ON THE SUSHI TRAIN
WORDS BY ALICE KING
Join Alice as she explores the phenomenon of the sushi train—from its early days as an affordable dining option in Japan through to the many and varied restaurants spread across the city of Melbourne.
Sushi is ubiquitous across Melbourne. Indeed, you can barely walk a block through the CBD without stumbling across a sushi bar. From fast-food-style California rolls premade for the busy lunchtime suit crowd through to the high-end Japanese restaurants that serve thin slices of first-grade tuna topped with microgreens and warm saké. Even my local supermarket has an in-store sushi chef! But when you want your sushi with a side of whimsy, interactive styles, the only place to go is sushi train.
回転寿司 (kaiten-zushi)—aka sushi train—was invented in the late 1950s by Yoshiaki Shiraishi. The concept was both simple and novel: diners sit around a large table ringed by a conveyer belt; the sushi chef stands at the end and places dishes on the belt so that you can watch each one go past—when you see what you like, you grab it and tuck in! Sushi train was initially a matter of convenience, designed so as to cut back on labour costs while maintaining a consistent selection of fresh and updated items. Speaking to its utilitarian roots, the widest manufacturer of sushi trains, Tsubaki, is a Japanese company that specialises in chains, conveyer belts and similar factory equipment. Sushi train-style dining spread through Japan in the 1970s, but it wasn’t until the economic stagnation of 1991 that it was popularised as a cheaper dining experience. It didn’t take long after that for the trend to spread across the globe.
The first sushi train was introduced to Australia in 1993 by a chain of the same name, although it’s variously referred to as conveyor belt sushi, rotating sushi and sushi-go-round, among others. Twenty-five years on and there are about thirty Sushi Train restaurants in Queensland, whereas Melbourne’s sushi train restaurants are outnumbered by smaller, commercial stores like Sushi Sushi—with glass displays and quick, over-the-counter purchases. While these are perhaps Melbourne’s most accessible sushi options, if you know where to look you can find an impressive number of kaiten-zushi restaurants all across the city. Indeed, stumbling across the hidden ones is part of the fun!
Sakura Kaiten Sushi on Little Collins Street is only a five-minute walk from Parliament Station, tucked between a carpark and some bars. The restaurant itself is cosy with low lighting and soft music playing in the background—think: piano covers of Maroon 5 songs. The revolving train has an extra lane cutting through it, allowing special orders to be delivered straight to the kitchen—the colourful dishes then zip out directly back to the customer. The sweet potato was delightful; a bowl of bite-sized pieces with sesame seeds. The tofu and soba roll, covered with puffed rice and soft soy jelly, was another favourite—a peculiar combination of flavours that together tasted absolutely gorgeous. What caught my attention at Sakura Kaiten was the inclusion of sliced white onion on a majority of the nigiri and sashimi dishes, slightly unusual but the crunch in the onion delightfully complements the soft rice and fish.
Heading out east from the city is Ganbare Kaz Kaiten Sushi on bustling Chapel Street in Windsor, nestled among op shops and boutique clothing stores. The interior is warm and friendly, hallmarked by exposed brick walls and lights hanging from the ceiling. I tried the scallop nigiri, a delicate dish with economic dots of mayonnaise and sushi caviar; the hokkigai (surf clam meat) nigiri, which had a chewy texture with subtle sweetness; and the hako (box) sushi salmon, which had small white cubes between the rice that I presumed were tofu. Wrong. Cream cheese! The richness balanced the citrus-sweet marinade on the salmon and the gentle sprig of parsley, but I was certainly taken aback to be eating cream cheese with my sushi. Do not be fooled by the simplicity of the dishes at Ganbare Kaz; everything thoughtfully highlights the flavours and textures without being overwhelming. Definitely worth the tram ride out to Windsor.
Although fish is sushi’s beloved darling, fortunately sushi trains always have vegetarian options which are rarely disappointing. Tamago rolls are my pick of the bunch—there’s something so satisfying about the sweet egg, the salty seaweed and the perfectly shaped rice. Tofu is also a popular protein substitute; its versatile nature allows for a variety of cooking processes. One fantastic vegetarian dish I had was at the aforementioned Ganbare Kaz. It was your typical seaweed and rice maki filled with beetroot, carrot, seaweed, pumpkin, cucumber and avocado—like a poke bowl perfectly condensed between yaki nori.
Sushi & Nori in Emporium Melbourne on Lonsdale Street is almost hidden in the tangled food court, so you’d be forgiven for missing it. The tight seating is reminiscent of the small sushi train restaurants throughout Japan—two women sitting nearby gossiped about friends, another slurped her soup with determination. I relished the squid nigiri; it was tender, garnished with drops of raspberry vinaigrette and slipped right onto the tongue. What I loved most, though, was the fried vegetarian roll—maki of greens and roasted carrot, coated in crispy battering, I savoured each bite. I finished with tuna tataki on a bed of daikon (Japanese radish), noodles and sushi caviar. The fish was like butter in my mouth, the sesame seed edges providing a lovely contrasting crunch, amped up by the thick green wasabi-paste punch. I felt content in my little space at Sushi & Nori, cramped but cosy with my notebook.
Indeed, another drawcard of this style of dining is the solitude and independence. It’s possible to visit a sushi train restaurant and only speak a handful of words. Perfect if you are not fond of human interaction or if you’re just after a quiet moment in a busy city. Most sushi train restaurants come equipped with smart tablets at every seat, eliminating the need to speak even if you’re ordering a meal off the menu. The dishes also tend to be on the smaller side, so if you’re dining alone, you’ll still get the opportunity to indulge in a variety of different tastes. Certainly, the order and precision of sushi train restaurants, combined with the ease with which they welcome the solo diner, make for a decidedly comforting space.,
It’s not uncommon to frequent the same sushi restaurants in Melbourne. When you know your local will always deliver quality, you don’t want to risk the unpleasant experience of stiff rice, hard yaki nori and day-old fish. But the beauty of sushi train is that there is
‘I relished the squid nigiri; it was tender, garnished with drops of raspberry vinaigrette and slipped right onto the tongue.’
something for everyone. Go as a group and share dozens of plates, or go alone and tuck yourself into a quiet corner. Having the food on display as it trundles past you is endlessly enticing, and the small servings mean that if you pick unwisely, you can simply choose something else. The combination of childlike novelty and high-quality cuisine is something you won’t find elsewhere and, despite the convenience factor, it is an infinitely more dignified choice than a twenty-dollar greasy breakfast or burger and chips. The only question is, what’s next on the train trend? Dessert trains? Dumpling trains? Pizza trains? Bread trains? No ... Bagel trains.