We love sushi at home. We will be in Bangkok and Hong Kong.
Is it safe to eat sushi there and which reliable places to do you recommend? I was told there are seafood buffet in Hong Kong which has plenty of sushi, but is safe?
thank you
Sophia

About sushi in Hong Kong... It's generally safe as thousands of people eat the stuff daily. However, once in a while, you do get group food poisoning cases at various eateries, including a recent case at the Regal Riverside Hotel in Shatin. So, things like that do happen, whether it's sushi or not.

sophia---i think i might eat it in HK at an upscale place, but not otherwide...i do not think i would ever consider it in bkk...on our plane ride home last month, my wife responded to the crews call for a medical professional....the problem was an american who had eaten raw fish in bkk at a 5* place, i believe...he was desperately ill...we saw him later in toyko being taken away in a wheel chair...
enjoy your sushi at home....

in bkk there are many japanees sushi franchises like

-Oashi (SP) wich is a take out shop. the price starts at 5 baht a piece. they are located everywhere even skytrain stationes.

Fuji, ZEN are two mid tier japanees food franchieses located in many malls.

Kobien (SP) is a chain I usually go too it has a section in the restaurant where you sit around a water convier belt.. the chiefs make the sushi in the midlle secton and place the food on litle boats that go around the table. 25 baht a piece

I also regularly get sushi in supermarkets like BIG C and Tesco lotus.

I eat sushi at least once a week since my body get kind of beat up from eating deep fried everything and spicey food which is served in "REAL" thai resteraunts.

sushi is sushi it dosn't matter where you buy it..

thank god there are many upscale places in the world or many people on fodors would die of hunger. :}

thank you all. Bob, yes, I remember reading your report re: that man who got poisoned. The point is - sushi is asian food and would be a shame to miss it. I might try it in HKG in a good restaurant.

The sushi is wonderful at Lord Jim's in the Oriental Hotel in Bangkok.

Gloria

Sushi is not Chinese food, nor Thai food. There's really no point eating them in Hong Kong or Thailand, unless you're into buffets and want to stuff yourself. Japanese don't eat sushi buffets.

Presentation and decor/atmosphere is as important in Japanese cuisine as the food itself. With buffets, you are missing a huge part of the Japanese-food experience.

You can get as good quality of sushi, for usually less, in N. America than in Hong Kong. [I don't know the price in Bangkok.]

I would only add that Food Poisoning which can lead to actual poisoning of the blood can sometimes be extreamly serious. Food poisoning should not be thought of as just an upset stomach or not feeling so good, it can be highly dangerous !! A friend recently had a very serious case which verged on the 'critical' just from getting food poisoning from normal day to day food, just unlucky, it's not to be taken lightly, but this applies anywhere. I was quite shocked when he told me that after this experience checking the web he discovered that even in US/Europe Food Poisoning is very often cause for hospitalization, Bob's wife would know more about that.
I think be extra cautious especially when traveling on what you eat.

I wouild think a nurse also knows that it's not the geographic location of where the food was made nor how expensive or cheep a food is. But has a bit more too do with the clenliness of the food, staff, and customer.

then again i'll eat just about anything anywhere.. thankfully I bought that travel insurance.

Rkkwan, so what do you call the places in japan where they choose sushi by the color of the plate and stuff themselves.for cheep..

one other thing. the japanees comminity is the largest in Bangkok. (I'm not too sure what my point is).....

Raw fish in restaurants (whether sushi, sashimi, or anything else) is overwhelmingly safe in HK. However, if a restaurant doesn't look clean or hygenically correct to me, I won't eat there.

As for the earlier suggestion that "Japanes don't eat sushi buffets," I am afraid that is simply not true. Not only do hotel buffets feature sushi in Japan, but Japan is the home of "conveyor-belt" sushi restaurants, or kaiten-zushi, where you can get perfectly decent sushi at very reasonable prices.

You'll find the same in Hong Kong, the best-known of which is Genki Sushi. They're a lot of fun, they're fast, and they're much less expensive than a formal sushi restaurant. A converyor belt snakes its way through the restaurant carrying plates of freshly-made sushi (2 or 3 pieces per plate), and you just take a plate that you want. The plates are color-coded by price -- when you;re finished, the attendant totals up the sushi you've eaten (based on the color/number of plates), and you pay the cashier.

There are a bunch of Genki sushis all over HK. I've been in the ones across the street from the Lippo Building, in TST East (in the main square there), and in Times Square. Great choice for tourists who want a quick meal at a place where most everyone else is a local and where language is no problem!!!

There is a huge difference between a buffet - i.e. all you can eat - and a conveyor belt restaurant. Conveyor belt sushi shops are totally Japanese, and you are charged by the dish. You don't go there to pig out, as you would at an all you can eat - which the buffet places are like in Hong Kong. The difference may seem trivial, but it is not, trust me. Your fellow diners don't have the same attitude in taking/treating the food, and YOU don't appreciate the sushi the same if you can eat all you want.

My point is that there's really nothing to gain by having sushi in Hong Kong and elsewhere in Asia (not Japan), over having it in N. America. But if you happen to eat at a seafood buffet there, then don't worry about having some sushi. I would certainly eat some. I just won't deliberately seek out Japanese food there.

An exception is at the eastern Taiwanese fishing port of Hualien. Extremely fresh seafood straight from the boat (they probably export to Japan), good price (at least a few years back), and being ruled by Japanese for a long time - many older Taiwanese do get influenced by Japanese culture in cuisine, etc...

Thank you for all opnions, they are extremely helpful.

I did not know about conveyor belt Japanese restaurants and they sound just like our cup of tea. Buffets are useful for trying new food (we do not eat much but like to try something new which otherwise we would not think to order), but I am somewhat apprehensive on buffets since the food as Bob said stays there for you do not know how long..

to Rkkwan - if sushi in North America is called Japanese food, then I would think it is Japanese, correct?

We eat sushi often in USA but I would be interested to try sushi in Asia since this is were it originated.
So I would not want to miss trying it in HKG.

So my conclusion will be to try sushi at Genki sushi as recommended by rizutto , It is good to hear that it is safe to eat it in HKG.

I will probably stick with Thai and some Western food in Thailand .

thanks again for your input.

emtravel - I'm Chinese, and if some reliable source tell me there's a wonderful Chinese restaurant in the middle of the Amazon basin, then I'll eat it there when I visit the area.

Same thing with Japanese food. If it's a good restaurant, it's a good restaurant. Whether it's in Hong Kong, Tokyo or Wichita. I respect rizzuto's recommendations on various topics on this forum, so you should definitely try that restaurant in Hong Kong.

I am not sure about your comment about Japanese restaurants in N. America, but I can tell you that many of the cheaper ones (in Hong Kong, in N. America, and the rest of the world) are run by Chinese people, and you won't find a single Japanese person in the operation. And I do have a problem with those places.

Food preparation is an art in Japan culture, as well as a profession. Would-be cooks follow masters for a long time before striking out on their own, and there are many aspects involved in sushi preparation - how to choose the fish, how to determine its freshness, how much fat is in it, what angle should you cut the piece in, etc... There are many subtle things that can be important, especially when preparing raw food for customers, that can't be learned overnight.

And having grew up in Hong Kong, and visit there often, this is what I know about the restaurant business there. Rent is much higher than in most places in N. America. Fresh fish for sushi are almost all air-freighted in at pretty high cost, as most of the fish being caught around Hong Kong are not the type for sushi. So, how do you keep the cost down? By hiring cheap cooks. There are very few celebrity cooks in Hong Kong who earn a lot, and chefs are not well-paid in general. [The most expensive meals in Hong Kong are Chinese food with very costly ingredients, not because of the fame of the chef - unlike in N. America.] In that atmosphere, only the most expensive and respected Japanese restaurants can hire sushi chefs with extensive experience. Others just hire new people and pass on some 2nd or 3rd hand knowledge about cutting fish.

emtravel, your logic is faulty and/or you have a very narrow view of Asia. If you want to get sushi where it originated then you will have to go to Japan.

Sushi is Japanese food and Japan is in Asia, therefore it is Asian food. Hong Kong is in Asia, therefore having sushi in Hong Kong equals having it where it originated.

Italian sausage is Italian and Italy is in Europe, therefore Italian sausage is European food. Ireland is in Europe, therefore having italian sausage in Ireland equals having it where it originated.

I don't think I made my point. Here is your argument:

'Sushi is Japanese food and Japan is in Asia, therefore it is Asian food. Hong Kong is in Asia, therefore having sushi in Hong Kong equals having it where it originated.'

That is not valid for the same reason that the following is not valid:

'Italian sausage is Italian and Italy is in Europe, therefore Italian sausage is European food. Ireland is in Europe, therefore having italian sausage in Ireland equals having it where it originated.'

By all means, have your sushi at Genki Sushi and enjoy it.

Genki sushi is a chain kaiten sushi restarant...There are several even in Hawaii.

Sushi, by its very nature is not a food that you should eat at discount or buffet restaurants.

Anyway, you can get good sushi in the US. I would stick to local foods in BKK or Hong Kong, or at the least go to high end sushi bars where you can see them prepare it.

Rkkwan amd mrwunrfl,
I know that Japan is in Asia!
I might not have made myself clear.

I still stick to my statement that sushi is Japanese food. In USA, there are many Chinese restaurants which serve sushi, however we do not go to these places. We only go to Japanese restaurants for sushi. I have also eaten other Japanese food as Shabu shabu and sukiyaki (sp?).
I tried sushi and other Japanese food in many American, Canadian and European cities.

My question was if it is safe to eat sushi in Hogn Kong and Bangkok and the conclusion I've made from this discussion that I will try it in Hong kong in upscale safe place.

The conclusion of this discussion (for me , at least! is:

Places to eat sushi in HKG:
Genki Sushi
Lord Jim's at Oriental.

This will be enough for few meals for us. I also got a list of Japanese restaurants in Hong Kong if anybody is interested.


G Sushi
Hanagushi Japanese Restaurant
Iccho Japanese Restaurant
Ichikawa Japanese Restaurant
Kikuzen
Kyoto Joe
Matsue Japanese Restaurant
Mujyaki Japanese Restaurant
Nanbantei
Naozen Japanese Restaurant


thank you all. Sophia

Most of the Bangkok sushi shops I mentioned are chains from japan SO WHATS the problem with eating from these places if they are located in kyoto, Bkk. HK or Hoboken, NJ..

If you want too do the touristy thing then I agree with Rkwan. just stick too Japan. then agian eating sushi in your home town would also be a no no..
---------------
One of my best frainds is a sushi king pin in Connecticut. He is Burmees and all his staff are burmees. The other player is a Chinees lady, who ownes a couple of stores. so at least in ct japanees are not making your litle delights neither..

------------------

my........my........my.......where have you gone joe dimaggio.........all sophia asked was 'is it safe'(like in the marathon man, as the nazi dentist drills a hole in dustin hoffmans teeth, asking is it safe. yes, its safe to eat sushi in hk and bkk at reputable places such as genki and the penn.genki is an international chain, so i am sure they have very good safety standards, and of course, we all know about the reputation of the penn(a darling of this site). i have never eaten at those places in bkk, as it goes against my grain to eat food in a foreign country that i can get at home, unless that food originates from that country. for example, i would not eat sushi in bkk, but i would(eagerly)in tokyo.

for orgy7: i have read your numerous postings on this site, and admire your honest, humorus, and independent comments. that said, i must disagree with your comments about whats the difference in eating in a chain sushi shop whether its in bkk, hk, or hobokken. theres a big differnce in eating at genki in bkk, hk, hobokken, bayonne, french lick, slippery rock, athens(ga), castine, new haven, bay ridge, bensonhurst, great neck, fall river or even hnl. if you went to genki in tokyo, the difference would be night and day(you are the one...ok, getting carried away with cole porter).

sophia: sooooooooo, if you want a genki type experience in sushi, and if you will be in tokyo, the best kaiten(revolving) sushi i have ever eaten(and i have eaten in ca, or, wa, dc, hi) is maguro hito, in asakusa in tokyo. EXCELLECNT VALUE AND VERY GOOD. its a very popular place, so if you want to go there, just go to asakusa, and ask any of the shop keepers, or the staff at the koban(local police office) where it it located. its just off the main road, not very hard to find.

if you are going to be there in oct., you are welcome to join mrwundrfl and i for a real sushi experience in tsukiji fish market. either way, enjoy!

Kuranosuke.. hold me back, hold me back... hooow. now ya know why I decided not too get in to the travel busness even though I majored in travel and touism.. I guess this is better then jumping over a desk and beating up a client with a brochour while shouting "staying in a resort in Cancun dosn't mean you saw the real mexico. you $%$#"..

but I do have one other comment many here don't see a problem with eating at a Italian restaurnt anywhere in the world..
----------
Don't say anything bad about my moms or sushi or my latin temper sparks up :}