By Dereck Foster
For the Herald

More than once I have mentioned in these column the importance that a name can have for an establishment, a wine or a particular dish. I must admit that I have fallen into this subtle trap more than once and just a few days ago, I was reminded of this fact with a jolt leavened by a subtle ray of sun that made me realise how much I had missed over the past few years.

The name which led me astray is Sushi Club, which confused me from the start. While not averse to a tasty sushi or two, I am not a fanatic and thus the idea of eating just a series of varied rolls did not appeal too much. In addition, I assumed that, being a club, there was some sort of catch involved, which (inevitably) would lead to an extra cost of some sort. These two misconceptions ensured that my contact with Sushi Club was via long distance commentary and no more. In addition, I enjoy Japanese cuisine — BA version, at least, seeing that I have never visited Japan — so, the thought of pseudo Japanese food served up, porteño style, failed to enthuse. Then, I lunched at a Sushi Club and my whole sushi world came tumbling down.

I say “a Sushi Club” because there is more than one. In fact, at the time of writing, there are 34 — eleven in Greater Buenos Aires and the rest strewn around the interior of Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Spain (and very shortly El Salvador)— and the one to which I was kindly invited by owner-partners Alejandro Flores and Cristián Acuña was the one to be found in the Recova. (Full Sushi Club addresses and information can be had contacting  www.sushiclubweb.com, or Patricio Carvajal 4854-4800).

So what, exactly, is Sushi Club? The question could well be what it is not? It all began in San Isidro when a small — miniscule — hole in the wall on Avenida Libertador opened offering “sushi libre” — all the sushi you could eat for a set price — when sushi was still an almost unknown, definitely exotic addition to local cuisine. So great was the success that other and larger premises had to be found, and thus began the seemingly unstoppable advance along the highway that leads to ever greater international exposure.

From the original sushi that commenced the march, other items had to be added so as to capture an ever increasing clientele. But what sort of items? The menu, as it stands today — and which is very similar, with but minor variations,  in each Sushi Club — is not Japanese, but one cannot deny that a strong ray emanating from the Rising Sun envelops every item that reaches your table.

Perhaps the best way to reflect what a Sushi Club menu offers is to say that one finds traditional items prepared and served with an Oriental touch — a twist on the popular fusion trend which we are showered with these days. The style clicks with remarkable success. Along with a great variety of rolls — both cold and hot — one can enjoy imaginative combinations of seafood carpaccio bathed in ponzu sauce; macerated oysters with accompanying sorbets; imaginative salads where smoked salmon, blue cheese, almonds, grapefruit and other surprises will change ones perspective of what a green salad can represent.

The items which figure under the title of Sushi are extremely varied. For the coming season a few novelties have been introduced, such as the Crystal Roll, a transparent variation, which allows one to see all that the roll contains, and a  Spicy Roll, which comes hot. Various rolls come without rice, which offends some traditionalists, as well as some of the fillings. How come creamed corn in a sushi? Protest some, recoiling in horror. This is no point against the general concept, however. The food at Sushi Club is Sushi Club inspired — the combined efforts of Alejandro Flores and Cristian Acuña — who has studied Japanese cuisine on the side — whose idea of what is attractive and tasty seems to coincide with a great number of persons, both here and abroad.

Because clubs vary one from another in minor ways, it is not possible to give exact prices for specific dishes. Enough to say that a full meal including a reasonable wine or drink averages out at 120  to 140 pesos. As many dishes are served to be shared, this figure can be whittled down intelligently, and nobody obliges you to splurge on an expensive wine. Service is rapid and excellent, and the food comes with a strong touch of Oriental art and attraction, as well as flavour. Sushi Clubs are open daily the year round.