I thought I soy a sushi bar ...

I remem­ber myself, age four­teen, squidging up my face in revul­sion at what I’d just put in my mouth. Not the actual taste of it, mind you — in hind­sight I’m sure it was deli­cious — but the thought: raw fish wrapped in sea­weed? I wasn’t hav­ing any of it. Until about a year later, when I couldn’t have enough of it.

Sushi def­in­itely grew on me, and you’d be amazed how many Capetonians list this Japanese cuisine as their num­ber one favour­ite food. Luckily for me, Cape Town embraced sushi in a big way a few years ago and I can now get my fix just about any­where in the city. Just in case you don’t know, here’s a run­down of a few of the best places to grab a California roll or ten ...

Willoughby & Co is an insti­tu­tion at the V&A Waterfront, thanks to a com­bin­a­tion of excel­lent ser­vice and even bet­ter sea­food. It’s almost never not busy, and they don’t take book­ings so arrive in good time. Seen over by Asian Head Chef Sam — almost as much of an insti­tu­tion him­self — the sushi is some of the best in Cape Town, and with an in-house deli and wine shop, this place ticks all the right boxes.

Try the ‘Rainbow Reloaded’ or get a little silly with an oyster shooter. (Find Willoughby & Co at Shop 6132 on the Lower Level of the Victoria Wharf at the Waterfront. Telephone: +27 (0)21 418 6115).

It may not have a spark­ling façade, but Kubo’s Little Japan in Riebeck Street (the site of my vir­gin sushi exper­i­ence) has other things going for it. The tiny res­taur­ant (it seats around twenty people at a squash) has an incred­ibly authen­tic feel about it, prob­ably due to the very little English spoken by the staff.

Perfectly light sushi and even more del­ic­ate tem­pura keeps those in the know com­ing back. Grab a lunch­time bento box spe­cial for a little over R70 (you won’t be dis­ap­poin­ted) or ladies, go on Wednesday and Saturday nights for a dis­count. Just plan on an early din­ner – Kubo’s is open, accord­ing to the sig­nage, until ‘not late’. (Find Kubo's Little Japan at 48 Riebeek Street, Cape Town. Telephone: +27 (0)21 421‑4360).

Certainly more aes­thetic is Tank, in the chic Cape Quarter, one of the first sushi hot­spots for Cape Town’s upwardly mobile set to see and be seen – and get some decent sushi while they were at it. Surrounded by a 20 000 litre, salt­water fish tank, you can guess how it got its name. (Find Tank at the Cape Quarter, 72 Waterkant Street, De Waterkant, Cape Town. Telephone: +27 (0)021 419‑0007).

Equally trendy is Wakame. With its sweep­ing views (tak­ing in Table Bay, Mouille Point light­house and Robben Island) and slick interior (wooden deck­ing, cherry wood coun­ters and mul­tiple three-metre fish tanks), it’s a great place to munch a few maki while rub­bing shoulders with other beau­ti­ful people. The selec­tion is mostly tra­di­tional though, with only one or two ori­ginal pieces. (Find Wakame on the corner of Beach Road and Surrey Place in Mouille Point, Cape Town. Telephone: +27 (0)21 433‑2377).

Heading down south ... oh, you thought Constantia only had wine? It’s also hid­ing Wasabi, a recent find at the Constantia Village shop­ping centre. The décor is taste­fully styl­ish and cosy, with an open food pre­par­a­tion area, and the menu boasts some very invent­ive sushi that’s sure to please the most jaded palate.

Pop in now for winter plat­ter spe­cials, and leave a little room for dessert ... the almond and marsh­mal­low sprin­grolls sound great but the Lindt Chocolate Eruption changed my life. (Find Wasabi at the Constantia Village Shopping Centre, Constantia. Telephone: +27 (0)21 794‑6546).

And, of course, ever pop­u­lar with Capetonians is Beluga in Green Point (and sis­ter res­taur­ant Sevruga). With a menu of cre­at­ive sushi (try the Samurai rolls — California rolls with a tem­pura prawn centre) and their fam­ous half-off spe­cials on both sushi and cock­tails, you can see why Sundays see so many of us loun­ging around here. (Find Beluga at The Foundry in Prestwich Street, Green Point, Cape Town. Telephone: +27 (0)21 418‑2948)

Other favour­ites include Hong’s Seafood and Bar (low-key, very well-priced sushi spot in Claremont), Saul’s Sushi in Sea Point (good sushi, even bet­ter dis­counts, wine list com­piled by Vaughn Johnson him­self) and Haiku (five-star excel­lence from the man who brought Cape Town Bukhara).

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