Kintaro Sushi is a small sushi train store located on The Parade. My initial impression of this place was a good one, mainly because the place was packed and there was a steady stream of customers waiting for a seat. As far as sushi train stores go, this one is very modern and nicely presented. There’s a waiting bay at the front where a staff member will hand you a ticket. Once seats are available and they cleaned up the area, they will escort you to the available seats.

My first dish was the Crumbed Chicken Sushi. The chicken was reasonably warm and it was nice to see that breast meat was used. The meat had a nice golden coating, and together with the panko crumbs, gave it a nice crunchy texture. The sushi rice was soft and moist, with nice individual grains. This dish would have tasted bland if wasabi and soy dipping sauce was not used.

Next up was the Chicken and Cheese Karaage. Chicken thigh was lightly battered, fried and then smothered with cheese sauce. I was impressed by the generous amount provided. It tasted a little bland, but it certainly filled you up.

Finally, I had the Salmon, Avocado and Spanish Onion sushi. The salmon was reasonably fresh and the avocado was ripe. The Spanish onion provided a nice crunchy texture, while the rice, again, was well cooked.

The staff were friendly and inviting, however, I thought the service was a bit slow. It seems they’re understaffed with some staff members trying to do multiple things at the same time. The atmosphere was relaxed and their pricing is on par with other sushi train stores. Each sushi train store usually has pricing plates to indicate what each coloured plate costs. The pricing plates were in one corner of the room and difficult to see if you’re on the other side of the room. The other criticism is the lack of moist towelettes.

Not a bad place to visit if you’re craving for sushi in the Norwood area, however, they could be better.

WHERE: 147 The Parade, Norwood