Revolving sushi restaurant’s “Sushi of the World” Festival brings unusual fish to the table

One particular variety really piqued our interest!

On August 30, rotating sushi restaurant Sushiro started a brand new campaign called the “Specialty Sushi from the Seas of the World” Festival. Given how much we love sushi and trying out all the different options at revolving restaurants like Sushiro, we had to try the festival’s new flavors we wouldn’t normally have access to.

Nine different kinds of sushi hailing from different parts of the world are currently on this limited-time-only menu. It’s like an edible aquarium! And there was one fish we’d never expected to see in a Japanese sushi restaurant: barramundi, also known as Asian sea bass, which can be found in the Indian and South Pacific seas.

On the Sushiro menu, it was labeled as “Minami Akame” (or “Southern Japanese late”), likely since “akame” is a much more recognized word among Japanese sushi fans, but in fact barramundi is a different species, though they are a close relation.

Both fish can grow as large as one meter (3.3 feet), but while akame have eyes that glow red when reflecting light, barramundi’s glow yellow, like many other fish. Akame are also an endangered fish, and fishing them is illegal in some prefectures, which is why akame is considered a super luxury sushi in Japan.

Barramundi, on the other hard, are not particularly special or rare, and in India and Australia, they’re actually considered to be a cheap fish for the masses, which is often eaten grilled or fried. But since they’re not native to Japanese seas, people in Japan don’t often have the chance to eat them, so their addition to the Sushiro menu for a limited time is a real treat.

Sushiro’s barramundi sushi is fished from waters in Vietnam. One piece costs 120 yen (US$0.82), but prices may vary in different stores. Apparently, quantities of this sushi are limited.

When we tried it, we were surprised at how firm it was. It was solid enough to be bendable. It did have a strong taste, and it came with a bit of green onions and a little jelly-like substance on top, perhaps to mitigate some of that strong taste. As a sushi, it might not appeal to everyone, but you can’t deny its appeal as an unusual fish!

Of course, there were some other delicious options on the Festival’s menu, like “Salmon Produced in the Arctic Circle” (150 yen)…

And “Broiled Salt-finished Broadfin Thornyhead” (260 yen) from the U.S.

We also thought the “Black Cod with Charred Soy Sauce” (150 yen), fished from the seas around Alaska, was especially delicious.

There were two special tunas from Spain on the menu, the “Natural Fatty Bluefin Tuna” (360 yen) and the “Natural Bluefin Tuna Two Piece Plate” (260 yen), but though it was good tuna, it tasted just like Sushiro’s regular tuna.

▼ Fatty tuna

Sushiro doesn’t source its tuna from Japanese oceans anyway, so there wasn’t anything particularly exciting about this offering.

▼ Two-piece tuna

They also have a Spider Roll (180 yen), which is made with soft-shell crab from Bangladesh…

Abalone with Charred Soy Sauce (120 yen) from Peru…

And Common Squid (120 yen) from Argentina.

The website lists Boneless Shortrib Roast Beef Nigiri from Australia as the ninth offering of the campaign (also for 120 yen), so you might not find the squid in every restaurant.

All of these limited-time-only sushi flavors are interesting international offerings, so they’re worth making a trip to Sushiro to try! They’ll only be around until September 10, so don’t dawdle if you want to try them. And while of course you can fill up on just these nine flavors, if you want to eat more, here are six things staff at Sushiro recommend to really round out your meal.

Related: Sushiro
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