Don't get me wrong, I lovvve sushi. But the idea of stuffing 50 large pieces of it into my mouth, followed by a scorching wasabi rice roll in under 10 minutes is not how I'd like to spend a Monday evening. However, it seems like Sydney has no shortage of crazed sushi fans who are happy to do just that and a vast number of them flocked to Niji Sushi Bar in Kingsford this week to take part in their infamous Sushi Challenge.
The record is demolishing a platter of sushi in just 6 minutes and 50 seconds (surely impossible) and Monday night saw 25 willing contestants ready and raring to try and smash that record. I threw on a Japanese kimono to step into the spirit and was signed up to act as a judge meaning I walked up and down the length of tables analysing tactics, wincing at hurlers and ensuring nobody was slyly dropping pieces into their pockets to eat on the bus ride home.
The contestants had a total of 20 minutes to eat as much of their sushi platters as they could, with a record and a stash of Niji Japanese goodies up for grabs. It's safe to say that there were several moments that nearly put me off my own dinner. Several men (there were no women taking part this year unfortunately) wretched and one guy was sick at the table...right in front of me. But then, who can blame him when this is what they had to wolf down? Looks great if you can leisurely graze over the course of a couple of hours but not to be inhaled in a matter of minutes.
After 20 minutes, everybody was still smiling and there were surprisingly a fair few empty plates.
And here's our winner, with his super proud family!
Thankfully, I got to enjoy a wonderful sushi dinner afterwards courtesy of Niji Sushi Bar without the pressure of a stopwatch.
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