Conveyor belt sushi by Koreatown

Conveyor belt sushi has always been a draw for me. There mere vision of different kinds of sushi floating around a restaurant is like heaven. My first experience with this type of dining style was on a trip to Shanghai. I was wandering around, looking for somewhere to eat, and spotted this place on the lower level of a random shopping center.

Each seat featured a hot water dispenser for unlimited green tea, all the necessary condiments, and easy access to the belt full of sushi.

Everything was great but the question that remained in the back of my mind throughout the entire meal: How much is going to cost me? Especially, being in China, the signs weren’t completely clear to me. However, in the end, the price wasn’t bad (and I enjoyed a good number of plates).

The next time encountering conveyor belt sushi was in Osaka.

I wrote a short post about this spot that was located just a few blocks off the main Dōtombori strip.

This restaurant was amazing and they had fresh toro, described in the post as: “Almost hot pink in color, the acclaimed piece of fatty tuna was a gorgeous sight and an even more delicious morsel. It definitely lives up to the cliché, ‘it just melts in your mouth.'”

After learning about a conveyor belt sushi spot near Koreatown, I was definitely excited to give it a try. Located at the corner of 5th Avenue and W. 30th Street, Kaiten Zushi has, according to their website “redefined the concept of revolving sushi with advanced technology.”

Once seated, the ginger and wasabi arrives on the conveyor belt, and the server pours some water and offers hot tea.

The table is also equipped with soy sauce and dishes for dipping.

Now, at least during the lunch service (or maybe because it was a bit past the main rush), this restaurant was different from the previous experiences. Here, they didn’t have the belt full of sushi rotating around the restaurant. Instead, everything you ordered arrived directly to your table via the belt.

The most notable item on the table is the tablet; where all the action takes place.

As it was my first time there, the server explained how everything works. She showed me all the functions such as ordering, checking out, and the call button for assistance. She also pointed out, if in need of more ginger and wasabi, where to find it on the menu—free of charge.

Putting in my first round of orders. The whirring sound of the conveyer belt and the chime from the tablet heightens one’s anticipation for what’s to come.

The kani salad started things off.

Kaiten Zushi has a pretty extensive nigiri selection, including a lot of the flavors one would expect from a sushi place. I started with the scallop, then ordered salmon toro and unagi (eel).

The nigiri pieces were all delicious! They tasted fresh and am definitely looking forward to trying their other offerings.

Scrolling through the menu, it becomes obvious that the selection isn’t just limited to sushi; they also have plenty of appetizers, including chicken karaage.

It is of my favorite styles of fried chicken and the plate served at Kaiten Zushi is great!

That first bite was HOT—definitely needed a little bit of time for it to cool down. Once able to fully appreciate it, the chicken pieces were tender and juicy.

In addition to nigiri and gunkan, there are also a number of sushi rolls on the menu and I had to get a salmon avocado roll.

It was definitely exciting to see the fresh and tasty roll came out on the conveyor belt. Each piece was as good as one would expect.

There are also hand rolls and closed the meal with a spicy tuna.

I definitely need to order more of these on the next visit.

Kaiten Zushi describes the dining experience as “every bite is a delight and every moment is filled with culinary adventure!” It’s accurate (and the price isn’t too bad either).

Lunch at a handroll bar

Sunday morning. I attended the early mass as usual and decided to head into the city although I had no agenda in mind. On these days, I like to start at a random coffee shop where I can chill for a while as the city wakes up from Saturday night.

I ended up on 42^nd Street, in Midtown East.

After coffee at a café on Park Avenue, I ventured over to Bryant Park to find the Winter Village already up and running. Did a lot of browsing and it was soon time to check on a place to have lunch.

Pulling up Google Maps, I saw a place that has piqued my curiosity for a while now: Mari.ne, a handroll bar within a block from Bryant Park, located along W. 41^st Street.

I walked in and the restaurant is literally comprised of a long bar, with handrolls being prepared behind the counter. Luckily, I got there shortly after opening and was able to be seated without a reservation—the place gradually filled up as I sat there.

The menu is very straightforward.

There are handroll sets, ala carte handrolls, “add on” sides, and a variety of drinks.

In addition, the menu fits right into the cute caddy that is placed between each seat.

Chopsticks, napkins—what else do you need?

There’s also the box of sauces.

As the server explained, there’s a mari soy and mustard soy, which are intended for the handrolls. The mari soy is a perfect complement, while the mustard soy gave it that extra vinegar kick—I interchanged them between bites.

The box also features sauces for the “add on” dishes, intended for the phở and mandu (dumplings).

When it comes to drinks, in addition to beer, sake, and soju, Mari.re sells one of my favorites beverages in the world: Chilsung cider (Korea’s answer to Sprite).

It’s light and refreshing—a perfect accompaniment for the meal.

Now, I have never personally dined at a handroll bar before but I previously interviewed and did a trail for a job at a restaurant with a similar set-up, which offered some familiarity with how the meal would progress.

If sitting at a bar, there’s a dish where the chef will set down each handroll, made fresh and served immediately. Once done, there’s typically a marker indicating the meal is complete.

The first item to hit the plate was the fatty tuna.

This was a fantastic start! Such rich flavor from the fish and, something very noticeable, the rice is warm to the touch while the fish is cold—the contrast is delectable.

Lunch then continued with salmon and yellowtail.

Everything was so delicious. Each time another roll hit the plate, it was so exciting.

The handroll that really caught me by surprise was the fluke.

A type of flat fish, there was a unique tangy flavor with the roll, along with a light kick. It was definitely the most memorable.

Then, to keep the heat coming, spicy tuna concluded the set.

A delicious roll with spice that hit right towards the end.

Now, I also ordered an extra handroll: scallop.

This was one of the most delicious handrolls. The scallop was fresh and, using mari soy for the first bite and the mustard soy for the second, it was a very versatile roll—and a great way to end the meal.

The restaurant is modern and beautiful, while staff is very friendly and accommodating. The website notes: “Mari.ne is a fusion handroll bar where Korean and Japanese cuisines intertwine, offering a unique blend of flavors.” It’s truly an experience.

Sushi on Tramway #TBT

One of the places I frequented during my time in New Mexico was Sushi Xuan Asian Grill, located in a strip mall along Tramway Boulevard NE, near the I-40 interchange. It was a convenient location for me and they served good food.

Yes, it’s in a strip mall but it is a solid restaurant.

There is plenty of seating with a menu that goes beyond sushi (although I primarily stuck with the sushi) and, whenever I would dine in, I always started with a Sapporo.

Much like other Japanese restaurants, the meal begins with a bowl of miso soup. Prepared with a light seafood broth and soy paste, and garnished with seaweed, tofu, and green onion—it’s a tasty starter.

One of my favorite dishes is takoyaki, those fried octopus balls. I enjoyed them on a vacation in Osaka and, most recently, at the Atlantic Antic.

Guess what? Sushi Xuan has the iconic snack on their menu!

Fried golden brown and garnished with Japanese mayonnaise, homemade teriyaki sauce, and bonito fish flakes—these were really good.

Sushi Xuan offers all different types of sushi, including sashimi. Their current menu has around 15 varieties, which include two of my all-time favorites: white tuna and grilled eel.

The grilled eel was delicious with the ever-present eel sauce and the white tuna was light and fresh.

Now, the sushi selection is pretty impressive; hand rolls, traditional rolls, nigiri, and Chef’s specials. Out of all the sushi I’ve had there, can’t recall anything being a dud.

Considering this is an Albuquerque restaurant, they do have a New Mexico Roll, along with the Lady In Red—they both have green chili among their ingredients. The latter also happened to be a component to one of the most epic sushi platters ever served.

The Lady in Red (green chile tempura roll, topped with crab meat, and garnished with spicy mayo and sriracha) starts things off on the left. Then, there’s the Triple Tuna (spicy tuna, white tuna, albacore, crab, and avocado), and a spider roll (softshell crab).

Quite literally, one of the greatest plates of sushi.

Not sure the next time I would find myself in Albuquerque, but, for sure, a stop by Sushi Xuan for another overflowing plate of sushi will be required.

Poke bowls and baked sushi

Out of all the restaurants that have piqued my interest after seeing promoted ads on Facebook, I don’t think there’s been one visited as fast as this place. After a week tending to some personal matters, while browsing through the news feed, saw there was a place serving poke bowls that was really close by.

There is nothing more refreshing and delicious than a poke bowl and, a couple days after spotting the ad, dropped by Keeka Poke, located at the relatively new strip mall along Cordova Avenue/Buri Road, just down the road from CityMall Mandalagan.

Poke, a dish originating from Hawaii and traditionally comprised of diced tuna, has been spreading around the world over the past few years. Aside from the numerous poke restaurants spotted during my recent visit to New York City, the dish is also present in places like Albuquerque. There is a sizeable poke place located along Wyoming Boulevard that also serves ceviche, similar to the Filipino dish kinilaw.

Dropped by right at opening and took note of their distinctive window markings.

The interior is outfitted with several tables and chairs in a black and white theme. A really fitting color scheme considering they serve very colorful dishes.

For the poke bowls, patrons can make their own bowl, which includes rice, protein of choice, sauce, and the option of up to four toppings for P320, around $5.77 (extra toppings or protein can be added for a minimal charge). They also have their signature bowl for P350—around $6.30—and this includes seven toppings.

On this first trip, started with the signature bowl.

When it came to picking sauces, went with soy ginger for one and teriyaki for the other.

It looked gorgeous, smelled fresh, and could not wait to dig in once taking the lid off the bowl.

First and foremost, tried one cube of the tuna to start and it was delicious. Once all the other ingredients began getting incorporated, it was a unique taste with every bite.

Fairly certain this place will become a regular spot (especially since it’s not far from home).

Something else Keeka Poke sells is baked sushi. While under lockdown, I watched countless videos featuring baked sushi and—as delicious as they looked—had yet to give it a try.

Naturally, I took this opportunity to finally get a taste and ordered one of their shareable bowls of spicy tuna baked sushi. As expected, there was a bit of a wait, but that only tells you its made fresh to order.

The baked sushi was so delicious—I see what all the fuss is about. They also have a spicy salmon, spam musubi, kani maki, and more flavors—all of which will be tried on subsequent visits.

This blog has previously noted the lack of fresh fish for sushi, along with the sloppy handling of sashimi at different places across Bacolod City. However, Keeka Poke gets it right and cannot wait to try the rest of their menu.

Sushi AYCE (Part 2)

The next opportunity for all-you-can-eat (AYCE) sushi came by accident. While walking through the Bay Ridge section of Brooklyn, I just happened to look across the street at the Super Sushi storefront and saw those words: All You Can Eat. I had already eaten, so, that wasn’t on the agenda that day but it did stay in mind.

The price for their AYCE promotion is pretty comparable to other places and given the proximity to where I was staying, it was pretty obvious a day would be reserved for a mountain of sushi.

The fateful day arrived and was seated right away. The restaurant is pretty light in terms of dine-in lunch but, from the sounds of it, there were nonstop takeout orders. Reviewing the order sheet, they also had a lot of cooked food alongside the sushi and, inadvertently, ordered the same cooked dishes I enjoyed at the previous AYCE spot: tempura shrimp and katsudon.

I must say, this was the superior tempura. The shrimp arrived to the table piping hot and was extremely crunchy. Yes, it was a lot of breading but the shrimp still came through. From end to end, this was some delicious fried goodness.

Then, the katsudon.

Just like the tempura, the dish came out freshly fried, really hot and crispy. The katsu (I ordered the pork) was accompanied by a tasty dipping sauce.

When the first sushi platter arrived, I was surprised by how nicely the rolls were plated.

The sakura roll, which is comprised of shrimp tempura and spicy tuna, then topped with spicy crab, had such a brilliant color and contrasted the green dragon roll. The latter was made up of eel and cucumber, then topped with avocado.

The plate both looked and tasted great.

The highlight of this plate was the volcano roll. The spicy tuna and avocado roll is deep-fried and topped with spicy mayo and eel sauce.

In addition, I also ordered some of the classics, such as eel and white tuna.

Something this place also includes with their AYCE is dessert. I wish I saved room for some ice cream but, unfortunately, I was stuffed. On the next visit, I’ll have to make sure there is space for ice cream at the end.

Fulfilling a need for sushi near the Barclays Center

One of the things severely missed while living in Bacolod City is good sushi. Without a doubt, sushi ranks as one of my personal favorite foods and, before moving, there was rarely a week that went by when sushi was not enjoyed at least once for lunch.

Now, after checking out the various establishments around town that sell sushi, have yet to find an authentic spot. The local sushi is usually carelessly constructed, the fish tastes frozen, the knife work is sloppy, and there just seems to be too much missing from the experience.

Back in New York City, whether it’s cheap supermarket sushi or top-of-the-line stuff, like the omakase menu at Jewel Bako, all of it beats the offerings available across Bacolod City.

On one of the days during the last visit to the US, had to run errands and was in desperate need for sushi. With plans to peruse the Atlantic Center, which is adjacent to the Barclays Center, home of the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets, scoped around for a nearby sushi place to get my fix.

Stopped into Taro Sushi, which offers a variety of both standard selections and special rolls, after jumping to place an order for their toro special, also picked out a spider roll (soft-shell crab) and something they called the Karen (shrimp tempura, topped with spicy tuna and avocado).

That was a good day; still let out a sigh whenever gazing at the photo.