Worth the Drive?

The question was whether it was worth it to drive to Hillsboro for sushi. I'd heard good things, my brother had run across positive comments and Chrissie from Kookoolan Farms, who'd suggested it in the first place, said she'd had nothing but great food there. But wimpy city-dwellers that we are, we needed to whine a little and drag our feet. After all, we've got good sushi places nearby. Why go allllllllllllllll the way out there?

But when we walked through the front door and into the little warren of rooms that makes up Syun Izakaya, it felt like we'd stepped through a portal to central Tokyo. All bamboo and bustle, wood plank tables and sushi chefs slicing away behind the counter. And our first plate of sashimi made us wish we'd made it to this place a lot sooner. Fresh, clean and perfectly sliced fish tasted like it had been pulled from the ocean no more than five minutes ago.

We ordered dish after dish, swinging from sushi to noodles to soup, and from the beef salad to the sesame noodles to the tofu soup with mushrooms, it couldn't have been more traditional or more delicious. And the prices were extremely affordable, with wine, beer and an amazing selection of high-end sakés.

So whine as much as you like, but do get out and try it.

Details: Syun Izakaya, 209 NE Lincoln St., Hillsboro. Phone 503-640-3131.