Sushi Mania, our go to spot when the sushi craving hits. A short drive to Cambridge and a two hour feast seems to tide us over for a few weeks.
Let’s get one thing straight. There’s nothing wrong with an all you can eat sushi buffet. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. OK, perhaps there is reason to be apprehensive about being offered what are meant to be higher end delights for a fraction of the price.
The concept at SushiMania is simple. You’re given the option of choosing the buffet option or ordering from the menu. If you’re ordering before 5pm then you get half price. The thing is that we still haven’t quite worked out whether we’re getting the short end of the stick yet. There’s clearly a science to the all you can eat offer otherwise the place wouldn’t offer it. Well, as long as we make sure we feel like we’re getting our money’s worth. (insert smug emoji here).
Where SushiMania does let itself down is in the service, which is a pity. They’re lucky that their sushi is good and while that’s great for now. There’s always the chance we might find somewhere else. The reason for the unhappiness is that generally it’s not the warmest welcome when you arrive.
Once you get past that though then generally it’s all good from there on out. Once the food starts arriving then all is forgiven.
The concept is simple if you choose the buffet option. Each table has a piece of paper and you then mark off the dishes you want, limited to three of each, and then hand over to the server. Our standard go to first order is always for the salmon sashimi, limited to three pieces per customer, inari – parcels of rice with mayo and wrapped in sweet bean curd – and chicken gyoza. We also always choose a bowl of edamame beans. These also provide entertainment when trying to get them out of the pods. I’ve shot one across the restaurant before much to Gina’s amusement.
The great thing about eating sushi is that it’s a series of small plates. So that means that once the first couple start arriving there’s usually a well-timed procession of sushi goodness heading to the table. The buffet menu also includes things like ramen and katsu curry. There may even be dessert on there as well but I can’t say that there’s ever been space for that.
You can find SushiMania in Christ’s Lane.
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