Sushi Go Round

Where: 1360 Galaxy Dr. N.E., Lacey, 360.455.8411, sushigoround-lacey.com
Hours: Open Daily. Monday-Thursday Lunch: 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; dinner: 4:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., Friday-Sunday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Cuisine: Japanese noodle dishes and fast food sushi.
Scene: Very casual and family friendly.
Drinkies: Beer, wine, teas, and sodas.
Damage: $1.50-$6

ANNOUNCER: Last week’s symbol coded menu at Winger’s Grill & Bar makes way for color coding at Sushi Go Round, a kaiten-zushi, or conveyor belt sushi restaurant, in Lacey. This novelty dining experience came to the South Sound about four years ago. Quantity over quality, this is Japan’s answer to fast food.

JASON: If I get sick you’re taking me to the hospital.

JAKE: Won’t happen. Sushi Go Round chefs toss out plates of sushi after an hour or so. They’re pretty good about it. Besides, I’ve seen you chow 3 a.m. crusty convenience store hot dogs.

JASON: Point taken. Oddly, upon entering Sushi Go Round Brittney Spears’ “Circus” blared and a large flat screen showed the video. We nabbed seats and commenced grabbing plates of rolls, tempura veggies, edamame (baby soy bean pods), and seaweed salad. Each plate has a color that designates its price.

JAKE: Taking in the spacious one room restaurant, I could see how someone could come here a lot if they were strapped for cash — or had just worked out and needed protein pronto at lunchtime. Draped over sticky rice, the sweet barbequed eel was seared nicely, remaining moist like a gooey rich fishy candy.

JASON: I like to think of edamame as Japanese popcorn. This batch was disappointing, though — barely warm and it lacked sea salt. Oh well. Seaweed salad was cold and full of salty ocean flavor, just as it’s supposed to be. One of the more complex rolls was full of creamy spicy tuna, cucumber and cream cheese with a plentiful drizzle of tangy hot orange and white mayo with a bit of orange masago (flying fish roe) as garnish.

JAKE: I was so happy the tako salad was excellent. Octopus strips marinated in sweet sesame sauce carried a bit of a smoky hot kick. I’m guessing cayenne or red pepper lightly coated dark bits of seaweed mixed in. The spider roll is a favorite of yours, isn’t it, Jason? I get a bit freaked out by the sharp spiny legs sticking out the end.

JASON: Yes, and this one was a badass — with really long spidery legs protruding from the ends. Not much tempura breading or green onion got in the way of soft crab in this roll with rice on the outside. You just pop the whole piece in your mouth and chomp away. Don’t let the crackling unnerve you. Remember, it’s not really a spider. Watching plate after plate coast by brought out the glutton in me. My impulse was to swipe everything I might slightly want to munch, just in case it doesn’t come back around. As if my stack of 10 plates hadn’t filled my stomach, I ordered a bowl of udon, or wheat noodle soup. Perfectly hot and topped with green onion, the soup had a mild shoyu broth. I poured in a bit more soy sauce and a dab of wasabi to amp up the spice till my nose burned and my eyes bugged.

JAKE: Hey wack-attack, every time you eat wasabi you look like your guts are on fire. This isn’t an episode of Jackass, act like a man and eat some ginger.

JASON: Says the guy freaked out by breaded soft-shell crab legs. Swigs of green tea between spoonfuls highlighted the earthy wheat noodle taste, noticeably different from, say, fettuccine. Amazingly, I let cheesecake and chocolate cake go by. They seemed out of place. Service really doesn’t extend beyond retrieving beverages, counting plates and presenting a total amount due.

JAKE: Fun to try, but if sit-down fine dining with full service and a sushi master is your desire, then that’s where you should go — not to ultra casual kaiten-zushi.