Conveyor Belt Sushi by the Famous Crab Resto KANI-HONKE

Just recently I was around Kanayama station feeling like some sushi for lunch. I was walking around the south side of the station when I came across that restaurant with a big red crab protruding out of the wall above the entrance. It seems like any big city in Japan has at least one of these crab specialty shops. But this time was different, it was called Sushi-Honke instead of Kani-Honke (literally meaning crab house).

Stepping inside, sure enough this was a conveyor belt sushi shop, but it was produced by the same company as the crab specialists. The restaurant itself seemed a bit run down, but that didn't deter me at all. Although there were sushi plates revolving around in front of me, I was given a lunch menu of about 5 or 6 choices. One was a sushi combo and the rest were donburi or rice bowls topped with sashimi. Lunch being only 850 yen, I went for the salmon sashimi and ikura (salmon roe) bowl.

While waiting for my meal to come, I tried some plates off the moving belt. There was one called engawa which is the part of a white fish near the fin. It was so delicious, with a good amount of fat making it melt in my mouth. That got me excited for my lunch to come.

Every lunch set comes with a bowl of red miso soup, with a bonus of a small piece of crab in it. I was a bit pleasantly surprised but I suppose I should not have been; after all the parent store is a crab restaurant! So, not surprisingly, the chawan mushi or savory steamed egg 'custard' (380 yen) also had crab in it.

Salmon sashimi and ikura rice bowl

The salmon had just the right amount of fattiness to give it a slight sweetness that went well with the well-seasoned sushi rice. I like my sushi rice to be completely balanced so that one seasoning doesn't stand out from the other (vinegar, sugar and salt are used). Seasoned salmon roe is always such a great combination with salmon, and the sweet tamagoyaki (rolled egg omelette) was a nice addition to the bowl. The miso soup was simple, with a bit more depth of flavour coming from the crab, and had just the right amount of miso so that it was neither too salty nor watery. The silky chawan mushi too lived up to the standards of the rest of the meal.

Overall, a common lunch that may be seen in many restaurants across Japan, but Sushi-Honke does it well and I would definitely want to return.

Restaurant: Sushi-Honke 寿司本家　金山店
Area: Just outside the south side of Kanayama Station
Map and Website: https://www.kani-honke.co.jp/location_kanayama.html
Hours: 11am - 10pm, open everyday except January 1st