photography: courtesy of iida RESTAURANTS best of category Project Shinsen Where Shenyang, China Designer Stickman Tribe Stickman Tribe designed this contemporary sushi, sake, and teppanyaki restaurant in the Shangri-La Hotel by taking typical sea imagery and abstracting it. In the main dining area, sculptures made of concentric steel rings hang from the ceiling, resembling both fishing nets and their intended quarry. The sushi bar is backed by a ceramic wall with a texture that mimics marsh reeds. Glass doors lead to private teppanyaki dining rooms lined with dried reeds lit warmly from below. Sculptural elements within the spaces contrast smooth, dark wood finishes. Dowels hang from the ceiling, creating a sense of compression, tension, and drama. -zach mortice contract