In recent years, sushi has become a restaurant staple, and you no longer even need to serve fish, it seems, to offer sushi. As such, quality and innovation have gone the way of burgers, and become lost in the realms of cost-saving and commonplaceness.

Our dear writer Ash, recommended 1890 House as a place where the sushi was authentic, tasty and affordable. I didn’t need much more encouragement!

Situated off Lower Main Road in Observatory, Cape Town, 1890 House is, well, housed in a building that dates from 1890, hence the name. Asians, who serve Chinese cuisine and sushi exclusively, run1890 House. The sushi is fresh, tasty, affordable, well presented and there is a wide variety to choose from. They actually have all the fish types on the menu that we asked for, we were never told they were out of stock, as happens in some restaurants when the proprietor simply doesn’t want to buy in enough stock.

We got there in the middle of the Friday evening rush, without a reservation and were shown to a table, with the caveat that it was actually booked for a large group, but another was being vacated soon. That suited me fine, as I would prefer to sit at a table and contemplate the menu in the corridor. It impressed me that they were clear about what would happen, and we were moved quickly and efficiently, before we’d even had a chance to order drinks.

The tiny restaurant was full to the brim, and there seemed to be two waiters, who managed the full floor perfectly. We ordered everything fresh, since we were not sitting by the conveyor belt, and knew that making fresh sushi takes time. Since we ordered a variety of hot dishes, such as crispy tuna and deep fried wontons, and sushi, our food kept coming in a consistent stream, rather than all at once. As far as I’m concerned, that works out great, as I tend to gorge on sushi if it’s all laid out before me all at once. This graduated style of eating was infinitely preferable!

We had a variety of hot dishes, crispy tuna and fried wontons, which were delicious, and an unusual menu item, in my experience. Having worked at a Thai restaurant for many years, my taste for Asian food has palled, but the food here was interesting and tasty enough to lure me back! We also had seared tuna sashimi, spicy salmon California rolls and rainbow rolls, which were fresh and delicious, perfectly flavoured and spicy. Afterwards, we had deep-fried ice cream, which we’ve been threatening to try for years, and very much enjoyed the contrast of hot and cold.

Our entire bill came to less than R200, which was fantastic for an enjoyable and tasty evening out. Doubtless if we had eaten more there would have been a greater dent in the pocket, but we had plenty of food, and enjoyed every morsel.

I highly recommend 1890 House to anyone who wants an informal dining experience, with quality food, efficient service and affordable prices!

Article By Sigi