Popular Osaka Conveyor Belt Sushi Chain Chojiro Opens In S'pore, Prices Start From $1.99

Kaiten-zushi (literally turnover sushi in Japanese) — or what we call conveyor belt sushi in this part of the world — isn't exactly premium sushi. But that’s part of its appeal. After all, it was created in the ’50s to churn out larger quantities of raw fish and rice quickly so it’s affordable and accessible to the everyman. Chojiro, which opened its first franchised branch in Singapore at brand new Japanese food enclave Gochi Church Street Japan Kitchen (which houses five other Japanese eateries) on 13 June, is one of Japan’s most popular conveyor belt sushi chains. It has been awarded Trip Advisor’s Certificate of Excellence for five consecutive years since 2014. Common words used by netizens to describe the fare at Chojiro’s Japan outlets are “fresh”, “good quality” and “great value”.

Chojiro opened its first branch in Osaka 18 years ago, and now boasts 60 outlets within Japan. The branch at Gochi Church Street is Chojiro’s first outside its home country. The fish at this 47-seater joint is apparently flown in from Japan daily. Six Japanese chefs oversee the operations for now — two of whom will be based at the Singapore branch permanently.

All the typical features you can expect from a casual conveyor belt sushi joint: modest light wooden furnishings and cream leather booth seats. As is the norm, patrons sitting by the sushi conveyor belt counter simply grab whatever catches their eye off the belt and the bill for the small plates is calculated based on the colour of the empty plates on your table. Those sitting further away from the conveyor belt can place orders using the Huawei tablets on every table — the devices are also used for ordering whatever isn’t on the train.

It’s interesting to note that unlike other sushi train joints, the plates of sushi rotating on the belt are not covered. According to Chojiro’s spokesperson, it ruins the aesthetic, plus the warmth resulting from placing a plastic lid over the food causes the raw fish to deteriorate faster. Kind of like the greenhouse effect. So what system does the restaurant have in place to ensure that the sushi making its rounds on the train doesn’t dry out? Apparently, nothing more than eagle-eyed chefs scrutinising the rotating plates — taking note of its colour and texture — and discarding whatever looks past its best. Typically, a plate stays on the train for no more than 20 minutes. You’ll just have to trust the chefs’ judgement and pray that there’re no kids prodding the food with their grubby fingers.

The sushi selection at Chojiro is massive, with close to 60 types of sushi. Small plates range from $1.99 (for items like two pieces of deep-fried eggplant and miso sushi; pictured above, to tuna mayonnaise gunkan) to $15.99 (for two pieces of tuna belly sushi). There are also assorted sushi platters, sashimi, rolls, rice bowls, grilled seafood, tempura, noodles, salads and desserts that are made to order and aren’t on the belt. The drinks menu offers seven types of sake, whisky, wine and beer.

Like Tsum Tsum of the sushi world, these petite seafood-and-rice spheres are apparently designed for ladies or those with smaller appetites. A platter comes with eight tang yuan-sized balls and you can expect a mix of salmon, tuna, whitefish, shrimp and crabstick (with avocado). Perfectly sized for popping whole into the mouth, the vinegary rice has a good bite and the rice-to-fish ratio is perfect. Too cute and a lot of fun to eat.

The brick-shaped rice is dotted with chopped bits of shiitake mushroom and black fungus. Sadly, the raw mackerel draped on it is a tad fishy, but the combination of rice with umami mushroom and crunchy black fungus is quite comforting.

The priciest roll on the menu (the others range from $7.49 to $9.49). However, the pieces are uneven, with loose bits of rice sticking out. Meanwhile, the chunks of fried prawn are generous and sufficiently juicy, but there’s just too much mayonnaise slathered on this jelak concoction.

Featuring two pieces of marbled fatty tuna belly (second from left in pic) atop vinegary rice, the slices of unctuous fish are melt-in-the-mouth delicious.

Decent sushi for its price — but while some pieces are yummy, others could be fresher. It’s safer to get made-to-order stuff from the menu instead of grabbing plates off the conveyor belt, we think. We’d order the cute ball-shaped sushi for the kids and fatty tuna belly for ourselves. Worth a visit if you happen to be in the CBD area — but we'd give the restaurant some time to iron out its kinks before heading down.

​​​​​​​Chojiro is at Gochi Church Street Japan Kitchen, #01-04/05 Capital Square, 23 Church St, S049481. Tel: 6226 1271. Open daily 11.30am to 3pm & 5pm to 11pm. Last orders at 2.30pm & 10.30pm. www.chojiro.jp/global/

Photos: Mark Lee & Bryan Lim