Yuzu Kaiten Sushi, Mount Lawley

(Update: In 2011, Yuzu changed management.  The new Yuzu offers a more traditional style Japanese menu with a sushi train and other cooked meals from teriyaki to katsu.)


Sushi trains (or Kaiten sushi) restaurants are becoming reasonably popular in Australia.  Each sushi train restaurant often offers its own style and variety of sushi.  Yuzu Kaiten Sushi in Mount Lawley is one of these places that offers twists such as Korean bulgogi and kimchee sauce.

Yuzu is a cosy restaurant with about a dozen stools at the sushi train and a couple of booths (also side on to the sushi train).  In one corner is a sushi chef making sushi as well as a kitchen 
behind him for the cooked foods.

Whilst Yuzu focuses on its sushi, Yuzu offers a selection of a la carte meals.  The a la carte selection includes some dishes like tempura, noodles, sashimi, teriyaki, and katsu.  There is also a selection vegetarian dishes available that include vegetables or tofu (e.g. tempura vegetables or tofu with noodles or teriyaki tofu).

The pricing system uses the typical kaiten sushi coloured plate system where each colour of plate corresponds to a price.  The prices of sushi range from $2.60 to $5.20.

In general, Yuzu does offer some interesting sushi and some good tastes for the price.  My thoughts on the sushi rice is that the preparation, texture and flavour was quite standard.  Also, picking up the nigiri sushi was at times a bit tricky and sometimes fell apart more often compared with some of the other kaiten sushi places.

Salmon with Ikura Nigiri - $4.50

This was your standard raw salmon nigiri sushi with salmon roe (ikura).

Tuna with Kimchee sauce Nigiri - $4.50

One of the obvious fusion sushi with kimchee sauce (Kimchee or Kimchi being a Korean pickled dish that is usually spicy).  The kimchee adds a bit of additional flavour to the sushi but is not very strong.

Unagi Nigiri - $3.90

The unagi nigiri is dressed with a sweet caramelised soy sauce.

Tobiko Gunkan - $4.50

Tobiko is flying fish roe and in this gunkan sushi it fills the seaweed wrap above the bed of rice.

Chicken Katsu and Cucumber - $3.90

In this dish, chicken katsu (crumbed and fried chicken) and cucumber is wrapped in seaweed and rice into a sushi roll and coated in sprinkles of black sesame.  The sushi is then dressed with a caramelised soy sauce and a slightly spicy blend of mayonnaise.

Tempura Prawn and Avocado Nigiri - $3.90

This is one of the 'special' sushi made at Yuzu.  It is a nigiri sushi that has a tempura battered prawn, topped with avocado and dressed with Japanese mayonnaise and a sweet caramelised soy sauce.  I thought this sushi made a good different combination of sushi that had a good flavour in the tempura and the sauce.

Tempura Crab Stick Nigiri - $3.20

This is another Nigiri style sushi that has a long and flat crab meat flavoured stick that is tempura battered, and dressed with a sweet and slightly spicy creamy sauce.  The crab stick has a sweet taste to it and overall is a tasty tempura deep fried sushi.

Seaweed Gunkan - $3.90

The seaweed salad of seaweed with sesame seeds and a slightly vinegar dressing fills the seaweed wrap above a bed of rice.

Katsu crab ball - $4.50

A ball of crab meat (that seems similar to seafood mix rather than fresh 100% crab meat) coated in katsu breadcrumbs and a small crab claw sticking out of it.

Black sesame ice cream - $3.90

The black sesame ice cream is served with what seems to be a deep fried pastry similar to wonton pastry.  The black sesame taste is present in and gives colour to the ice cream but the taste is not overly strong.  The ice cream is sweet and simple.

Overall, Yuzu Kaiten Sushi has a reasonable selection of sushi available - many of which have slight twists to the original Japanese combinations and further make the place feel less than 100% Japanese.

Points to note: A relatively small sushi train bar that has a few different sushi to other sushi places.  Whilst cheaper than say Jaws East Perth for its sushi, I personally prefer the quality and ingredients used by Jaws East Perth.  Though given the price factor, Yuzu is quite reasonable for a casual sushi train meal.  BYO.

Go for:  Sushi train sushi with a variety of combinations including ingredients from other Asian influences.

Yuzu Kaiten Sushi

Shop 11, 649 Beaufort Street

Mount Lawley, WA 6050

(08) 9227 1880

http://www.yuzu.com.au/

Trading Hours

Tuesday to Sunday: 5:30pm to 9:30pm