These days, when restaurant portions could feed small villages and quantity trumps quality, it's an exquisite treat to dine in a restaurant where less is more.

Matsu Sige, an unassuming little Japanese restaurant on Washington Road in Martinez, offers some of the freshest and tastiest food in town. Japanese cuisine emphasizes simplicity, and this is the most charming and winning feature of Matsu Sige. The fresh meats, fish and vegetables speak for themselves, punctuated by spare but decisive seasonings and artful presentation.

Everything about the restaurant is subtle, including its tasteful red, yellow and black decor, contemporary Oriental music and warm but understated and clutter-free service.

The menu, a mind-boggling array of nigiri, sushi, sashimi, tempora, teiryak, shioyaki and ragout, is helpfully supplemented with photos. Our advice: No matter how unfamiliar a menu item looks, give it a shot. You'll be pleasantly surprised.

We tried daily specials of lobster sushi ($4.95) and shrimp roll ($5.75). Both were packed with seafood. We loved the shrimp roll's seaweed wrapping and the intensely zesty dipping sauces.

Our entrees, mahi-mahi teriyaki ($16.50) and Matsu Sige bento ($17.95), were served with a house salad, miso soup and rice.

The salad was an ultra-light combination of cucumber, crab meat and mixed greens with a homemade rice-vinegar dressing. The soup featured soybean flavoring, tofu and scallions.

The tender, flaky mahi-mahi filet was marinated in teriyaki sauce and pan-seared. The Matsu Sige bento was nothing short of spectacular - small but delectable portions of chicken teriyaki, shrimp tempura, grilled salmon and sirloin steak. Served in a lacquered Japanese box, this entree was as much a work of art as a meal.

For dessert, we had enticing servings of red bean and ginger-flavored ice cream.

If all this sounds impossibly exotic, just part with your inhibitions and let yourself go. Exquisite taste treats await adventurous diners at Matsu Sige. As for bona fide chickens, take heart that good 'ole chicken fingers are on the menu, too.

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ON THE TOWN

The Eatery: Matsu Sige, 3836 Washington Road (map)

Hours: 5-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 5-10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday

Phone: 210-4700

The Verdict: Japanese cuisine that emphasizes freshness and simplicity. 4 out of 5 stars.

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Mary Deriso is the retired general manager of the Pinnacle Club, a private dining club in Augusta. Christine Hurley Deriso is a writer whose children's book, Dreams to Grow On, is available in local bookstores and on Amazon.com.