It is possibly to buy delicious sushi in Lewes – Michi Mathias sells boxes of her homemade vegan sushi from various outlets, including May’s and Barefoot Herbs, and Ayumi provides Japanese food, including vegetarian sushi, for dinner parties. But until we get our own Japanese restaurant, Lewesians in search of raw fish, smoked eel, tempura and gyoza, the lovely little Japanese dumplings, need to travel to Brighton. As an end-of-half term treat, I took my son to Moshi Moshi, the conveyor-belt sushi place in Bartholomew Square, for their Sunday lunchtime members’ special. Membership of Moshi Moshi is optional but free, and well worth getting. Once you’ve registered, you get a number of benefits, including: eating free on your birthday, monthly special offers, and on Sunday lunchtimes, any plate at the bargain price of £1.90. Normally, dishes are priced according to the colour or pattern of the plate; they start at £1.90 and go up to around £5. The bill is calculated according to the plates you’ve used.
I never fail to be entertained watching the beautifully arranged little plates of food come round on a conveyor belt. I was fascinated as a child by a hi-tech automated food service system in a Rock Hudson/Doris Day movie, and there is always the tension, with such modern concepts, that it can all go horribly wrong and you end up with food flying everywhere. The worst thing I’ve ever seen happen at Moshi Moshi was a minor log jam which ended up with a few plates of food falling off at one corner, but you never know. It’s the only place my son, not keen on vegetables, will eat an entire bowlful of edamame beans without threats or bribery. He’s old enough now to take them off by himself, although I still hold my breath. Their arrival on a conveyor belt makes them magically desirable and he enjoys popping the bright green little beans out of their pods.
We arrive at 1pm and find place very busy, mostly with families. We grab a couple of stools at the counter and begin the ritual of splitting up our pack of chopsticks, pouring soy sauce into our little bowls, and watching the plates of food wend their merry way around the restaurant. I add a dab of wasabi, hot green horseradish, to my soy sauce from the pot in front of us, and chew on some pickled ginger. We look out for ones we want and hope no-one else grabs them first. I still have no idea what some dishes are, even if they are sweet or savoury, but that adds to the fun, and you can always ask a staff member if you really want to know. This time my son takes a plate of four little sushi rolls with salmon in them, and we order some miso soup and crispy fish tempura. Other times he’s enjoyed teriyaki salmon with rice; one of the choices on the children’s menu. I choose plump salmon skin rolls, lovely fresh tuna sashimi and some pretty, iridescent mackerel sushi. It helps to know that Moshi Moshi promote sustainable fish policies, as part of an ‘invest in fish’ campaign to change the way we catch and eat fish. But the best part about eating Japanese food is that you don’t feel bloated after stuffing your face with it. In fact, after steering clear of the lurid sweet sticky balls and chocolate mousse, I feel rather virtuous and healthy.
