We all know Japan is the land of sushi, and some even think sushi is eaten every day and every night in Japan. Now hold that thought for a sec, yes they do eat sushi, but surprisingly infrequent as to what a Western mind may have assumed.
Sushi is actually deemed as a cheap "takeaway" sort of option for lunch or dinner, and to get proper sushi, you'd have to visit an expensive sushi restaurant, which most Japanese can't afford to eat at. Don't fret, when you visit Japan I'm sure you'll be amazed and excited at sushi train chains selling a plate of two nigiris for 100 yen! That's about 1.30AUD!
When I realised how cheap yet sushi train was in Japan, all that could be contained in my mind was to stuff myself as much as possible with these goodies before heading back to the expensive land of Australia and then to suppress all my appetite for sushi here until my next trip to Japan. I have obviously had sushi train once returning to Australia though every time I frustrate myself that it's so much cheaper in Japan! That all said, most 100 yen sushi trains are undoubtedly gloriously fresh and delicious at such a cheap price!
Now, not to bore you with my complications over sushi, but I visited a sushi train chain called Sushi Ichiba during my stay in Kumamoto, and once 3 years ago at a different location. They have superb variety and quality as well as the convenience of ordering through an Ipad!
There weren't much on the belt so every plate we ordered was freshly made and delivered by the shinkansen (bullet train) that came on the top tier.
Left: Raw prawn nigiri.
Middle: Nato sushi. Nato is fermented soybeans that's very popular in Japan and is usually eaten over rice.
Right: Raw salmon nigiri.
Left: Ebiten (tempura prawn) nigiri. This was so so tender and bouncy as the prawn was just fried a little to the raw side. The best plate of the night.
Middle: Raw tuna nigiri.
Right: Cooked prawn nigiri with Japanese mayonnaise.
Left: Nama-buta nigiri (translates to fresh pork, but I think it is smoked, similar to smoked hams like proscuitto).
Middle: Grilled salmon nigiri. A firm favourite and equally as scrumptious as the ebiten nigiri. My friend had 6 plates (if I remember correctly), that's 12 of these nigiris for himself. My jaw literally dropped.
Right: Pork nigiri topped with shallots and radish.
Left: Deep-fried octopus.
Right: Wakame soup. Wakame is a type of seaweed usually put in soups. It has a bit of miso in it which I love. The bowl was so huge for 100 yen and we couldn't finish it between 2 people.
Left: Daigaku-imo. These are Japanese candied sweet potato which are deliciously crunchy and moreish.
Middle: Green tea warabi-mochi. It's not the usual mochi where it's chewy but rather consists more of a jelly-like texture. This one was nothing compared to the one I had in Kyoto (where it's famous for).
Right: A simple crepe with whipped cream and chocolate sauce.
I think I did a great job stuffing myself with some good sushi and desserts.
It did come across to me that whether I should be more cautious of seafood in Japan since the radiation and all, but I was sure that they would place safety regulations on something like this concerning our health. Well I just simply go by the principle: who cares and just eat!
So whenever you're in Japan, please don't miss the chance to eat value for money sushi because you'd regret it once you're munching on sushi back home that's most probably not as equally as nice and twice the price.
I have a fascination with all things brulee. Whilst not having the requisite chariness that all brulees have, the huge surface area of crackling has to undoubtedly make up for it right? The custard isn't as viscous as I was expecting but was very pleasant considering the other textures. And dear me, salted peanut brittle you say? Absolutely. I love this stuff, especially when made by anything Justin North owned. However, it sticks to your teeth which makes for an incredible amount of jaw exercise, unlike the ones at Plan B. The sorbet gives a kapoow of unmistakable coffee flavour which really makes this dish one of my favourites today.
