Wednesday, May 30, 2007

RESTAURANT: Umi Kaiten Zushi

Type: Japanese
Location: 477 Pitt St (Corner of Hay and Parket St), Haymarket
Booking Required: No bookings, may need to wait
http://www.umikaitenzushi.com.au/

I don’t really like sushi trains, so going here was a risk. The cost of getting a good filling and the overabundance of boring/tasteless dishes always turned me off.

But this place was fantastic. It’s such an unassuming location (across the road from the Capitol Theatre) to have such an experience in. Amongst the nicely decorated walls and huge fish tank (score), travel delicious places of sushi along a huge, winding train. It’s a bit more than your average sushi train (the good plates costing between $3-$5), but the quality, range and flavour is undeniable.

Next to us were two businessmen sitting before what must have been 20 plates. It sounds excessive, but once you start trying the sushi on offer, you can understand how they ended up with that many.

If the food on the train wasn’t enough, they also have some great dishes on offer. Wagyu beef curry udon was a combination of flavours I hadn’t tasted before, but was sublime. Even their miso soup seemed a step above the norm.

If you like finishing your meal on a sweet note then their range of desserts is fascinating. Green tea cheesecake and pumpkin crème brulee are just two examples.

At the end of it all we were stuffed. Something interesting to eat is constantly travelling past or sitting on a menu near you. And the staff on hand always seem more than willing to bring it to you, even if it isn’t the most polished service.

It does cost a bit more than the normal sushi train, but it’s good value for the quality on offer. You’ll be hard pressed to find a better sushi train in Sydney.

RATING: Will return to

Umi Kaiten-Zushi on Urbanspoon

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