Will our heroic quartet be able to rack up an incredible 100,000-yen bill?!
Our Japanese-language reporter P.K. Sanjun always thought he was meant for greater things, particularly when it came to splurging on food. Odd as it might sound, one of his biggest dreams is to witness his bill hitting the 100,000-yen (US$886) mark eating at food chain stores, a monumental task that he often tried to achieve at a smaller scale.
His choice of restaurant this time was popular conveyor sushi franchise Akindo Sushiro, a chain that offers most dishes at an affordable 100 yen each.
▼ Delectable sushi at very reasonable prices.
A quick calculation revealed that almost anyone would be full after 20 dishes (2,000 yen total), which was way below his projected 100,000 yen.
P.K. approached fellow colleague Seiji Nakazawa for advice, and the self-proclaimed Sushiro Master replied, “It’s impossible through normal means, but we might just pull it off if we gun for 300-yen dishes. It’s unlikely we’ll get sick of them either as there are plenty of variety to choose from.”
▼ “Come on, it’s sushi! As long as it tastes different,
we can eat them all day, right?” he said.
“Jumbo scallops, local unagi, and sea urchin would easily cost 300 yen per dish, but the secret lies in fatty tuna and roasted tuna,” Seiji continued.
▼ “These two would simply melt in your mouth without any need for chewing.
Focus on them and we got this.”
And so, a starving SoraNews24 hit squad consisting of P.K., Seiji, Ahiru Neko and Yoshio arrived at a Sushiro store, hell-bent on closing the establishment early by eating up all its food. What’s more, this store was located right smack in the heart of Tokyo, which meant that each 300-yen dish actually cost a little more, makingtheir challenge easier.
▼ They were not going to just reach that 100,000-yen mark,
they were determined to bust right through it and then some!
▼ But when they stepped into the shop, a big poster greeted them with the words
“Fatty tuna now at half price”.
▼ They might as well go home now.
On top of fatty tuna and roasted tuna being taken out of the equation, the troupe suffered a one-two punch with jumbo scallops and sea urchin apparently sold out that day too. Their fail-proof strategy of rotating between seven different dishes was mercilessly butchered into a simple spread of three, containing merely local unagi, channel rockfish, and a fatty tuna-roast beef combo.
▼ But these were heroes of SoraNews24, however, and slinking away with
tails between their legs was the last thing on their minds.
Their greatest weapon now was that the sushi dishes tasted heavenly, a blessing considering the misfortune that befell the team. Each member hungrily devoured a dish and their bill instantly shot up to 1,260 yen.
▼ 100,000-yen bill? Pah! This would be a cakewalk.
▼ There was a lot of waiting time though, as they turned up at a rather quiet hour.
With so many expensive sushi dishes being ordered in quick succession, Sushiro staff were no doubt wondering if an Arabian oil tycoon or a “dine and dash” group suddenly showed up. If P.K. were working in Sushiro, he would certainly call the cops on those four middle-aged men just to be on the safe side.
Seiji and Yoshio concentrated most of their efforts on the local unagi, an extremely delicious sushi that slipped down their throats easily. P.K. and Ahiru Neko went with channel rockfish and the fatty tuna-roast beef combo, which were also incredible in their own right.
▼ “Ha! I can consume a hundred of these easily,” boasted a confident Seiji.
Slowly but surely, their pace began to slow down due to the very limited variety. P.K. could not recall who it was, but someone said what everyone had on their minds, “If we ordered other stuff, wouldn’t we be able to eat even more?”
Indeed, sushi has always been about diversity. After all, there was much fun in choosing your own toppings and enjoying a wonderful meal with friends and family. It only made sense to allow orderings of 170-yen dishes, of which the pickled flounder kombu seemed to be the most popular.
▼ Everyone was all smiles again and their pace soon began to pick up.
▼ But after an hour and a half, things looked rather grim.
Smiles turned into grimaces…
▼ …and an air of resignation hung heavy around the group.
▼ P.K. tried his best, yet even that awesome roast beef tasted
like the bottom of his boot at this point.
After several failed attempts to kindle their appetite with fries or apple juice, P.K. finally caved in and asked for the bill.
▼ Their team effort amounted to 36,514 yen, not even halfway to their goal!
The team nevertheless managed to polish off an impressive 123 plates of sushi, 135 if side menu items were included. Perhaps they could have consumed more had the restaurant not had that half-price fatty tuna promotion.
▼ P.K. thought they had it in the bag, but they’d underestimated Sushiro’s cheap sushi.
The four men of SoraNews24 trudged back to the office soundly defeated. But though they failed to smash that elusive 100,000-yen mark, it was an arguably better effort than when they gorged themselves full of escargot and steaks at an Italian restaurant chain.
Images: ©SoraNews24
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