Irrepressible Niki, bless her spunky soul, was the first to popularize sushi in SA, and for that we suppose we should thank her—all the while wishing sushi weren’t now an automatic adjunct to every other Asian restaurant in town. But in the hands of Sugako, who has long smiled demurely from behind the bar, the difference between art and artifice is all too apparent. Lapidary slices of mackerel shimmer on a sashimi platter, nigirizushi are composed like cabochon jewels—strips of shiso sequestered between rice and the more delicate fish, pasta-shaped pieces of squid come sprinkled with salmon roe…Yes, it pays to smile back at Sugako.

But you also need to pay homage to Patrick, snarky son of Niki, who runs the front of the house and can make your experience transcendent or trying. Make nice and vegetable tempura from his garden may appear; “champon,” a ramen that’s seemingly died and gone to heaven, could arrive in a bowl brimming with seafood and noodles, diminutive mangrove snapper, topped with tangles of onion, carrot, and scallion, might be offered in season. Anything proposed is worth paying attention to.

Try not to pay attention to the surroundings; they have seen better days.