58 W. Buffalo St., Chandler
480-686-8183
We’d finished our lunch at Sushi Eye In Motion, and as my friend and I headed for the door, she elbowed me to take a gander to my left, where a woman sitting at the bar was displaying the most egregious example of plumber’s butt I’ve ever seen – even on a plumber. “Sushi eye in motion,” my buddy whispered, giving new and hilarious meaning to a name that’s meant to convey kaitenzushi: sushi delivered by conveyor belt.
Although the concept of traveling sushi may seem novel here in Phoenix, it’s old news in Japan, where sushi-go-round is considered fast food – quick, inexpensive and amusing. When I lived in Japan, I ate kaiten-zushi exactly once. It was dreadful. But that’s not the case at Sushi Eye In Motion (sister restaurant to the original, conveyor belt-free Sushi Eye in Tempe), where the sushi scoots along the conveyor belt in sweet, complicated constructions. Covered with plastic tops to accommodate the county’s health codes, the locomotive sushi at Sushi Eye is color-coded, which means that variously colored plates represent different prices. Just as with dim sum, the plates are counted and the tab totaled at the end of the meal. And if you’re wondering just how many times that California Roll has disappeared around the bend, only to return again, rest assured that each plate is also bar-coded so that tired (and expired) selections can be removed. What you don’t see on the sushi-train, you can order from the chef or your server.
Here, sushi rolls (maki) prevail over rice ovals topped with fish (nigiri), and maybe that’s because kaitenzushi appeals primarily to neophytes and children. It’s pretty clear from the names of rolls such as the ASU, the Booty Booty, the Climax and the Sweet Thang that Sushi Eye (in Tempe, at least) plays to an audience of college kids who probably aren’t too particular about sushi traditions. Chandler’s Sushi Eye offers the same labyrinthine rolls (a combo of shrimp tempura, cuke, spicy tuna, garlic, jalapeños, macadamia nuts, tobiko and wasabi sauce, for example) in a catchy format. My pal doesn’t like them much at all, referring to them as “candy sushi,” and I see her point. But I like the jumble of flavors and textures in my mouth, and because I don’t view this sushi as remotely traditional anyway, I’m willing to accept it. The fish seems fresh, and many of the crazy combinations suit me.
The miso soup that accompanies the one- to three-item combo plates ($6.95 to $15.95) is pretty good, too, as is the crisp romaine lettuce salad dressed with sweet, creamy dressing. But agedashi-dofu – battered and fried tofu, served as an appetizer ($3) or a combo meal component – is a big disappointment. Presented barely lukewarm instead of hot, the cubes are served on a plate with thick, soy-based sauce drizzled over their tops, when, in fact, they should be swimming in a bowl of sweet, utterly luxurious sauce. Almost everything here is sweet, including chewy baked green mussels mantled in mayonnaise-based sauce ($5). Tonkatsu (breaded and fried pork) has been pounded and sliced so thin it’s almost indiscernible as pork. On the plus side, breaded and fried nuggets of garlicky chicken karaage are crunchy, moist and tasty ($3.50 as appetizer), while Korean-inspired BBQ short ribs are tender and smoky-sweet.
Maybe I’m just a kid at heart, but I like this place. The sleek, modern décor looks great, the service is solicitous and the concept is a ton of fun. Is this one of the Valley’s best Japanese-sushi restaurants? No and hell no. But it’s the best Japanese-sushi restaurant in downtown Chandler fo’ sho’.
Lunch, 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Monday through Saturday; dinner, 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., Monday through Thursday, 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday.