My first conveyor-belt sushi

Confession time: I had never partaken of conveyor-belt sushi until I ventured to Kaiten Sushi Ginza Onodera in far west Houston recently. No choo-choo-train delivery; no revolving plates available for the grabbing. Not for me.

I'm finicky about my sushi—some might call me a sushi snob—and I want to see each piece of nigiri or slice of sashimi take shape right in front of me. I don't even like table service at my favorite sushi spots. It's sushi bar or nothing, and I will pay a pretty penny for top quality fish and shellfish at peak freshness.

So Kaiten Sushi Ginza Onodera sounded like a stretch. But I was curious about this multi-concept Tokyo-based brand that aims to bring fine-sushi chops to what is usually a downscale, affordable genre. I wondered what would be gained by a conveyor belt, touchscreen ordering format. Speed? Turnover? Pricing advantages?

I'm still not sure what the conveyor belt brings to the Kaiten experience other than novelty—and, once you nail the ordering process, the convenience of speed. The arrival of gleamy nigiri morsels or museum-quality seasonal specials whisking to a halt at eye level, right in front of me, struck me as hilarious. I had perverse fun figuring out how to master the touchscreen, and the sushi that scooted out to my slightly cramped counter seat—separated by a partition from the dining room's spacious booths— was good to excellent, for the most part.

The build-out in the new West on West mall (home to the Japanese lifestyle store Teso and a fancy Lady M crepe cake dessert shop) is handsome in a dramatic, off-kilter way. Horizontal lighting tubes snake past floor-to-ceiling drapery effects, all in subdued tones of grey, black, white and lots of blond wood.

Kaiten specializes in Edo style sushi, in which the seafood is salted or marinated before serving, intensifying flavor and texture. So my first pick was their akami nigiri, the lean, red-meat tuna that takes so well to the Edomae style. I tapped it in on the touchscreen and shortly a vivid length of fish, score marks streaking down its back, whisked to a halt before me.

It was terrific, from the cool, intense umami of the meat to the sushi rice beneath. Sake lees and red vinegar give the rice an unusually dark tinge and a subtle, tart earthiness here. I immediately put it up with MF Sushi's and Soto's in my Houston Sushi Rice Hall of Fame.

And immediately ordered another piece of akami, this time as a nigiri trio with silver-skinned kohada, or gizzard shad; and intense, briny Spanish mackerel topped with grated lemon rind. (The less-than-optimal mackerel was the sole clunker of the meal—and I'm a mackerel fiend.)

A seasonal special of gossamer turnip mousse whisked out inside a flared coupe glass, the creamy fluff topped with shiny orange salmon roe and a silly flourish of gold leaf. Fabulous stuff, ever so gently bitter and rocked by salty liquid pops. Fine dining via conveyor belt, I marveled. I wondered how the belt knew to stop right in front of me.

I find touchscreen ordering diabolical, and Kaiten's was no different. It took me a few botched tries to realize I should order either single pieces of nigiri, or by threes—and to space out my picks.

I mistook a touchscreen prompt about six being the upper limit you could order at once for meaning I would receive six pieces lined up in a pretty row. Nope. Instead I had to juggle six individually plated nigiri that arrived in rapid succession, so that it was hard to figure out where to put them, let alone which was which. Eat and learn.

Best single bite? A strip of torched flounder fin, engawa, its marvelous softness tightened up by the surface singe. It was as good as any nigiri in Houston.

Amberjack, Japanese sea bass, sea bream and horse mackerel all passed muster in terms of drape, proportion and suitable, restrained garnish. But they did not deliver the thrill I expect at my top Houston sushi spots. They were good; not exceptional. And since Kaiten is trading on the Michelin status of a couple of its non-conveyor-belt locations, I was hoping for exceptional across the board.

The pieces were priced from $3.50 to $6, a bit lower than the city's high-tier joints. I passed on the cooked items (I was in high Raw Fish Mode), but a toro takuan roll caught my eye because of its pickled vegetable component. Alas, too sweet for me, and the nori wrapper was toughish.

Despite the belt system, you will have a server to administer beverage service, help you when (not if) you mess up your touchscreening, and attend to any needs. So conveyor service does not mean no tipping. Forget that!

I ended up spending about the same amount as if I slid into a counter seat at Soto or MF Sushi or Katami for an a la carte meal, but it was a lot easier to get seated; and I could imagine the eat-and-run potential, too.

If I craned my neck, I could spy the sushi chefs on duty at their high rear station, and give them a friendly salute. That felt way less personal than a traditional sushi counter, but that's the whole idea here. I could see how it would be heaven for introverts, or solo diners who just want to get in and out.

Bottom line: if I lived near Kaiten Sushi Ginza Onodera, I'd happily pop in now and then. But as a destination for folks who live far away, it makes more sense as part of a field trip to the rich assortment of international malls, food shops and grocery stores out here in Westchase. There's so much out here, it's a subject for a future post. [Japanese demon emoji goes here.]