Jidai Kaiten Sushi Now Open

Update: Review of Jidai Kaiten Sushi
We previously reported that a new sushi place was going to open in Boca Grove. We’re happy to report that Jidai Kaiten Sushi & Sake Bar opened for business four days ago.
We were very impressed. First, the restaurant manager, Asuka, is actually from Japan. People don’t realize this, but most Japanese restaurants in the US are run by Chinese people – even the restaurant at our beloved Morikami. Having a Japanese person in charge of the restaurant adds a substantial level of authenticity to the food. Many customers may not care about that, but as someone who has lived in Japan it really matters. Note that Sushi Yoshee appears to be run by Koreans, which we consider a step closer in our ethnically biased and politically incorrect view.
Second, and something most sushi lovers will appreciate, is the main attraction – the kaitenzushi or 回転寿司. The s in sushi becomes a z in Japanese pronunciation. The literal translation is something along the lines of automatic circle sushi, though it is also commonly referred to as “conveyor belt sushi.” In a typical kaitenzushi place (common in Japan and we’ve seen them in California), the chefs stand in the middle of a rectangle or circle making the sushi. They put each finished plate on the conveyor belt that goes around them, and the customers sit outside the loop, as you can see from a typical place in Japan, below.

Jidai takes it to a new level with a setup that covers a lot more ground. There is a main triangular area where the chefs stand and prepare the sushi. But the conveyor belt extends from the top of that triangle into a semi-circle that reaches out and over, forming a shape almost like a mushroom. So the sushi goes around the triangle, then up to the top, left down one half of the semicircle and then back to the right along the whole length of it, and back left and down to the other side of the triangle. And the setup is spread out so that there are chairs all along the whole span of the conveyor belt, so a large number of customers can enjoy the kaitenzushi.

How it works as a customer is different from typical restaurants in another way. There is a menu and you can order from it, but in kaitenzushi you usually just take plates off the conveyer belt and eat what’s on them. You save up the plates and at the end you pay based on the plates you have. Prices are based on the plate’s color, ranging from $2 for pink up to $5 for gold.

In a way, you can think of this like tapas or small plates. The prices are very reasonable, so you can try a broad variety of sushi without spending too much. And the quality is better than what you’d get at a typical sushi buffet. Below is a short video we shot showing the sushi plates rounding one corner of the triangle:

Unfortunately we had already eaten before we noticed that they were open, so we only had a couple of appetizers (shrimp shumai and pork gyoza). They were good, but we hope to visit with empty stomachs and do a full review sometime in the next few weeks.