Sushi Train

One of the many sushi places that can be found throughout the city of Adelaide is called Sushi Train.  Which might be an odd name if it didn't completely and accurately describe the experience.  Unlike the fast food sushi places that are so cheap, Sushi Train is a sit down restaurant.  There can be a line so sometimes waiting is in order.  While waiting there are some things you notice.  I'll start with the little things.  It will make it more interesting.  First on the walls in various places are plates of different colors.  Each plate has a price next to it.  3, 3.50, 4, 4.50, and 5.50.  Pink, light blue, dark blue, yellow and green.  Next there are a few menus.  Each menu is kind of like a point point menu.  That's what they were called on ship when you went ashore in a city where you didn't know the language.  Because you point at something, and it comes out.  You don't know what you are eating, but you at least got something.  So each little picture is some sort of sushi or sashimi or what ever all those other ones are actually called.  Or on the back there are some other meals too.  I'll come back to the menu.

The obvious thing that you will notice first, is the train.  The tables and bar stools are set up around this island in the middle of the restaurant.  In the middle are the sushi chefs.  Around them is the train.  Its more of a conveyor belt, but Sushi Train sounded better.  And on the train are all the different colored plates with all of the different sushi dishes on them.  And at the bars and tables are all the people, stacks of plates in front of them.  I think you can tell the new people because at least we were constantly glancing back and forth between our menus and the train.  Each time a plate is taken from the train, the chefs fill its spot with a new plate.  Or someone puts one back that they really didn't want.  I imagine that might be frowned upon, but we were new to this. 

The menu becomes very important if you actually want a specific dish.  Next to each dish is the color of plate it is on.  And each picture tells you something about the dish you are looking for.  Not that you can see what is in the sushi in the picture.  But you can tell if there are 6 pieces or 2 that are supposed to be on the plate.  Wrapped in rice or not.  Sauce drizzled on top or not.  So there you sit at the train.  It goes round and round.  Ambitious people might just grab anything.  I waited for ones that I was more sure of using my menu skills for the first few.  Eventually though after the train has gone round and round, and some one in the opposite corner took the last spicy tuna roll, you have to just go for it.  But it is a good restaurant for lazily sitting and talking, waiting for some new plate to strike your fancy.  I imagine there are some potential visitors who I would have to take to visit the train.

And after the sushi, we went to the Italian gelato place and split the one scoop of each flavor sundae.  It was James birthday.  And James really loves ice cream.