The premise of Sushi Train is this: chefs make up assorted plates of fresh sushi, with lid, and they are put on a conveyer belt that extends around the room passing by many tables and seats. You can pick up whatever you like from the belt, and best of all every plate is only $3.50 at this branch.
Landing this into not only sushi heaven (because you can quickly pick up plates you've watched them prepare, making this so much better than those sitting-there-all-day packs of lunch sushi) but also definite cheap eats realm ($15 easily feeds a person, and no we're not dreaming), I think this is my new favourite go-to in the city.
Service is impeccable. They greet you happily and thank you upon leaving, as a lot of Asian food establishments do, and will ask you if you'd like to order anything specifically, but otherwise leave you to have a long quiet munch or a chat over good food. Minimal when needed, but attentive and attuned to your needs. They're nearby wiping plates if you need to make eye contact, but they'll leave you be otherwise.
We sampled a variety of sushis. It started off a little quiet as it was still morning and there weren't that many varieties, but it quickly picked up near midday with a lot on the belt, so that was really good. I'm not sure they're all pictured on the menu, so I'll do my best to describe them.
First up was a California roll makizushi with a twist: the sushi rice outside was also dotted with little fish roe that popped sweetly in your mouth. In the middle was creamy surimi, cucumber, leafy greens and some sort of fish cake. It was a really nice lightly flavoured sushi to start the meal off with, and the two huge pieces decently occupied the plate. The seaweed is a bit tough on this one, so you might have to pop the entire roll in your mouth for a less messy affair, but that's insignificant considering the price.
Next was a very delicious squashed California roll with avocado and cream cheese, but it was topped with slices of smoked salmon and a dusting of spring onion, fish roe and red onion. The cream cheese added a nice texture to the slightly rough smoked salmon and the flavours all melded together really well. I don't usually like cream cheese in my sushi, but this was all right. I think the dry salmon and other bumpy textured ingredients tempered it.
The Ebi Katsu roll was delicious too. This plate was crammed with six pieces, which is even more impressive value, although I was a little bewildered by the huge leafy greens sprouting from the middle pieces. Again, it's a California roll looking affair, with prawn katsu on the outside four pieces, and fried prawn tails poking out of the inner two pieces. The sushi rice is mixed with sesame seeds. I really like how they make the California roll more interesting and tasty by combining the rice with assorted ingredients in different variations. The katsu was fresh and crispy, not soggy at all.
We opted for the Tiger Roll next. They were like katsu California roll makizushi (I swear, there were normal makizushi too, we just went for the more interesting looking dishes for variety), but layered with avocado slices on top and then the entire plate was squiggled with mayonnaise and a sprinkling of rice bubbles. The rice bubbles weren't crunchy, a bit soggy from the sauce, but I kind of liked that because it meant it didn't interfere with the sushi's texture as a whole. It was interesting, but I thought a bit too much sauce and mayonnaise for my liking, making it all a little too mushy in my mouth.
What was also incredibly creative was the Salmon and Tobiko Ships. They were huge, just fitting two on a plate, and overflowing with tiny tiny fish roe. There was a larger fish roe option, but I thought this one looked more interesting. It's essentially like fish roe nigiri wrapped round with slices of raw salmon. The salmon was incredibly fresh, and the concept very interesting, but the rice tasted slightly dull and the fish roe it was topped with was unfortunately not very fresh, so they didn't have the usual sweet pop factor in the mouth. I did like the idea a lot though, and felt if the ingredients were fresher it'd be an excellent execution.
The Mini Ebi Tempura nigiri was pretty good too, although I would've enjoyed a bit more sushi rice with it. Again, squiggled with mayonnaise and sprinkled with spring onion. No idea why, but the mayonnaise there was a little sour, but I was really impressed with the size of the ebi tempura and how crispy it was.
Lastly, there was some sort of katsu and tempura roe-studded California Roll to finish with. No soggy katsu or tempura from this place, and you definitely feel like you're eating healthy with the light sushi. If you prefer a more laden flavour, you can put soy sauce and other condiments on the sushi yourself.
I was super impressed by the variety and good value of Sushi Train. With some very minor points (because I'm picky and critical) that most establishments in this price range do a lot worse than. The novelty idea and creative creations are something we need more of in Auckland. A definite recommend to anyone in the area! It's worth the walk down, trust me.
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