Seared fish go head-to-head at Japan’s top sushi chains.

In our never-ending hunt for the best value-for-money deals in Japan, our reporter P.K. Sanjun has been visiting the top four conveyor belt sushi restaurants, pitting dishes against each other in the ultimate plate-to-plate showdown.

Today, he’s sizing up their aburi salmon (“seared salmon”), which is one of the most popular selections at the big four chains.

▼ Clockwise from top left: Kappa Sushi, Kura Sushi, Sushiro, and Hama Sushi

As always, P.K. visited the restaurants on the same day, and all in the space of around three hours, to give us the most reliable assessment. So let’s get straight to it and find out what he had to say about them all.

● Kappa Sushi Grilled Salmon (110 yen [US$0.95])

“The cut is a little thinner than the raw salmon sushi sold here, but the umami flavour is just right. It’s a standard yellowtail salmon that doesn’t disappoint, but it’s not impressive either. It’s tasty for the price, but the flavour is a little on the weak side.”

● Kura Sushi Grilled Harasu (110 yen)

“Compared to the other chains, Kura Sushi’s aburi salmon was completely different. Though they call this dish ‘grilled harasu’, with harasu being the fatty salmon belly, it tasted just like grilled salmon. To be honest, I didn’t think this one was good, because there wasn’t enough contrast between the raw and grilled parts. However, it was unique enough to stand out, and I could see some people getting addicted to the taste and texture.”

● Hama Sushi Grilled Toro Salmon (110 yen)

“I could really taste the deliciousness of toro (fatty belly) here, thanks to it being seared, as this brings out the flavour more than raw toro. This was like ‘THE Aburi Salmon’ for me, delivering all the flavours you’d want in a good seared salmon, and and I couldn’t find anything negative to say about it.”

● Sushiro Grilled Toro Salmon (110 yen)

“Coincidentally, this one has the same product name as the seared salmon at Hama Sushi, and this is also ‘THE Aburi Salmon’ with no negative points to note.” 

So, at the end of this showdown, P.K. deemed both Hama Sushi and Sushiro to be equal winners with their deliciously fatty, perfectly seared salmon offerings. Still, Kappa Sushi wasn’t bad, and Kura Sushi stood out with its unusual, almost entirely grilled salmon, so you won’t be disappointed with any of these dishes.

Sushiro and Hama Sushi really know what they’re doing when it comes to aburi salmon, but if you’re craving a different type of sushi, you can always see how the conveyor belt chains compare with their tuna, salmon and salmon roe offerings!

Photos ©SoraNews24
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