A pregnancy craving turned into a challenge to see what other delicious dishes the popular sushi chain can offer women in the same boat.

Thankfully, our Japanese-language reporter Haruka Takagi safely gave birth at the end of December. While pregnant, she took good care of her body and altered her eating habits for the sake of the baby. However, that didn’t stop her from having all sorts of sudden cravings, especially for sushi.

While she was somehow able to resist all of her impulses to eat raw foods, whether sushi, shellfish, meat, or eggs, out of an abundance of caution at the time, isn’t it a universal law of humankind that the more you try to ignore something, the more you want it? Therefore, one day she decided to pay conveyor belt sushi restaurant Sushiro a visit at lunchtime to try to trick her brain into thinking she was eating something raw when she actually wasn’t. Operation Non-Raw Meal at Sushiro: Commence!

▼ Would she still be able to enjoy her meal to the fullest regardless?

Unfortunately, her optimism clouded over considerably as soon as she sat down and spotted the following poster for a limited-time menu item at her table:

▼ “Six-piece combination of thickly sliced all-natural southern bluefin tuna”

All six pieces pictured on the plate were from different cuts of the fish and/or were prepared differently. Haruka’s mouth spontaneously watered just looking at it.  Her mood dampened even more after seeing a different poster advertising winter seasonal deals such as monkfish liver and shirako soft roe. Maybe it was a total mistake to have come here…

However, that’s when she saw a third poster advertising creative eel sushi toppings devised by Sushiro. Eel is one of her favorite foods–and these options all featured grilled eel! Each version also showcased additional flavor accents such as grated yam in dashi stock or cheese mayonnaise. OK, she was definitely ordering at least one of these.

▼ Third time’s the charm!

The eel discovery had put Haruka back in a good mood, and she began browsing through the menu on the digital touchscreen. The side menu especially had plenty of non-raw options to choose from. In particular, the tempura dishes seemed seasonally appropriate and looked delicious.

Something else she realized was just how many small noodle dishes were on the menu. Normally, she’d be too busy stuffing her face with raw fish to pay them much attention–but this time, she would eat them to her heart’s content.

Now, a drumroll please…here’s Haruka’s carefully selected menu of all non-raw foods!

● Kansai-limited grilled eel sushi with dashi and grated yam (260 yen/US$1.66)
● Simmered conger eel hand-rolled sushi (260 yen)
● Yuzu and chili pepper-flavored shrimp tempura (360 yen)
● Chicken salt ramen (460 yen)

She decided to dig into the ramen first. It was apparently developed by a popular ramen restaurant called Nagomi in Amagasaki, Hyogo Prefecture that has constant queues outside.

She took her first bite. It was refreshing with a rich taste, and its golden, chicken-based broth paired divinely with the soft noodles. Was this really supposed to be only sushi restaurant-quality ramen?! It completely blew the too-soft, instant noodle-like ramen she’d eaten at a different sushi restaurant in the past out of the water.

The tender slice of chicken resting in the soup also lived up to expectations.

She ate every last thing in the bowl, savoring its umami goodness right to the end. She would have drunk every last drop of the liquid, too, but decided to play it cautious with her intake of salt.

Next up was the piping hot shrimp tempura. From their heads to their tails, every bit of the shrimp were deep-fried. Haruka had a moment’s worry when she thought that the shells might get stuck in her mouth, but that turned out to be an unnecessary fear. The shrimp were light and crispy, and the crunchy shells only enhanced the delicious flavor. Furthermore, the yuzu and chili pepper in the coating added a nice little kick.

However, that zestiness also made her want to drink a beer along with the dish. While she sadly couldn’t indulge in that way, she squeezed lemon juice generously on top of the shrimp and devoured them.

Finally, it was time for the two sushi dishes she had ordered. Here was the grilled eel sushi topped with dashi and grated yam (limited to Sushiro locations in the Kansai region). The eel had a tantalizing aroma, while the dashi and grated yam mixture added a softer side to the taste.

Meanwhile, the conger eel had its own gentle sweetness. It came as one large piece enveloping the vinegared sushi rice, and Haruka thoroughly enjoyed its luxurious nature from start to finish.

Well, then. Despite not having eaten a single morsel of raw food at a sushi joint, Haruka felt fully satisfied in both body and spirit. She was just about to request the bill when one more page on the digital menu caught her eye: the desserts.

Now, Haruka’s someone who always has room for dessert, and the five different kinds of parfaits on the menu all looked lovely. Their prices were also very reasonable. She ended up ordering the Double Potato Chocolate Chip parfait for 310 yen. It looked so cute as it arrived on the conveyor belt.

Sushiro develops sweets with its own in-house team of pastry chefs, and the final products that make it to the menu are selected from over 200 prototypes each year. This one, with its colorful combination of murasaki-imo and beniharuka sweet potato-flavored ice creams, was absolutely gorgeous.

Each flavor had its own rich taste characteristic of the variety of sweet potato. They both went well with the chilled chocolate chips also sprinkled throughout the concoction. She was pleased to discover a layer of murasaki-imo-flavored whipped cream at the very bottom of the dish, too.

By the way, if you’re curious what Haruka’s very favorite dish of the day was, that honor went to the shrimp tempura. It exceeded her expectations in every way, and she couldn’t wait to order it again someday in the future with a cold glass of beer.

It was as if Haruka’s craving for raw sushi at the beginning of the day had never existed. She left Sushiro feeling incredibly happy and satisfied with her visit, and she now looks forward to returning with her baby in tow.

If you’re looking for more tips on how to enjoy a visit to a sushi restaurant if you don’t eat raw food, check out our previously shared suggestions for both Sushiro and Kura Sushi.

All images © SoraNews24
● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
[ Read in Japanese ]