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I've always wanted to blog about this favourite sushi place of ours, Itamae Sushi in Causeway Bay. The problem was actually getting pictures of the food. The first few times we went, I forgot to bring my camera along. And lately, we'd been unable to get a seat even after a couple of hours of waiting. The way it works (like most sushi places in HK) is, you have to take a number, and wait for it to be called. Usually we take a number, then go and do something else and hope for it to be called soon upon our return. But the place is immensely popular. And if you've been there, you won't be surprised. The fish is fresh, the sushi rice perfectly vinegared and hand-pressed rather than machine-cut, innovation is all over the menu and their staff to customer ratio is about 3:1. About three see-foos are on duty during peak periods (actually, seeing that it's literally ALWAYS full from 11 am to 11 pm, it's always a peak period) with a large army of machais. The fish and seafood are cut and the food prepared right in front of you. And this really trumps other conveyor belt sushi bars outright. The freshness quotient rivals that of well-known hotel sushi bars!

On a final note: Go eat only if you're really serious about good sushi and are not unwilling to pay for it. Merely sticking to staples such as california rolls and salmon sushi will no doubt get you an affordable and decent meal, but you will be missing out on simply exquisite tastes that make all these people wait three hours or more for a tiny stool on which you perch on for only about 45 minutes.