Roll Up, Roll Up to New Hand-Rolled Sushi Joint The Maki

The recently-redeveloped food court on the basement level of the Kerry Center Mall offers plenty of options for hungry office workers, from quick-fix Mexican at Avocado Tree to spicy Chengdu-style malatang and now new fast-casual Japanese restaurant The Maki.

The Maki specializes in hand-rolled sushi and by that they mean sushi that is freshly hand-rolled and enjoyed without cutlery. A prompt on the sushi bar (there are no tables, only bar seating) encourages you to eat each roll as quickly as possible when the nori wrapping is still fresh. You'll want to follow that advice as the rolls are indeed best when the crisp seaweed contrasts with the just-warm sushi rice.

We sampled a set of four hand rolls (RMB 39) including salmon, tempura shrimp, California roll, and pickled plum with mountain yam. Individual rolls are priced from RMB 20 for veggie options to RMB 45 for high-end fillings like foie gras, grilled eel, or bluefin tuna akami. Each roll is around two to three bites and the chef makes them one by one, to suit the pace of your meal. The salmon and shrimp in our set tasted fresh, a bargain at RMB 39 for the set.

That freshness extended to a side portion of salmon sashimi which was suggested as an add-on to our order for just RMB 10 (diners can order by scanning a QR code on the sushi bar in front of them, although they do have an old-fashioned menu for the technology averse). There is a small selection of appetizers and side dishes such as edamame, takowasa, salads, and grilled seafood. Our grilled mackerel (RMB 28) had crispy skin, but we couldn't help but gripe about the small bones. The Maki avocado salad (RMB 38), on the other hand, was a delight, the salad leaves and perfectly-ripe avocado topped with an unexpected sprinkle of quinoa and toasted almonds, all dressed in a very moreish Japanese-style sesame dressing.

Top off your meal with an RMB 25 bottle of Kirin or Asahi beer or a carafe of sake from their short-but-sweet selection, which includes the excellent Dassai 50 Junmai Daiginjo (RMB 78/130ml).

It can be a gamble opening a restaurant in an area predominantly frequented by lunchtime office workers and it showed on a recent mid-week evening visit when we were the only customers in the restaurant. We hope trade picks up for The Maki as we're glad to have a good value Japanese option in this area.

The Maki
Daily, 10.30am-10pm. B1 (at the back of the food court), Kerry Center Mall, Chaoyang District (185 1852 5647)
朝阳区嘉里中心B1层(野菜村右拐赵崽儿对面)

Daily, 10am-10pm. B1, Yuanyang Weilaihui, Chaoyang Lu, Chaoyang District (153 1176 9497)
朝阳区朝阳路远洋未来汇B1层

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Images: Robynne Tindall, The Maki