RESTAURANT REVIEW : Don’t Say <i> Menu</i> : Brother’s Sushi is at its best when you shun the conventional and--like the regulars--put yourself in the chef’s hands.

Brother’s Sushi is innovative and implacably Japanese, a restaurant where first-time visitors are definitely at a disadvantage. Consider the following scenario.

It’s Saturday night, and you are it. You aren’t about to get near the sushi bar in this crowded rabbit warren--you realize this when you spot all the German cars in the parking lot--so you take up residence at one of the cramped back tables, and, er, ask for a menu.

Whoops, now you’ve done it. Menu is the secret word here. You are now an official non-regular, which accords you special privileges in the formal world of Japanese dining.

The first privilege is swift and attentive service from a team of effervescent teen-age and twentysomething waitresses clad in blue skirts, white blouses, white ankle socks and Reeboks. The second and more dubious privilege is that these young women will now carefully avoid mentioning any of the unusual dishes. Goto-san, Brother’s sushi master, is a real creator, but he’s hardly the type to experiment on a rookie.

Meanwhile, at the sushi bar, things are proceeding apace. Well-heeled devotees are nibbling on monkfish liver and sea urchin with their own lacquered chopsticks, which they brought with them to the restaurant, while a team of speed-demon chefs in blue happi coats and gray sweatbands grunt, chop and deal out the goodies.

These men are only a distant blur from the tables, however. Omakase, the chef’s choice, isn’t served back here in rookie country, meaning we’ll just have to guess at what is best this evening. ( Omakase , incidentally, is a parade of unusual delicacies that is partly planned, partly unplanned, and all show. The food stops coming only when the customer signals a halt.)

Step 1 is to ignore the menu, a plastic folder advertising ersatz Japanese dishes such as chicken teriyaki, baked lobster in mayonnaise sauce and combination plates revolving around oil-sogged tempura dishes.

Step 2 involves using the sushi list, a long paper grid with names, prices and boxes to check. At least Brother’s makes it easy in this respect. There are no Japanese names to contend with, just 40-odd sushi, sashimi and hand-roll dishes whose names have been meticulously translated into English.

Step 3 requires a little daring--namely, putting faith in the specials board above the sushi bar. This is where you find the restaurant’s star dishes, such as sauteed shiitake , ankimo, yellowtail cheeks and Goto-san’s Protean creations. Now, with a little careful planning, you are in shape to create your own omakase. Do not consult your waitress, or you’ll be eating three courses of cooked shrimp.

After a few bites of your complimentary zensai --possibly delicate bean sprouts and white sesame or an ethereal cucumber salad with bits of spiced clam--the senses should be sufficiently aroused. I recommend beginning with some butter-soft sashimi, particularly the toro (fatty tuna belly) or the superb reddish-orange salmon, before attacking the sushi courses. That is the way the Japanese do it.

The crucial component of sushi is vinegared rice, and here, Brother’s gets an A+. This is firm, delicious rice, good to eat even by itself. The delicacies the rice binds together seem like a bonus. My favorites here include tangy smelt egg, creamy sea urchin (which Goto-san likes to enclose in a nori seaweed wrapper) and slightly overpowering green mussel, all of which are found on the extensive list.

After the sushi course, try one or two of the imaginative, filling hand rolls, those Japanese dishes indigenous to Southern California. House special roll makes a really eccentric choice--shrimp, avocado, cucumber and whitefish in a seaweed cone.

Cooked dishes--that is, the ones up on that specials board--should follow the sushi. Sauteed shiitake are brilliant, butter-rich pieces of the musky fungus. Ankimo , the Japanese equivalent of goose liver pate, is never better than here. This is monkfish liver, rose pink and as soft as roe.

Finish off with a bowlful of the dark, intense miso soup, offset by two perfect cherrystone clams, some plain rice and a cut orange. Then, the waitresses will realize you are some kind of a pro yourself.

Where and When

Location: Brother’s Sushi, 21418 Ventura Blvd., Woodland Hills.

Suggested Dishes: Sea urchin, $5.25 (sushi), $11 (sashimi); ankimo, $5.95; sauteed shiitake , $5.95; spicy tuna hand roll, $3.20 (sushi), $4.50 (sashimi).

Hours: Lunch 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, dinner 5:30 to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Closed Monday.

Price: Dinner for two, $30 to $60. Beer and wine only. Parking lot in rear. American Express, MasterCard, Visa accepted.

Call: (818) 992-1284.