Sushilicious?

A new eating challenge appeared on eatfeats this week. Sushilicious, a sushi restaurant in Irvine, has begun honoring customers who can consume more sushi than any diner before them.

The restaurant recognizes separate male and female champions. The (current) male record stands at 38 plates, while the female champion burned through 20 plates to claim her title.

If you can top the current champion, you get your entire meal for free - including all the plates you eat on top of the current record. There's a certain incentive to gorge on this challenge if possible.

It's an interesting challenge, because it's not strictly about time or speed. You just need to outdo the reigning champion in terms of volume. Obviously, eating quickly will help reach your goal in less time - and increases one's odds of being able to establish a truly impressive plate count.

It's a conveyor belt sushi restaurant, so the good thing is you'll always have food to grab. You won't be held up by prep times necessarily. As of this moment, patrons are only limited by a one hour time limit, whatever their stomach can hold, and how fast they can convey the food there.

The mystery factor is how much "food" might constitute a plate. This restaurant sells sushi rolls, hand rolls, nigiri, and other fare you find in sushi bars. Not all plates are equal in terms of weight or item count, but all plates will count equally toward your plate count. There's room for some eating strategy.

I'm considering visiting this place on Friday. The challenge plays to a lot of my strengths, especially in terms of mass consumption and distance eating. I also enjoy eating raw fish.

Here's to hoping I can set a new record!

The Joys of Raw Fish

Sushi Delight is a small Japanese restaurant in Lomita, California... right along the Pacific Coast Highway. It was tough to find because of all the nearby construction that was happening. Let it be known that GPS is not really so helpful when the roads are being torn up!

I still managed to find my way there one Friday evening. Pictured above is their massive "Godzilla Roll." It resembles chunks of burrito more than any real sushi dish... but it really is 4 lbs of sushi! Priced at $34.99, it is currently only available as a single-diner challenge item. Five guys can't just walk in there and hope to share a bargain sushi meal, because as we know, legitimate sushi does not come cheap!

The Godzilla Roll was huge. This was not my first time dabbling in raw fish, but I'd never gorged on it before hitting this challenge. I remember tearing through spicy tuna, shrimp, lobster, and at least a dozen other ingredients. The mixture of flavors may not have been optimal, but it was a hell of a lot of food!

Even a single portion of the roll looks huge. I tackled 12 of the 14 sections in 30 minutes. You get an hour for this challenge, so I was making excellent time. The taste became increasingly bland as the time wore on, but I made the all-clear at the 39 minute line. I think using a fork was a smart move, but I probably could have done better if I used my hands.... then again, I was in a classy restaurant. No need to look like a savage while virtually inhaling raw seafood.

The management came out to congratulate me on my performance. They could not believe I had really eaten the whole dish.... which, at that point, was a familiar story I was used to hearing! Sometimes you can't help but impress.... I was the 4th person to accomplish this task, out of dozens of attempts. I received the meal for free and got a nifty T-shirt advertising the restaurant and its massive Godzilla Roll.

Anyone who thinks they can destroy 4 lbs of sushi in 60 minutes needs to get to this place! The staff was friendly, the decor was relaxing, and the challenge item was unique.

Like I always say: food always tastes better when it is free!