Japan has become a popular dream destination as of late. It comes as no surprise due to the many sites to enjoy when visiting. Of course, in any journey, there’s also the food to enjoy. Sushi stands as one of the top must-try Japanese dishes due to how widespread it is. To keep up with the large demand, one restauranteur by the name of Yoshiaki Shiraishi invented a conveyor belt sushi after thinking up how to speed up serving food with limited staff members. It was an immediate success and many Japanese restaurants serving sushi started to follow suit.

While not everyone can take a trip to Japan to try some sushi, it’s not that hard-to-find restaurants serving sushi in the metro. Just about any Japanese restaurant here is sure to have a whole side menu dedicated to sushi. But only a few have adopted the conveyor belt sushi method of serving. One that comes to mind is Genki Sushi.

Genki Sushi in Japan before branching out to neighboring countries. There are several branches now all over the metro but the one I came across was located at the relatively new Gateway Mall 2 in Cubao. For first-timers, looking at the menu and placing an order might be a bit intimidating but it’s simple once staff explain the process. There are plenty of sushi variations to pick from. Rather than dictating your order to a waiter, you have to input it on a computer screen. Once you input your order, all you have to do is wait for it to arrive. While not exactly in the same style as the traditional wait-and-select conveyor sushi belt, there’s a satisfying feeling that comes with seeing your food speedily arrive through the specialized delivery system. If you time it right, you’ll be able to take a video recording of your food’s arrival, perfect for the Reels!

To play it safe, we ordered popular sushi dishes like the California roll and tuna sashimi. You can never go wrong with a California roll due to how simple and easy it is to make. The tuna sashimi was soft to chew, a delight to finish. Hoping to kick it up a notch, we then ordered the crispy spicy salmon roll. While it wasn’t as spicy as we had liked it to be, a small addition of wasabi was enough to add a much-needed kick. Its crunchy toppings complemented the soft rice roll. For drinks, each table comes with a matcha powder you only need to add hot water to for a cup of matcha tea. Finally, for fun, we ordered from the Kodomo Bento section for kids so we could keep the train-shaped box that came with the meal. Inside the box is a serving of takoyaki, buttered corn, and fried tofu skin nigiri. There’s also an option for fried chicken, tamago nigiri (sushi rice topped with egg), and edamame (Japanese soybeans).

Overall, while the price of the sushi might come off as steep for some, the restaurant offers a fun conveyor belt experience that you won’t find anywhere else. It’s a place best enjoyed in the company of friends to share sushi and conversation with.