Today, there was something to celebrate at my workplace, and I was invited to join my colleagues for lunch. It wasn’t the first time we’ve eaten out to celebrate, so I wasn’t particularly excited. While on the way to the restaurant, my colleague asked me if I knew where we were going. He mentioned that it would be a sushi restaurant, and the company was treating us to an all-you-can-eat meal.
He asked me if I had ever tried eating at Sushiro, the sushi restaurant. I said no and mentioned that I had never eaten at a sushi restaurant before. I couldn’t quite figure out why I had never tried eating in a sushi restaurant. He was a bit surprised and worried, wondering if maybe I just wouldn’t like it or couldn’t bring myself to eat it. But no, I love sushi and actually often buy it from street vendors.
And since it was my first time, I was excited to see how this restaurant operates. The sushi is served through a conveyor that passes by all the tables in the restaurant. The top conveyor is for custom orders, while the bottom conveyor provides a continuous supply of sushi that any customer can take at their leisure.
To order the sushi you like, you choose it on a tablet where you can browse the full menu. The orders are automatically sent to the counter, and the sushi will be delivered via the conveyor belt.
Since I’m not very fluent in reading Mandarin, I was relieved and happy to see that the menu provided an English translation when it was my turn to order.
One of my orders was A4 Wagyu beef sushi. It was also my first time tasting Wagyu beef! But, I think it just tastes like a normal beef? or maybe it depends on the restaurant?
This one is a mouthfull bite of a fresh salmon sushi with cheese on top. Yummy!
This one is a steamed egg white with squid and pork inside.
I enjoyed eating so much that I ended up consuming the most dishes! As I was enjoying the meal, I tried to remember why I had never eaten there before. It dawned on me that I had always thought dining at such a restaurant would be best shared with friends or family, and I simply never had the opportunity to do so.
In addition to that, recent news had tarnished the reputation of sushi restaurants in Taiwan. One incident involved a random kid caught on video licking the plates and putting them back on the conveyor. Another concern was related to COVID-19.
But today was different; COVID-19 is no longer a major concern, and we gathered to celebrate something special. I even enjoyed two ice creams as part of the celebration!
