There are no menus at Naoe, a 5-month-old Japanese gem in Sunny Isles Beach. Instead, chef Kevin Cory prepares a changing selection of pristine seafood based on what is fresh and what he feels like putting together.

''I usually start thinking about it around 5:30 on my way here,'' he explains, staring down at long, thin fingers that he rubs and wipes like a praying mantis.

It's an omakase (''entrusting'') menu, a familiar concept in Japan and many U.S. cities. You can alert Cory to any food allergies, cravings or phobias, but be assured you'll get no creamy-cheesy, inside-out rolls at Miami's most serious sushi shrine.

This 17-seat jewel is as sleek and pretty as the inside of a mussel shell with its low lights, shimmery black and gray walls and floors and gentle classical soundtrack.

The best seats -- in fact, the only ones I recommend -- are at the sushi counter, where you can watch Cory expertly slice his way through exotic imports from Japan and local product from Haulover pier. It provided a much-needed diversion from the hour-plus waits on both my visits -- back in May and again a few weeks ago.

Effusive hostess Wendy Maharlika, who worked with Cory at Siam River, guided us through the restaurant's history (a former Argentine steak and pizza joint) and quirks (no advertising, no walk-ins) with the glowing pride of a new mom.

Speaking of mom, Cory's mother's family produces the sakes on the compact list at the Nakamura Brewery in the ancient city of Kanasawa. (Naoe is her maiden name.) We sampled its crisp, subtle flavors, sipping slowly as we waited for a taste of something -- anything -- getting whittled, whirred and worked behind the bar.

Finally, 90 hungry minutes after arriving, we were presented with a blond-wood bento box, each of its four compartments filled with a handsome item.

There was a curvy, flower-shaped mound of still-warm sticky rice seasoned with sweet vinegar and studded with crunchy bits of Japanese radish.

A sumptuous egg custard with strips of freshwater eel (unagi) was lacquered with the best sweetened shoyu sauce I have tasted, its rich sweetness lending heavenly depth to an already silky selection.

A vivid green powder of tea coated a springy plank of gently fried mutton snapper that had the shocking depth of flavor that makes dining here a revelation.

Hearty red miso soup offers an array of textures including bites of corn and a sweet hunk of nutty mochi that appears at the bottom of the tiny bowl like a surprise in a cereal box.

We nibbled and asked questions, sipped more sake and reveled in the clean flavors of sea bream on a sliver of lemon so thin it could be a veil.

Still hungry and curious, we asked for another course and were treated to a stunning slab of Scottish salmon belly, a light curing giving it the smoothness of creamy butter with a salty edge.

Other visits brought happy aji, known as horse mackerel, as well as egg tofu with sea urchin roe, Dungeness crab, perfect salmon roe, hand-grated wasabi and gorgeous yellowtail.

Dessert is a crescent of cantaloupe dressed lightly in a salty rice wine vinegar that brings out its cool, flowery sweetness.

The fundamental flaw in this otherwise thrilling and almost embarrassingly affordable experience is the lack of finesse when it comes to timing. In my best omakase experiences, I have felt delicately wooed by the chef.

Still, Cory's style is his own -- and one that Miami should be grateful to enjoy.

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