There's Much More than Sushi at Yo! Sushi - Yo! Sushi (Yo! Sushi)

Member Name: foreveramber

Product:	Yo! Sushi
Date:	20/02/09 (203 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Healthy, fresh and nutritious food, portion controlled

Disadvantages: Can be expensive if you don't keep a tally; small range of drinks available

YO! Sushi is an altogether different eating out experience than the norm, being a sort of combination seated restaurant service come takeaway outlet. Rather than reading through a menu then patiently waiting, or not, for the waiter to bring your food, you simply collect whatever dish happens to take your fancy as it glides past on a revolving conveyor belt. Trained chefs are hard at work preparing meals in the cooking area situated in the centre, with customers seated on high stools around the outside. Some restaurants also have traditional tables and benches.

The type of cuisine, if the name hasn't given it away, is Japanese. On offer are many types of sushi, as well as sashimi, noodles, rice, salads and desserts. Non fish eaters and vegetarians are well catered for with tofu, vegetables, noodles, chicken and beef recipes all on offer. Look out for Dorayaki. They're gorgeous little custard filled spongy pancakes with raspberry sauce.

There are over 90 different dishes available. If you can't see anything on the belt that takes your fancy, there are more options on the menu that you can order from the waiters. For example, Chicken Dumpling Udon (Chicken dumplings in dashi (Asian broth) with Asian vegetables and udon noodles).

Meals are priced according to whichever coloured bowl you choose, making it an economical way of sampling new dishes at a fraction of the cost of a main meal. Prices range from £1.70 for a green bowl up to £5.00 for a grey bowl and all bowls are the same size.

You don't need to worry that you've picked up a bowl of food that's been circling for hours as each covered bowl is time stamped and isn't allowed to remain on the belt for longer than two hours.

Something to watch out for is the cost of the water. On the tables, you'll find little water taps, evenly spaced out so each couple of seats has access them. One tap contains fizzy water and the other has still. Clean glasses are placed upside down and the moment you turn one up the right way and fill it with water, you are charged £1. Other drinks available include coke, diet coke and lemonade for £1.50 and Japanese beers costing between £3.35 and £5.50. Of course there is always green tea.

Take care to keep a running tally of your bowls, as the temptation to try new dishes, or another of something you particularly like, is all too easy. When you've finished, the waiter adds up the value of your bowls and adds on any drinks or extras you may have ordered.

If you're watching your waistline, Yo! Sushi is a great choice. Japanese food is known for its nutritious, low calorie cuisine, plus of course, it's all portion controlled for you. If you've no idea what something is, either look at the detailed menu with its colourful photos or ask one of the chefs who are only too happy to enlighten you.

Children enjoy the Yo! Sushi experience and my three always look forward to a visit. They love the novelty of watching the food go round and picking up their own dishes. It's a great way for them to gain some independence in trying out new tastes, but watch out they don't only choose the tempting desserts, as my 5-year old does.

On our last visit, we arrived early, around 6.30 pm and were seated immediately. Even though every seat was occupied by 7.30, we weren't made to feel we should hurry up and finish. By the time we did leave, we'd notched up a fair stack of bowls. Luckily we'd come armed with a summer 50% off voucher. Keep an eye out for their special offers such as the students 25% off deal. Offers are shown on their website and if you join the Yo! Sushi club they'll send you regular emails with details of their current offers.

Yo! Sushi have branches dotted around the country, with the main concentration being the south of England. However there is one as far north as Glasgow and a couple in Dublin. Overall, at the time of writing, there are 42 branches. They have started opening Yo! to Go stores with ready packed containers of sushi and other popular meals. You can also order online or by phone and the menu offers a wide range of food from their restaurant menu. There's a minimum spend of £15 and a delivery charge of £3 per order.

If you love Japanese food, you'll enjoy Yo! Sushi.

Their website is at the following address: http://www.yosushi.com

Summary: A different way of dining out that adults and kids can enjoy