Just the place for your regular sushi fix

EATING in Brunei Darussalam does not get any more exotic than Japanese cuisine. Welcome to Excapade Sushi, the first Japanese restaurant with a sushi train where dishes are placed on a conveyer belt that goes around the counter.

Its popularity is obvious as it is the only Japanese restaurant with the largest number of branches. There is even one in Seria in the Belait district so residents there (and in the neighbouring Malaysian town of Miri) no longer have to travel down to Bandar Seri Begawan for their sushi fix.

The restaurant is nature-inspired with mostly wood decor and the staff friendly with service that only gets better everyday (you will always be greeted with a "Welcome!" and a smile).

I especially like the move by the manager to leave his number on each table for feedback. This value-added service is just something that makes Excapade stand out.

The restaurant is always packed so it is advisable to make reservations to avoid disappointment.

To make waiting a comfortable experience, the branch in Gadong (the biggest so far) is fitted with a waiting room so customers can watch TV while waiting to be seated.

For private dining, one can reserve the private rooms.

Simple and healthy, from sushi to makis to sashimis and the hot dishes, Excapade offers an impressive menu with new additional items added last year. The menu comes complete with images so you get to see how it looks like.

As a shake (salmon) sashimi lover, the freshness of the raw seafood is important to me and my sensitive tummy and the ones served at Excapade is of the freshest my tastebuds have ever encountered locally.

It is also worth mentioning that the pieces are cut in just the right size — not to thin nor too big. There's also good news to those who want to order sashimi but want room for other dishes; it is now available in half portion.

For starters, I would usually order Wakame (seaweed), Kurage (jellyfish) or Hotegai (scallop)—each dish a strange mix of silky and crunchy goodness.

Also popular is the Agadeshi Tofu or Teriyaki Tofu—smooth and melt in your mouth. Something that looks strange but is actually tasty is the Idako (baby octopus) which comes in red sauce and sesame seed.

The dishes which are available on the train, and also made to order, are coloured according to price. Convenient and lets you keep track of how much you are eating!

Because I am biased, most of the dishes I order will most usually have salmon in it. Examples are Mini Salmon Mayo, Philadelphia Maki, Layered Sushi and Salmon Asparagus.

Salmon Asparagus is asparagus wrapped in cooked salmon in teriyaki sauce. Mini Salmon Mayo is made up of a slice of raw salmon wrapped around a round ball of vinegard rice topped with a little mayonnaise and fish roe (eggs).

Philadelphia Maki is simply raw salmon, avocado and Philadelphia cheese rolled into a square.

Layered Sushi like the name means just that. It has all of my favourite things such as raw salmon, cheese, avocado, seaweed and unagi (eel) all layered on top of each other, separated by rice.

The trick with eating sushi and maki is that if possible, swallow it whole so as to appreciate the fusion of flavours.

Japanese food comes with condiments such as soy sauce, wasabi (sharp and hot paste) and pickled radish. For the Japanese, these condiments are added sparingly to preserve the actually taste of the food.

Other favourites are the Tempura dishes, crispy and crunchy deep-fried seafood or vegetable or both best eaten hot dipped in special soy sauce.

A friend introduced me to shishamo (pregnant fish) two years ago and I have been hooked ever since.

Sometimes, I order it grilled and drizzled with lime and other times I prefer to have it deep-fried tempura style or furai (in bread crumbs) with teriyaki sauce.

Like most restaurants, Excapade also offers a variety of noodle and rice dishes. The Chicken Teriyaki Don is a colleague's favourite. My sisters love to order the Tsunami Meshi which is hot and spicy seafood fried rice with crispy fish skin on the side.

If you're in the mood for cooked fish, try the Gindara (snow fish) Teriyaki. Oh my goodness, this dish is so addictive that you may find yourself ordering it every time you're there.

At Excapade, for dessert you can choose from ice cream, pudding and fresh fruits cut to resemble sashimis.

The fried ice cream is definitely something to try but my personal choice is the macha (green tea) ice cream with red bean, the bitter-sweet taste of both is heaven in the mouth.

If ice-cream is too cold for you then order the pudding—my favourite is honeydew pudding with fresh milk.

Feeling hungry but not in the mood for anything heavy? Then Excapade Sushi is the place for you because not only are you in control of what you eat, the lively ambience and excellent service is sure to make eating a fun experience for you.

Excapade is open from 11.30am to 2.30pm and 5.30pm to 10.30pm daily (extended to 11pm on Fridays and Saturdays).The Brunei Times