Good Taste: Bluefin's usuzukuri is a minimalist masterpiece

When Yong Kim strip-mall-hopped his Bluefin restaurant from its original Blue Bell nook to a sleeker space in East Norriton a few years ago, he doubled the seating of one of the suburbs' most popular sushi haunts.

And from the tuna-draped Marlee roll stuffed with spicy yellowtail to the live scallop, homemade dumplings, and noodle-wrapped "spinning shrimp," the transition hasn't dimmed Bluefin's status as a quality cut above the ubiquitous strip-mall sushi crowd.

But Kim also reacquired a special boost in his new location: the return of his mentor, Shinji "Nishi" Nishikawa, the 67-year-old Shikoku Island native whose masterful knife skills prove experience trumps youth and flash when it comes to sushi.

Witness Nishi's signature usuzukuri, whose slices of white fluke are so sheer they could be translucent strips of paper fanned across the plate. A tart yuzu-garlic vinaigrette striped down the middle is all that's needed to activate this minimalist masterpiece, each morsel snapping with a firm but delicate resilience that's like a fresh whisper of sea.

A garnish of thicker-sliced fish tingling with yuzu-chili paste on the side adds a little heft, heat, and value to the $17 plate. But the master knife work proves even more valuable for a suburban standby that hasn't stopped trying to refine its craft.

- Craig LaBan
Usuzukuri, $17, Bluefin, 2820 Dekalb Pike, East Norriton, 610-277-3917; sushibluefin.com.