A Friend's Offer of Sushi Gone Bad - Why Buffet Sushi is to be Avoided.
My dear friend wanted to catch up on lost time and invited me out to catch a bite to eat at Ginza Sushi and Grill (name changed for personal reasons - Zero). I figured why not, because the day had been a tad gloomy from (now) the third week of summer rain. On walking in, it was decorated in Japanese decor with some American TV on the bar area going on. I was greeted with a "hello", nothing too fancy. On surveying the staff, it was mainly Chinese folks of Cantonese descent for waiters, hosts, and management while Hispanics and an Asian person or two being an itamae or on the cooking staff. I guess you can say knowing that this was more a buffet style joint, I knew it was not going to be perfect. A pure staff was one thing I knew not to expect nor one that can perfectly play the art of showmanship. My friend was seeking more of a bang for your buck approach, as they knew I was going through hard times with my money.
The start is good though, as the waiter asks if you want to opt in on the miso soup at the start. The consistency wasn't good, but I was fairly impressed that it was offered at the meal. Most Japanese buffet establishments that I have encountered don't offer the miso soup in the beginning, which is unfortunate. As far as the sushi end of it goes, they had a colorful showing of unique rolls or even remixes of classic rolls. Those made a colorful show for the eyes as well as a myriad of taste. The sashimi selection is quite good, though a little lacking. Hot side, there wasn't too much. The hibachi grill was there in addition to your stable selections of chawan mushi egg, tempura, fried rice, and etc. For the shabu shabu fanatic, there are the offerings where you cook the items yourself and wait for the fun.
As far as sashimi antics go... The itamae's consistency is a little off... some pieces were just too thick to fight with and some of the cuts were a discolored from being exposed past their stability. Poor quality fish being on display past stability is a hazard for food poisoning as uneducated people aren't aware about discoloration on average. Plus food temperature need to be in better effect as some of the hot and cooked rolls were too cold to be eaten or some of the cold sushi items reached room temperature at risk for bacterial growth. That's another hazard for food poisoning than anything.
The ending is mainly cakes, pies, and chocolate covered strawberries. They do also offer cold fruit and egg tarts as well for those looking for something that isn't carb loaded. A decent finish. The waiter also offers if you want ice cream... with the standard fare of green tea and red bean ice cream. The price was alright so no complaints there. It wasn't until I got home that something was wrong. My stomach boiled for a few hours and then the final chapter of flushing the suffering out of my system. I didn't notice that this began happening until after I found clean eating from my favorite sushi haven. The big time joints are often in a hurry to do a quick job, instead of keeping proper procedures in handling something as sensitive as sushi. After today's bout with bad fish from a mediocre place... I will probably do exclusive dining at reputable sushi bars with itamae's that I can put my trust into, both in taste and proper procedures.
