
10

"I visited the eagerly anticipated Kura Revolving Sushi Bar, which opened in Chinatown’s Shanghai Plaza and occupies a corner near Spring Mountain Road; it's the 21st American outlet of the major Japanese chain known for its automated conveyor-belt delivery. Open daily from 11:30 a.m. to 1 a.m. (with times possibly adjusting soon), the large menu features value-priced sushi and hand rolls at $2.50 per serving, while udon, soup, tempura sides, crispy squid and $6.40 portions of ramen are ordered via touch-panel screens and arrive on a separate automated delivery track. Pre-prepared dishes circulate in covered containers with a flip-up lid called “Mr. Fresh”—guests pull the plate toward them, the cover rises, and the empty dome returns to the kitchen—and an overhead “Bikkura Pon” machine tallies returned plates and rewards every 15 empties with a kawaii capsule toy (currently a pencil eraser, key-chain, or sticky note)." - Bradley Martin