166 W. Main St., East Islip
(631) 650-5718 • ushinhouse.com
“Ushin” derives from the Japanese word “heart,” so Eric Lin picked it as the lead name for his new restaurant. Ushin House is a modern Japanese restaurant that opened its doors to the public over the summer.
“We try our best to use heart here,” Lin said. “We want our quality and service to stand out.”
The quality and service at Ushin House align with what Lin strives for.
Sushi is their homerun product. However, they also have a diverse and delicious menu featuring hibachi, salads, soups, noodles, and rice.
Inside one of the numerous private dining rooms that help make up the first floor, we started with appetizers recommended by Lin himself. The first of which was the king crab. It featured a large chunk of fresh king crab meat on top of a juicy fresh pear slice, topped by caviar, and accompanied by a sweet mustard sauce that paired perfectly with it. The freshness of the crab meat, combined with the juiciness of the pear set the bar high right off the bat.
The scallop carpaccio we chowed down hit next on the bar and then some. It consisted of fresh raw scallops in a vinaigrette-like sauce that combined seven peppers, wasabi, and spicy mayo. Having never had raw scallops, I was blown away by how good they were.
The third and final appetizer, the Saikyo black cod, was out of this world. The pan-seared cod was served over a bed of seaweed marinated in miso sauce. On top were two ginger stems, which you bit a piece of every time you munched on the cod. It was a game-changer. It provided a citrusy blend flavor to the cod.
For the entrees, we went with the Sushi Sashimi and their signature Great South Bay (GSB) sushi roll. The sashimi consisted of 10 pieces of the chef’s choice. It was a spectacular and fresh dish, highlighted by bluefin tuna, yellowfin tuna, and baby yellowtail.
Paying homage to the legendary South Shore Long Island waterway, the GSB sushi roll comprised shrimp tempura topped with lobster salad, avocado, and soy boy nori. The size of the roll was huge—probably the largest sushi roll I have ever ordered—and as I told Mr. Eric Lin at his restaurant, it was also one of the best rolls I’ve ever had the pleasure of eating.
We followed our entrees up with a sweet treat for dessert: the tempura fried cheesecake and fried vanilla ice cream. It was like a great ninth-inning closing pitcher in baseball to a fantastic meal.
Of course, drinks are a specialty at Ushin House as well. Behind their large bar sit three refrigerators of wine and saki, each set to different temperatures for customer preferences. We opted to try the summer saki sangria, which tasted like sunshine in a cup, and the Kagua beer, a very refreshing Japanese pale ale.
The service provided by the staff at Ushin House is also unparalleled. They were extremely accommodating and genuinely interested in conversing with their patrons, which is rare in restaurants but amplifies the experience. Food was served quickly, and refills were brought instantly.
Lin is also the owner of 360 Taiko Sushi & Lounge in Patchogue. Opening Ushin House has been a thought of his for a while now.
“This is more fine dining; it’s different than 360 Taiko” he explained. “I wanted to open a fine dining place and looked all at places like Smithtown and Huntington, then finally found this great spot.”
With private dining areas, a beautiful woodwork bar, and an upstairs area that caters to larger groups and has a karaoke stage, this place is definitely in the fine dining category.
To Lin, it is all about quality and the customer.
“We want the quality to be the best and same every single time people eat here,” he said.
The restaurant offers a loyalty program that can earn customers 30% back on visits. Named after the quality of heart, this restaurant should be high on a list of places to dine and will easily move into the hearts of South Shore residents.
