a paper ballot with a pencil. It feels refreshingly unconcerned with trends.

We began with a serious sashimi order: jellyfish, kinmedai, madai, akami, sawara, shima aji, and octopus. The platter arrived as an abundant garden of fish, shiso, lettuce, shredded daikon, cucumber, and other vegetables.

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Every piece of fish tasted remarkably clean and fresh. Each was excellent entirely on its own, which is the most important evidence of quality. Then we began wrapping pieces in shiso or lettuce with a restrained touch of soy and wasabi and a little vegetable crunch. The fish remained central, but the shiso added fragrance, the vegetables added texture, and the soy and wasabi sharpened the entire bite. It transformed a straightforward sashimi platter into an interactive tasting.

This was Shiki at its best: excellent sourcing, confident knife work, and no need to disguise either.

Then came the rolls. We ordered the vegetable roll because its description sounded unusually thoughtful: pickled burdock root, kanpyo, takuan, avocado, and cucumber. In theory, it should have offered earthiness, acidity, sweetness, and crunch. In practice, it was awful. The avocado tasted old and had an unpleasantly slimy texture. The burdock compounded the problem, and the carrot pieces were far too large. We tried three pieces and left the rest.

The lemon salmon roll was also a letdown after the purity of the sashimi. Salmon, avocado, kani, lemon, and jalapeño could have produced something bright and balanced. Instead, the construction was clunky, and the jalapeño dominated every bite. The salmon and lemon never had a chance to establish themselves. It was decent enough to eat, but after that magnificent sashimi platter, it was simply sad.

The owner was understandably unhappy that we did not like the rolls. But the verdict was not close. The sashimi was exceptional. The rolls were not.

Still hungry, we returned to the stronger portions of the menu. The tempura assortment included shiso, beech mushrooms, and squid. This was the recovery the meal needed. The batter was crisp, the mushrooms were earthy, the squid retained a pleasant chew, and the shiso was fragrant and wonderful. I have apparently become a person who seeks out shiso wherever it appears, and I am comfortable with that development.

We also tried shime saba nigiri, cured mackerel topped with scallions and sesame. It was oily, salty, vinegary, and assertive. Noel loved it. I hated it. Importantly, this was not a failure by the kitchen. The dish tasted exactly as it should. Noel and I simply reached opposite verdicts on whether it should exist in our respective mouths.

Our final savory dish was miso black cod with broccolini. It arrived beautifully caramelized, with large, moist flakes and a generous serving of vegetables. Unfortunately, it tasted much fishier than I expect from miso black cod. A squeeze of lemon helped considerably, but the acidity was rescuing the fish rather than merely brightening it.

The beverages deserve their own findings. My hot jasmine tea arrived in a substantial ceramic vessel capable of sustaining me through an unreasonable quantity of sashimi. Shiki understands that tea should not be dispensed in thimble-sized portions.

Noel ordered the Kikizake sake flight. She enjoyed all three selections, but preferred the Born Gold Junmai Daiginjo because she tasted apple and Asian pear. The flight also included a dry, crisp Otokoyama Junmai and a rich, sweet-tart Kamoizumi Umeshu. Born Gold was the clear winner for her fruit-forward palate.

Shiki produced both the strongest and weakest dishes of the week. That makes the ruling unusually simple.

Come for the sashimi. Explore the less-common fish instead of defaulting to salmon and tuna. Order the tempura, particularly the shiso and mushrooms. Drink the jasmine tea in heroic quantities. If you enjoy cured mackerel, Noel strongly endorses the shime saba.

Skip the specialty rolls.

As the final stop on my impromptu Charleston Sushi Week, Shiki clarified something important. Charleston no longer has one definitive sushi experience. It has several excellent restaurants doing distinctly different things. KYN excels at energetic, modern hand rolls. 167 Sushi Bar builds inventive, carefully garnished bites. Aji remains our reliable neighborhood ritual. Shiki makes its strongest argument with pristine sashimi and traditional preparations.

The city’s sushi scene is broader, better, and more interesting than it has ever been. After examining the evidence one restaurant at a time, I consider the matter thoroughly investigated. For now.