Daruma Sushi-Go-Round Botany — Restaurant in Howick

I lived in a country where sushi and sashimi is their culture for 10 years and I have lived in New Zealand for over 20 years to know the expectation expected here. This is not it.

The fish is close to being off. It did not make me sick. But it was very close to that point. This means either the fish is not fresh or its not stored correctly. St p**'s and such competing restaurants have better quality than this place.

Price is crazy, even for location. I expected it not to be cheap, that's fine. But I didn't expect the portion to be this ridiculous, there are fancier sushi/sashimi places in auckland city centre that a better portioned than this the main sashimi in the picture is of a 'Large' size sashimi, which costs $42.00 dollars. This is ridiculously funny isn't it and with the type of quality mentioned above. Its beyond words.

Staff: most of the staff is nice and good. But it only takes one individual to put you off. One lady staff is dullwitted. Just nothing sinister or purposely bad, but not enough common sense can put any customer off from wanting to visit again.

Order quantity should in the end dictate a better seating area. Its fine at first to sit at bar stool area, because its only 2 or 3 customers, but if those customers are ordering a lot, you should have the common sense to move them to a booth or table.

Not only does ordering a lot at the stool area disturb the other people around them, but its uncomfortable for those customers who have to constantly move their dishes back and forth.

The owner seems to focused in the food prep area and leaves the customer care to the hired staff. But this is a big mistake. The main, most experienced manager is not qualified to be where they are.

Atmosphere: its very nice, except for the sticky tables. Sticky tables are a sign that management has not properly cleaned the tables and so over time it builds a sticky residue feeling when you lay your hands on the table. You either deep clean the tables or resurface them after...

The novelty of the sushi train is fun, but don't come expecting world class sushi here on the edge of East Auckland. It's good, with a variety of different types of fish and a range of sides, but everything feels a little underpolished and rough and ready, especially for the price that you'll end up paying; as ever, sushi is not cheap. However, there's nothing showstoppingly bad, and you can get a good range and array of sushi that you rarely get anywhere else. Grab a beer and enjoy the food as it comes around on the train!

Little things hamper the experience - a lack of sashimi on the train, for example, as sushi is your only option. The sides are lacking, and things like the seaweed salad are clearly just defrosted frozen packets that you could pick up yourself for a fraction of the price at your local Asian supermarket. The wasabi is fake, but straight out of Japan. They don't have vinegar available to dip your dumplings, and so on, and so on. Little things, but oversights you shouldn't get at a sushi specialist.

I guess it's exactly the experience of a cheap sushi joint in Japan - our own little slice of Japan in...

We bought a platter from there at a decent price! It was definitely fresh and very good. The presentation was exactly as the photo showed on the menu brochure which look really appealing when lay it out. They gave us a set time to pick up we ordered around 2pm and the sushi was ready by 2:45 so that was not to bad considering how busy the restaurant is on a daily basis. The staff were lovely, always around when you need something and constantly asking if we would like anything else. I would definitely recommend this place for a cute little lunch date or a work meeting as the environment is very ambient nothing...