By Gretchen Webster

WESTPORT — Entering the new Sushi Jin restaurant is like entering Japan.

With walls lined with intricate wooden designs in the Japanese Kumiko tradition, gleaming tables and a glass serving bar, the atmosphere is simple but peaceful.

“The goal is to create an exciting dining experience in Westport,” said Karma Wangchuk, the restaurant’s general manager.  “Our menu is a blend of traditional Japanese dishes and new techniques with modern flavors,” he said.

A love story

Creating Sushi Jin is kind of a love story, he said, “written” by the restaurant’s owner, He Chen. Chen started as a kitchen helper and worked his way up over 30 years in other Japanese restaurants.

Now, he is opening his own restaurant in Westport, named after his wife, Jin. “It’s a tribute to their love and hard work,” Wangchuk said.

The restaurant will open to the public Sunday, with a “soft” opening Saturday for friends and family.

Fresh and local ingredients

Japanese cuisine is noted for ingredients that are fresh and local, from farmers markets, if possible, Wangchuk said.  The owner plans to procure seafood from fisherman along the Connecticut and New England coasts. “We want to be part of the community,” he said.

Local ingredients will be combined with “premium imports from Japan to maintain authenticity.” 

Sushi Jin has a large menu for both dinner and lunch, including Dim Sum, Japanese noodle dishes and “Kitchen Entrees,” including Ginger Scallion Lobster, Organic Basil Chicken, Teriyaki and Chicken Katsu, also organic, and, of course, many kinds of sushi.

Omakase, a chef-curated experience

But the specialty of the restaurant is the Omakase experience, a chef-curated tasting menu featuring local ingredients, the general manager said.

The restaurant also offers a saki bar with varieties of the Japanese rice wine, plus handcrafted cocktails.

Sushi Jin’s owners fell in love with Westport, Wangchuk said, and so has the restaurant staff. “We’d all love to live here. The town is fresh and clean, and the people are nice,” he said.

Sushi Jin is located off Elm Street, adjacent to the Marketplace shopping center, in back of the building formerly occupied by Oka furniture store. It can be accessed from a stairway at 44 Main St., or behind Main Street next to the terrace of the former Mexicue restaurant.

Sushi Jin is open 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday. Take-out orders can be placed online, or by calling 203-557-8588 or 203-557-8589.

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Freelance writer Gretchen Webster, a Fairfield County journalist for many years, was editor of the Fairfield Minuteman and has taught journalism at New York and Southern Connecticut State universities.