RESTAURANT REVIEW : The Zen of Japanese Dining : Shihoya may not be as trendy as some places, but its seven-course meals offer fine displays of traditional cuisine.

When you visit Shihoya for the first time, you are handed a list of rules by the owner, master chef Koji Yoshida. Ignore them.

Don’t do so out of disrespect. The rules are a list of instructions regarding the proper way to eat sushi, such as when to order hand rolls (the final course), how to enjoy ginger (as a palate cleanser) plus various and sundry necessities of Japanese sushi bar etiquette.

Fold up the paper and file it away for later use, but not by any means for the sake of protest. Do so because you have come not for sushi but for the house specialty, an authentic Japanese kaiseki , or traditional multi-course dinner. At $33, Yoshida’s daimyo kaiseki is a feast for the eyes and the appetite. It might not be as hip or refined as menus put together at big-hitter Japanese spots such as Matsuhisa or Ginza Sushi-Ko, where the celebs and super-models hang out, but it will be impressive and a top-notch value.

Yoshida, a Tokyo native and second-generation chef, has earned his stripes: He once headed the kitchen at the local Japanese consulate. He’s been cooking in this modest boulevard location since 1973.

In those days, the idea of Japanese cuisine seemed an oxymoron to Americans; Japanese food was sukiyaki, fried shrimp, an occasional pork cutlet on top of gluey steamed rice. Yoshida pioneered the introduction of quality Japanese cooking in this city, and he has stood his ground all these years. For that alone, he deserves a measure of loyalty.

I can think of seven more reasons to stop by his restaurant. Seven is the usual number of courses in a daimyo kaiseki . A day’s advance booking is recommended for one of these dinners--it gives the chef time to find special ingredients. (Give him a week, bring three friends and spend $60 per person, and he’ll prepare a far more elaborate kaiseki meal.)

The night we had a kaiseki dinner, we passed through the restaurant’s sliding screen door and were seated at the restaurant’s “A” table, a cozy corner adjacent to a decorative red silk kimono. Right away it was obvious that appointments are Spartan. No hashioki , those lovely porcelain holders that elevate chopsticks so that they do not touch the surface of the table--just some simple paper mats. No exquisite hand-fired Japanese yakimono pottery, just department-store lacquer and glassware. But no matter.

A daimyo kaiseki is seasonal. At this time of year, it will feature light, cool and salty foods suited to summer. It is also a safe bet that the menu will vary, depending on what the chef is most proud of that day. The allusion may be obscure, but on that particular night, the dinner reminded me of one of my favorite musical compositions, Bartok’s “Concerto for Orchestra.” Seven Expressionist movements, each with a different mood.

We started with zensai , a tiny dish of thinly sliced razor clam topped with wakame seaweed--an iodine-tinged dish faintly reminiscent of a quiet shore. Next came a simple, pleasing sashimi of white sea bass and tuna, garnished with wasabi horseradish mounded in the shape of a maple leaf.

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A considerable lapse ensued between the second and third courses, but the result was worth the wait. In a square glass dish embellished by a tiny lacquer spoon, Yoshida had orchestrated his own highly individual arrangement: cold tofu, poached chicken, sweet shrimp and bits of the rubbery Japanese starch called kuzugiri , all crowned with a delicate green spinach puree. A side dish held a tart, spicy dipping sauce, momiji oroshi , based on grated carrots.

Next came yakimono (“broiled stuff”), a sizzling chunk of black cod. Instead of using the usual teriyaki marinade, Yoshida treated it saikyooyaki style, in a penetrating rice wine marinade. My friend thought the dish too assertive, an affront to the peaceful spirit of the other dishes. I liked the buttery, flaky texture of the fish, though I admit the blue-collar sake marinade is not the stuff of typical kaiseki dreams.

As the meal wound down, we were brought a cup of white miso soup into which Yoshida had grated yamaimo , a starchy Japanese tuber, and a bowl of chirashi sushi: perfectly cooked rice with a tasty topping of finely minced fresh water eel, shrimp, sesame, ginger and nori seaweed. In the end there were sliced strawberries, oddly punctuated with a splash of Japanese plum wine, and vials of green tea.

Adept service was performed by Yoshida’s wife and teen-age daughter, reminding me of the times I stayed in minshuku , the authentic, modestly priced inns of rural Japan. Someday, I swore to myself, I’ve got to come back to Shihoya and treat myself to that super kaiseki dinner, the one where Yoshida really gets to strut his stuff.

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WHERE AND WHEN

Location: Shihoya, 15489 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks. Suggested Dishes: sushi, $3-$6.50; daimyo kaiseki dinner, $33 / person; gourmet kaiseki dinner (requires four-person minimum and six-day advance notice), $60 / person. Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday to Friday, 5 to 10 p.m. Monday to Saturday. Closed Sunday. Price: Dinner for two, $23 to $70. Beer and wine. Parking lot. American Express, MasterCard and Visa. Call: (818) 986-4461.