Sushi Zipang Review

The best of all Japanese worlds

Every time I journey into Cairns city for a restaurant meal I have a hell of a time deciding which establishment to select. In fact, my indecisions extend to cuisine type. Do I want Italian, Indian, Japanese, Chinese, Thai or Australian? And what happens when restaurants serving these types of food are all located within one city block? Argh, my obsessional personality is getting the best of me.

That's when you ask your 6-year-old daughter where she'd like to dine for the evening. You simply can't go wrong when you reallocate the decision making process into the hands of a grade-2 school student, and this time was no exception. It was clear to me, as her eyes turned across Shields Street towards Sushi Zipang, it wouldn't take long for her to decide. 30 seconds later we were seated and I had already ordered a glass of cold Sake. Good choice, Kali. Dessert for you tonight.

There are so many things I like about Japanese food. I love the concept of conveyer belt sushi as practiced with raging success at Sushi Train. I also love the prepared Japanese combo meals provided at restaurants such as Yamagen and O Cha Cha. And of course, the novelty of Japanese chefs carving up small delicacies on a sizzling hotplate in front of you with acrobatic skill is a unique treat. Sushi Zipang is a combination of all these characteristics and it is achieved with typical Japanese courtesy. Our waitress, very eagre to please, apologised for "the wait" every time she brought an item to our table. I forgave her for the low service and assured her she needn't apologise, but that just made her apologise again. Better just let it go.

The restaurant is very spacious and stylish. The sushi on the conveyer belt is priced at a flat rate of $2.50 per dish so you don't need to refer to the wall chart to see how far your bank account has fallen. To relieve the pressure on your wallet even further the conveyer belt is programmed to move at turtle pace, so if you see a treat down the line you have a substantial wait before it gets to you. It's nice to see a restaurant not eagre to push its diners out the door. Some dishes are smaller than at Sushi Train, and I must say their slightly cheaper price tag is reflected in their slightly diminished quality, but hey, you're plucking food from a moving platform.

I ordered the chicken kara-age combo - deep-fried marinated chicken with light batter, rice, barley noodles, obligatory ornate cucumber, and a strawberry. The chicken was fresh and moist, offsetting the bitter taste from my second glass of cold Sake. Also ordered was the tempura prawn and vegetables, on top of rice. The prawns in this dish were the most exquisite pieces of seafood I have enjoyed in a long time, and the tempura batter was light and fluffy. My daughter - a big fan of conveyer belt sushi - loved her sashimi and tofu rolls with delightful exuberance. This restaurant was a winner for casual dining.

Sushi Zipang is new to the dining scene in Cairns. The prices are cheap, the atmosphere is fun, and the range of dining options means there is something to please everyone. It doesn't matter if you are obsessional like me, or 6 years old like my daughter, Sushi Zipang is a great choice for a Cairns restaurant meal.

Diner Diller

Sushi Zipang	Cairns CBD
Sushi Zipang is a culmination of all that's good about dining in a Japanese restaurant - a funky conveyer belt with exquisite selections, coupled with an a la carte menu featuring a wide array of Japanese dishes and combos. Prices at Sushi Zipang are very reasonable, and the restaurant is licensed - I recommend the Sake!
cuisines: Japanese features: A la carte, Buffet, Licensed review: The best of all Japanese worlds (4/5/2003) contact: (07) 40513328 | 39 Shields St.
Mini Reviews
Kim	3rd Oct 2008
Sushi Zipang is great! Very friendly and efficient staff, the food is fantastic and fresh. I think this was the first restaurant my partner and I visited when we first arrived in Cairns. It's a clean and professional establishment. We have been back many times!
Lara Motta	7th Oct 2007
This is the best Japanese food in Cairns! Free water and tea...Friendly staff and the most fantastic selection of FRESH sushi. Could not recommended highly enough!
Jo	5th Jun 2007
We love this place. The sevice is quick & friendly & the food is always fresh. If you dont see what you want on the train the chef quickly whips you up what you want. It's such a fun way to do dinner.
katrina	21st Jan 2006
i have been dinning at sushi restaurants for the last 5yrs in cairns but had never been to zipang sushi till last night, ever after hearing good things about it. What i heard about it did not do it justice! the selection was huge, the service was friendly and the prices were unbelievable! i ate more but paid less then anywhere else! and if i was not moving cities in 2 weeks i would make that my friday night dinner spot! but I can safely say that when ever I am in cairns my friends and I will be back! loved it!
Harry Hareyama	25th Jun 2004
Sushi Zipang was one of the greatest places to dine in Cairns. Service, Price, cleanliness, atmosphere. all one of the top classes. We specially enjoyed their new style Sushi that was really creative, and some of them look beautiful, like a cake. There was great selection of Dinner Box, which were individually combined and cooked very carefully, and tastefully. I have no hesitation to recommend this joint to any of those who love the Japanese cuisine.
Have you been to Sushi Zipang? Write a Mini Review to tell people your impressions.