City Miyama, Godliman Street (off Knight Rider Court)

We had walked past this Japanese restaurant several times while strolling down Knight Rider Court (the name still raises a smile) just off the North end of the Wobbly Millenium Bridge. It looks OK, but slightly intimidating, so we thought we'd try it first by going in on the weekend for their Saturday as-much-sushi-as-you-want deal.

We arrive outside, check that the offer still applies. It says that there are two sittings and we are 15 minutes early for the second, so we go around the block a couple of times.

When at least we enter, the waitress leads us downstairs to what is apparently the main dinig area. It is all beige except for some quite nice abstract geometrical drawings. The furniture is orthodox late-70s, which wouldn't look out of place at Jackie Treehorn's pad. We explain what we're after and she wanders off. Another waitress arrives with menus and, with some difficulty we order a diet coke and some lemonade.

After a while looking around, another waitress arrives. We explain what we would like, then again, then once more veery slooowwly. Blank incomprehension. Eventually she strolls off and after some time a fourth waitress arrives. Phew. Maybe this one will speak English. But no. While slightly better it still takes us a full five minutes to get across our demand* before we are told that we would have to be upstairs at the sushi bar and we have missed the second sitting.

We pay for our drinks, and leave for Sushi Hiroba, which isn't open on Saturday lunchtime. Eventually we stumble into Moti Mahal.

Will I try again? Probably, but it will take a while to get over this rotten experience.

* The trick, in case any reader would like to try the get food at City Miyama challenge, is to stick exactly with the wording on the sign outside, which is "as-much-as-you-like". Thinking about it, "all-you-can-eat" isn't really a very nice phrase anyway.

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.