Sushi Hiroba, Kingsway

This sushi restaurant opened on Kingsway about nine months ago, and has become fairly successful in that time. Mrs Scoffer is almost as fond of it as I am of curry.

It's easiest to describe by contrast to Yo! Sushi and similar places:

• The decor is dark, with black marbly/granitey surfaces with simple but quite pretty pictures on the (I think) red walls, which means it doesn't share that stark, fast-foody feel that the usual chains have.
• The space is square, and the fairly small kaiten (conveyor belt thingy) is in the middle with two or three smartly dressed (including ties!) chefs preparing food within
• At the left and right of the kaiten are low bar stools, at the back booths which will sit four (only two will be able to reach the belt), and against the walls are tables and a couple more booths if you are confident enough about the identity of the dishes you like.
• There is a private room which can be had for (from memory) about 30 quid an hour and it seems to have karaoke (I deduce this from a sign outside and the absence of TV screens or wailing businesspeople everywhere else).

The food is super. The fish is fresh, and the sushi beautifully presented. The coloured-plate scheme used at Yo! applies here and the prices seem broadly similar, or perhaps very slightly higher. The portions seem more generous though -- maki plates have six little rolls instead of four, and the nigiri have long, thick slices of fish, rather than little translucent postage-stamps.

There is a good range of hot dishes going round the belt, but most of it is cold. They will reheat anything for you quickly, but this doesn't work too well for the tempura, so it's best to watch the belt and request something which isn't already on it!

The waiting staff are attentive, efficient and often really rather pretty. Apparently they are mostly Korean, and ther food is Korean-influenced. We were too ignorant to notice.

Sushi is almost never cheap, but three people can get reasonably fed with beer or tea for a hundred quid and I think the quality of food and pleasantness of experience makes this excellent value. Highly recommended.