Kaiten dining or conveyor belt sushi dining is a staple in Japan. Indeed, the feeling of seeing delectable Sushi passing through the conveyor belt -- and the waiting and eventual tasting of the food -- is unique and delightful. New York's Manhattan could now enjoy the same experience as Britain-based Japanese street food and sushi chain Yo! Sushi has opened its first 44-seat Kaiten dining experience serving only the best and freshest sushi, tempura, salads and sashimi.
According to New York Daily, the Yo! Sushi Manhattan branch has a hundred-foot conveyor belt running across the dining room. Seats are placed strategically to make the conveyor belt parading the freshly made Japanese dishes accessible to everyone. Each bowl has a protective cover, a sticker that indicates the time it was made and color-coded bowls that indicate their price value estimates, which another sticker specifies for diners.
Dishes in the restaurant include a for-sharing Aburi Sharing Platter and for ordering special dishes including the rice and panko fried chicken sandwich Katsu Sando and cocktails including a Margarita, Yo!'s craft beer, sake. For those who would pass on inebriation, there's tea.
According to Food & Wine, desserts are also available including shave ice and an ice-cream packed deep-fried bao resting in miso caramel, pistachio and soybean powder named the Hirata Donut. Photos from the lifestyle website show the appealing look of the latter dessert.
Chef Mike Lewis of the Yo! Sushi chain said the most difficult part of managing a Kaiten restaurant is having proper timing. He said they are tasked to "gauge what customers are eating" and the food still in the middle of the line and which time would they leave the line. Variety is the most important thing for him. The time stamps on food allow guests to ensure the dishes they pick out have not gone over an hour -- raw dishes could only last one hour after creation.
Yo! Sushi has over 70 restaurants in the United Kingdom. Lewis said its American branches -- only about seven to date in Florida, New Jersey, Boston and others -- adapt its menus slightly to localize its menus. Lewis said guests could rest assured that Yo! Sushi's menu strives to "make it more special for each location."
