Seduced by sushi

The tools of seduction are many and varied. Oysters, alcohol, a candlelit room, the drifting smell of melting chocolate, guys who stand up for you in front of their friends, French accents, Irish accents, British accents, Colin Firth emerging dripping from a lake wearing a white shirt ... But I digress. The point, my dears, is that the tools of seduction are endless, and probably exceed the number of people actually willing to use them! But raw fish, really? How could that ever be remotely alluring? Yes, I had my doubts too. But I've now fallen under its spell. Something about the colours, the size, the perfect symmetry when they're lined up on a plate, the shiny round marbles of fish roe that beam at you from their perch atop the sushi, drawing you in like a lighthouse in the night ... To be perfectly honest, I'm hooked! (excuse the pun).

Top of the obsession list: newcomer Sushi Hon, in Sydney's Pitt St Westfield, which claims to be the longest sushi train in a shopping mall in the Southern Hemisphere. Personally, I'm not sure whether that's much of a sales pitch - who chooses sushi trains based on their length? But luckily for Sushi Hon, what they lack in PR, they make up for in sushi. And it's definitely good sushi! The chefs create beautiful, and unusual, sushi which truly do combine the best of East and West. Take a look for yourself.

My absolute favourite. The creamy goo atop the right-hand sushi is a mixture of squid and mayo, which is d.e.l.i.c.i.o.u.s. The mayo isn't creamy at all, and the chewiness of the squid provides a delightful contrast.




Again, scrum-diddly-umptious. The salmon strips are seared, so you get that slight smokiness, which complements the sweet shrimp mixture in the middle of the sushi perfectly.

"Blue Mountain"

The salmon strips are wrapped tenderly around little balls of rice, before being seared by a blowtorch and topped with a juicy scallop hat, mashed avocado and fish roe. A visual treat.

Another favourite. The melted cheese and sweet chilli topping is such a shock to your tastebuds, and an unexpected delight.

The lovely squid mixture makes another appearance, but this time inside the sushi roll itself. The scallops are a nice touch.

Dessert time! A massive mochi ball, quartered to reveal a sweet red bean interior. Moreish.

Chef at Sushi Hon making little rice balls for the sushi.

Special sushi bento box (takeaway) @ Sushi Hon $15

This is probably THE best takeaway bento I've ever had. And being a bit of a bentomaniac, I don't say that lightly. The box offers you three large fusion sushi rolls (including the cheesy prawn roll aforementioned), as well as seaweed salad, fresh sashimi, little sushi maki and diced fruit. Great value for $15!

Okay, next on the list: Sushi Tei, Chifley. Fresh and varied. Surprisingly cheap, considering its central city location and the amazing A4 glossy menus!

Cheesy salmon sushi.

See what I mean about les couleurs??



Perfect slivers of avocado



Luscious grilled eel, yawning above a soft eggy strip. My two favourite things!



Best. Dessert. Ever. Cold green tea ice cream, a sweet strip of red bean, snug inside a crisp shell.

And third place goes to ... Sushiwa, on Hunter Street, Sydney. A very small restaurant, but bright and boisterous, with a high turnover on the sushi train. Cheap and cheerful.

This one was rather spicy. Note to self: keep glass of water full at all times ...

So cute, they look like two peas in a pod!

Again with the cheese. Can't really go wrong with the yellow stuff.

This was infinitely better than the mochi at Sushi Hon (as you can probably tell from the drips of molten chocolate ... ).

Hopefully you'll be better than me at resisting sushi's spell. Good luck!