Overview
This article is sponsored by our partners, Toshiba.
If one of Sydney’s favourite sushi restaurants and the leader in technological innovation have a food baby, how is it delivered? Via roller-coaster obviously.
Last weekend Toshiba teamed up with the sushi maestros at Zushi, taking over District 01 in Surry Hills with their sushi roller-coaster. The gateway to Sydney’s latest pop-up was indicated by the crowd spilling out from within and the glowing red light hinting at the #seriouslyjapanese experience to be had inside. While I waited briefly, falling victim to mounting anticipation akin to riding an actual rollercoaster, I tried my hand at a number of Toshiba tablets and laptops on display for each guest’s enjoyment/technological literacy enhancement.
Stunning Geisha girls emerged from the red lantern forest to seat us around the roller-coaster’s loop, ensuring front-row viewing and immediate access to our dinner upon its arrival. We sat, taking in a year’s quota of Hello Kitty and nodding hypnotically to the wave of the Lucky Cat, before examining the menu (also the waiter), which came in the form of the Toshiba Encore 2 tablet.
Yes, we were in the future.
With all other aspects of our experience perfectly managed (comfort, atmosphere, cultural awakening), choosing what to eat was by far the biggest challenge, with pre-calculated FOMO being the only tool of help. The maki with soft shell crab and tempura prawn? The salmon soba noodles with yuzu dressing? Or the delectable motley sushi and sashimi plates?
I went for the latter, and just moments after putting finger to screen, my sushi was seen whizzing (yes, whizzing) down a 25m roller-coaster from above, flying 360 around a poll, gaining speed on the final decline before it nailed the last bend and slowed to a halt right in front of me. Ta-da!
The assortment of nigiri and maki was packed with both the freshness and flavour Sydneysiders expect and love from Zushi, and a perfect ratio of salmon, avocado, kingfish and tuna I didn’t even know I appreciated. The sashimi being inhaled next to me was equally generous in size and delightfulness, and the maki and soba zooming past predictably incited palpable food envy.
While I’m not sure every sushi train station will be upgrading to this high-octane delivery system, Toshiba and the guys at Zushi have proved they know the real definition of fusion.
