Japan: Uobei
Jiejie returned from Enoshima in time to meet CK and me for dinner at Uobei:
A chain restaurant, Uobei is where you go when you want your sushi cheap and fast. Now, getting seated at the Shibuya location isn't exactly fast. In fact, it takes a while. Popular with locals and tourists alike, there was quite a long wait for us when we went on a Saturday night.
The rows and rows of counter seating were just crammed full of hungry diners:
The wait worked out for us though, since Jiejie was a bit delayed in getting to the restaurant from the train station. Once we were led to our seats, the first order of business was to familiarize ourselves with the set up.
Chopsticks, soy sauce, wasabi, and more were laid out on the counter:
There was even a hot water dispenser to make your own tea with the provided green tea powder:
But none of that held our interest for very long. What we cared about most was the individual touchscreen on which you place your orders:
I definitely took the time to look through every single page before deciding what I wanted to eat. Besides a few specials, everything was ¥100 each (around $1). So dangerous! That's how they get you. Because it's so cheap and even worse, so easy to keep adding more, just a few taps on the screen and suddenly you find yourself surrounded by stacks of empty plates.
The best part though, is watching your order arrive. Unlike your typical boring conveyor belt sushi restaurant, Uobei has a "bullet train" system. The plates seemingly shoot out and then slow to a graceful stop in front of you:
I was like a kid in a candy store. I wanted to get one of everything. But I didn't. Because I'm a responsible grown woman, dammit.
I started off with a horse mackerel and pickled mackerel combo:
Saba or pickled mackerel is one of my favorite sashimi, so I tacked on another order just for funsies:
Then came the cuttlefish:
And the salmon and grilled salmon combo:
The sweet shrimp:
The flounder fin:
The minced tuna:
And the squid with mentai mayo:
Then I branched out into the gunkan maki section and got an ankimo or steamed monkfish liver:
As well as a seafood yukke, which was basically a sashimi medley:
The fatty salmon nigiri only came one per order:
The other "special" I ordered was the Uobei trio (¥320 / $2.94):
I think it consisted of an oyster, a seared tuna, and a snapper.
I told myself that I would stop at 10 plates, but I ended up with 12. I suppose it could have been worse.
Sometimes these types of restaurants are more about the gimmick than then actual food, but that's not the case at Uobei. For a chain and a cheap one at that, the quality of the sashimi is pretty darn good. If you're looking for a sushi experience at a budget price and with essentially no knowledge of the Japanese language required, Uobei is the place for you.
Just going through these photos is making me crave sushi. I swear, once this COVID-19 craziness is over, my first meal out is going to be a sushi buffet.
Hope you're all staying safe out there!
魚べい
東京都渋谷区道玄坂2-29-11 第六セントラルビル１階
03-3462-0241
https://www.genkisushi.co.jp/en/
A chain restaurant, Uobei is where you go when you want your sushi cheap and fast. Now, getting seated at the Shibuya location isn't exactly fast. In fact, it takes a while. Popular with locals and tourists alike, there was quite a long wait for us when we went on a Saturday night.
The rows and rows of counter seating were just crammed full of hungry diners:
The wait worked out for us though, since Jiejie was a bit delayed in getting to the restaurant from the train station. Once we were led to our seats, the first order of business was to familiarize ourselves with the set up.
Chopsticks, soy sauce, wasabi, and more were laid out on the counter:
There was even a hot water dispenser to make your own tea with the provided green tea powder:
But none of that held our interest for very long. What we cared about most was the individual touchscreen on which you place your orders:
I definitely took the time to look through every single page before deciding what I wanted to eat. Besides a few specials, everything was ¥100 each (around $1). So dangerous! That's how they get you. Because it's so cheap and even worse, so easy to keep adding more, just a few taps on the screen and suddenly you find yourself surrounded by stacks of empty plates.
The best part though, is watching your order arrive. Unlike your typical boring conveyor belt sushi restaurant, Uobei has a "bullet train" system. The plates seemingly shoot out and then slow to a graceful stop in front of you:
I was like a kid in a candy store. I wanted to get one of everything. But I didn't. Because I'm a responsible grown woman, dammit.
I started off with a horse mackerel and pickled mackerel combo:
Saba or pickled mackerel is one of my favorite sashimi, so I tacked on another order just for funsies:
Then came the cuttlefish:
And the salmon and grilled salmon combo:
The sweet shrimp:
The flounder fin:
The minced tuna:
And the squid with mentai mayo:
Then I branched out into the gunkan maki section and got an ankimo or steamed monkfish liver:
As well as a seafood yukke, which was basically a sashimi medley:
The fatty salmon nigiri only came one per order:
The other "special" I ordered was the Uobei trio (¥320 / $2.94):
I think it consisted of an oyster, a seared tuna, and a snapper.
I told myself that I would stop at 10 plates, but I ended up with 12. I suppose it could have been worse.
Sometimes these types of restaurants are more about the gimmick than then actual food, but that's not the case at Uobei. For a chain and a cheap one at that, the quality of the sashimi is pretty darn good. If you're looking for a sushi experience at a budget price and with essentially no knowledge of the Japanese language required, Uobei is the place for you.
Just going through these photos is making me crave sushi. I swear, once this COVID-19 craziness is over, my first meal out is going to be a sushi buffet.
Hope you're all staying safe out there!
魚べい
東京都渋谷区道玄坂2-29-11 第六セントラルビル１階
03-3462-0241
https://www.genkisushi.co.jp/en/
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