You know how there are some times in life where you want an early dinner whilst the sun's still high but you don't have much of an appetite?
Yep, today was one of those days.
We had just come from a meeting, my colleague and I, and we thought we would have dinner together before going our separate ways afterward.
It wasn't easy trying to decide what to have.
There's a lot to be had at Bugis.
Whether it were Thai, Malaysian, or grilled fish Sichuan-style, whether it be fast food or Western or Japanese, there's a lot one can choose.
But today I wanted something light, so whilst the mood called for something spicy like Thai, something fun to eat, like Subway or McDonalds, or even something like a big bowl of curry noodles, the tummy didn't, so up to Sushi Express at Bugis Junction it was.
It's funny that I didn't realize just how much I missed having casual conveyor belt sushi until I stepped into the place.
Might have been the sense of familiarity.
Might have been the part where I always have had a thing for conveyor belt sushi and the ding ding ding sound it makes.
But it was nice settling down on the neat, compact plastic chairs and reach out for both the teas, and the wasabi.
You might think it normal, non-descript, no big deal, but let's just say that it does speak to someone who, for one reason or another, hasn't been back to Sushi Express in a while.
Our meal this evening was predominantly salmon.
Which I got absolutely delighted with.
First up was the sashimi, wonderful, given how today seemed to be a day for something cold and refreshing.
I dipped mine in wasabi and soy sauce, no need limes.
Then after that, off the conveyor, I took a plate of Aburi Salmon with Mentaiko. Offhand now I can't remember if it were one plate. There might have been two.
But there was, definitely, the salmon belly.
That, my pictures tell me.
The fried salmon belly, complete with fin, has been a favorite of mine since we began eating at conveyor belt sushi places like this. It's not the cheapest item on the menu, mind, but it gives you an oomph which sits unique on its own.
I don't know if it be the tender flesh of the salmon, the crisp of the skin, or the oil that drips down from the fish every time I take a bite, but there's something very satisfying about eating this hot from the plate.
It's amazing how the fish melts in your mouth at first bite, and you don't have to worry about whether there'll be bones big or small otherwise.
That's one of the reasons why I like having this.
Bones terrify me, and I have no skill in picking them out from the flesh of the fish with my chopsticks.
One is recommended to have this fish with the limes they provide, though.
Some people find the salmon fishy. Some find it not.
Taste is very subjective.
I don't normally have mine with the limes- I like the taste of the soft, tender salmon belly all on its own- but maybe I'll try a piece with the limes one day. Maybe it will enhance the taste even better.
These be all the pictures of the meal I had this late afternoon at Sushi Express.
There aren't more.
Perhaps the next time I go I'll have more variety of sushi, like the Sweet Corn Gunkan, or the Hana Maki, which are in fact some of my favorites.
But that will have to wait- when I next go to a conveyor belt sushi place again.