Niji Sushi Bar

Overview

There is an abundance of Asian eateries in Kingsford, but Niji Sushi Bar stands out for all the right reasons.

First of all, it looks good, is located on a corner and it's fully glazed. Timber battens create privacy and reference the restaurant's name (niji means 'rainbow' in Japanese), moving through a subtle rainbow palette as you look from one end to the other. Designed by Koichi Takada, the interior is equally sophisticated, with dark timber furniture and a welcome lack of fluorescent lights.

It's also big, with tables for couples or groups, and a banquet room that can handle 20. And it cleverly caters to the local student population, with a sushi-train style bar wrapping around the open kitchen, as well as cashed-up diners with the a la carte option offering Japanese Izakaya.

The Niji menu is extensive but the helpful waiters walk you through it all with ease (and the pictures next to each dish are also a big win for those of us who might get easily lost in a Japanese restaurant's menu). Start with a serve of seared salmon sashimi, tuna sashimi or an avocado mini roll — peoparing your palette for an onslaught of small and tasty dishes. The ingredients are fresh and light and the fish is particularly succulent here.

But it's not all raw here. Plenty of plates come out steaming hot. Our favourites? The octopus karaage, the crumbed oysters and all usuall classics —  think pork gyozas, karaage chicken and soft shell crab.

Niji is a staple of Kingsford's emerging culinary scene and if you're going to be certain about one thing, let is be this: there are definitely many pots (plates) of gold at the end of this rainbow.