kuru kuru sushi, leicester.

Hidden away at the top of Leicester's Welford Road, i must have driven past kuru kuru sushi a hundred times and not even realised the Japanese treats behind their doors. You wouldn't be at fault missing it either; with just enough space for around five guests to watch sushi chef Shyiam and his dutiful rice maker create colourful sashimi plates, mouthwatering maki and mouthwatering noodle bowls.

On the recommendation of chris from Crafty Burger, who admitted to having lunch there every day that week, I headed over on a week night with my sushi loving friend sofia. We both love our sushi dates over at Little Tokyo so were excited to see if Leicester had some fresh competition.

We were the first in the door, therefore grabbing the only table in the tiny place. I'd been told it was small, but was still surprised at the 6x6ft floor space. The friendly owner greeted us with a couple of complimentary green teas and menus bustling with inviting dishes, mixed plates and individual pieces. 

I ordered my favourite combination of salmon and avocado in a futomaki roll covered with sesame seeds (£2.50 for 2 pieces), A mixed platter of ebi tempura roll, salmon maki, cucumber maki and inari pockets (£4.40) and a soft shell hand roll (£3.60) as recommended by kuru kuru's number one fan, chris. I've had a fair few salmon sashimi and avocado rolls in my time, and this was definitely up there. Along with that, the light crunch of the ebi tempura, along with buttery salmon maki, crisp soft shell crab and refreshing green tea had me smiling. Not bad going on the bank balance either, hey?

Sofia opted for the ten piece mixed sushi of prawn, salmon, tobiko, mackerel, japanese omelette, octopus, salmon maki and cucumber maki (£5.40) and the tempura udon (£3.50). The slurpworthy udon was met with a clear, warming broth and a mix of prawn and carrot tempura. I was assured the mixed sushi was delightful too, and even got to sample the tobiko gunkan as my dining companion was too full.

I wasn't beat though, I could've stopped there but instead couldn't resist just a tiny extra taste of salmon maki to go with my refilled green tea. At four pieces for £1.40, how could I resist? By this time, a group of five people had attempted to balance on the bar stools, whilst a couple of others had squashed in and left with abundant takeaways.

It's a shame that the place is so small and hidden away, but also the beauty and charm of it. However since I'm not one that likes to wait in a hangry sushi struck state, I daren't risk planning to eat in again in case there isn't a space for my sushi sampling. Next time I'll be enjoying kuru kuru's fantastic menu by way of takeaway. (Amendment: I totally did.).

kuru kuru
11 welford road

leicester

opening times: 12-2.45pm 5-10pm.

note: we paid for our own means and all opinions are my own.