Dimitri Burkhard
"Fast food: Reinvented", "Sushi to go" or "Rolls that will keep you rolling!"
No doubt, I could go on all day with ever new tag lines for one of my favorite dishes in the world: sushi. After moving here from the United States where sushi had established itself on the food pyramid, I was glad to come across Yooji's, a hip chain of fast casual sushi restaurants. I stopped by the latest flagship restaurant at Zürich's Bahnhofstrasse to give you the low-down.
From breakfast choices like matcha lattes to edamame beans and bento boxes: I still feel (positively) overwhelmed every time I visit a Yooji's branch! There are simply too many delicious options, but my all-time favorite has got to be the salmon nigiri bento.
You might assume that a "to go" product comes at an inferior quality. But I must admit that the bento sushi from Yooji's is right up there with some of the more expensive sushi in town.
Stop by any day of the week during lunch hour and you will know the reason for the freshness: The take-out counters are buzzing, and one employee is assigned to constantly re-stock the shelves with fresh products...
Kaiten Conveyor Belt Sushi Restaurant
On days when you want to go all out and celebrate that sushi experience, the lower floor of Yooji's will be your best shot. Tucked underneath the busy take-out counters at street level is a cozy basement restaurant.
The ambiance brings back memories of foreign places such as Tokyo or Manhattan. And those who are truly in for the experience will forget that they are on Zürich's Bahnhofstrasse...
Yooji's most likely has the longest conveyor belt in Zürich! While there is a constant flow of sushi and sashimi dishes, each guest has an individual touch screen panel for special orders such as noodle soups or Yootea beverages. The latter come in four flavors and are exclusively brewed in Switzerland.
Newcomers to the world of sushi need not despair as each plate is tagged with an RFID chip. By placing a dish on a specially marked spot, the screen will pull up a description and list of ingredients. For vegetarians, there are plenty of "no fish, no meat" varieties.
I really like to introduce colleagues and friends to kaiten sushi, as many have never tried this before. Even if you are just stopping by for a quick bite, there is never a dull moment while waiting for your order: It is interesting to watch the sushi masters in the center of the belt as they prepare those delicious sushi dishes!
Mamiko
