Top tips to save a sushi faux pas

Sushi has continued to grow in stature in the western world over the years, and many people who have embraced this style of food are looking to stay in tune with what helps to make it so enticing. There’s nothing better than a true, authentic experience, after all!

When it comes to dining with sushi, a genuine understanding will mean taking into account the rules which have a large part to play in sushi bars.

While not every sushi bar and restaurant will be strict on these rules, depending on where you are, knowing the rules will only put you in good stead.

Here we have some essential rules that will save you from a sushi faux pas:

Sorry, no soy sauce or wasabi requests

Any sushi chef worth their salt will boil over if they hear one more person ask them for Japanese soy sauce and wasabi to dip their sushi into. Whether they show it or not, they will be mortified. If you’re dining in a good sushi bar, every piece will have been composed in such as precise manner by the chef that, not only will you be insulting the chef, you’re cancelling out the deliberate and delicate flavour balance of a piece of fish that you're paying good money to experience.

Being punctual is paramount

This isn’t specific for just sushi joints, every restaurant will be peeved by late arrivals to a table. However, if you are booked in at a top-notch sushi bar, showing up at your scheduled reservation is vital, or it could totally mess up the flow because in the exclusive sushi restaurants everyone is served at the same time. As a rule, if you arrive any later than half an hour after your booking time, you’ll be turned away, so when we say being punctual is paramount, we mean it. After all, you don't want to miss what could be one of the best dining experiences of your life!

Chef etiquette

It is often seen as a customary gesture of gratitude to offer the barman, or in this case the sushi chef a drink for their services. However, as a rule, the majority of professionals will politely decline your offer… unless you insist. But, more often than not, you will come across chefs who take their position seriously and they prefer to remain fully focussed on offering the best experience they possibly can to each and every customer who dines with them, so don't take offence.

The bubbles appeal

Sake pairings for sushi will always be the go-to for an authentic experience, and if you are dining in a fine sushi establishment, then they will have the pairings prepared for you on the menu, in varying prices. However, it has been brought to light recently that Champagne does in fact go surprisingly well with sushi. Why? Well, one element is down to the fish-friendly mineralogy it possesses. Furthermore, Champagne acts as a natural palate cleanser, making your sushi experience all the more enjoyable on both sides of the coin; Champagne and the tasting the sushi to its fullest potential!