MY FIRST SUSHI EXPERIENCE

TRANSCORP HILTON LAUNCHES THEIR SUSHI RESTAURANT, AFRO SUSHI.

What is more exciting than eating something new? Eating it at a very boogie restaurant. And boogie is the only word I have to describe the Launch of Afro Sushi at Transcorp Hilton, Abuja.

When I got the invite to attend the launch, I was ecstatic. I mean, I only came to Abuja to find my foot and there I was getting invites to dine with the Japanese Ambassador to Nigeria! Yeah, I met him at the event. Okay, let me tell you how it went down.

The event was to hold by 6pm on Wednesday, the 20^th of June. That morning, the rain poured down heavily and the outfit I had set aside to wear to the event was an ash colored, ‘S cut’ sleeveless, turtle neck top, paired with a midi, grey, corporate skirt. This outfit bothered me a lot because the top definitely had no intention of shielding my body from the cold that roamed the whole city of Abuja. However, that was the only outfit I had that was befitting the event, so my only hope was to pray that the rain stopped falling.  

I have never had Sushi before and the thought of having it for the first time and filming my first impression, for my YouTube channel, made me realize that I needed backup. So I reached out to two of my friends, David and Casey, to attend the event with me and they agreed.

Exactly 4:30pm, the rain stopped pouring and I hurriedly showered and got dressed for the event. Thirty minutes to the arrival time, my friends were at my gate to pick me up and we made our way to Transcorp Hilton.

Hilton Abuja, is not just a popular hotel, it is also at the heart of Maitama, which is another popular area in Abuja, so locating it from anywhere in Abuja is never a problem. Some minutes past 6pm and we were at the Hotel. The view that caught my eyes was amazing. The evenly planted coconut trees gave the hotel a green, rich and tourist attractive feel that I liked a lot.

I stepped out of the car and chilled breeze diffused into my skin. How on earth was I supposed to be my best at the event when I was too cold to even unfold my hands. But I reminded, more like consoled myself with the fact that a large part of my job is enduring all forms of discomfort long enough till you feel it no more. So I pulled out my tripod from my bag, placed my camera on it, turned it on and simply confessed,

“Beauty they say is pain and this one is very painful because I am extremely cold.” I spoke into the camera, then went on to talk about where I was and what I was going to be doing.

Now Transcorp Hilton has the best hotel scenery I have seen in a long time. The golden brown theme that screamed royalty and expensive, the bright yellowish light that lit up the hotel – making your selfie amazing –, the ever smiling hotel attendants stationed at every corner of the hotel, to make sure the guests never got or felt lost; everything about the interior made me forget the cold and now anticipate the event.

First step into Afro Sushi and I stood still to take it all in. Afro Sushi is a warm cozy restaurant on the first floor of the Transcorp Hilton. Its gold, brown and red colors is intimate enough for two love birds and exquisite enough for a family dinner or group of friend’s hangout. I was impressed with what I saw.

Members of the embassy of japan in Nigeria were at the event and also very friendly. One of them taught me some words in Japanese – Now don’t go asking me to teach you these words because I will surely make a mess of the words if I tried to spell them. So just watch the video and learn, my dear -. The second person from the embassy that I spoke to was Mr Hiroki. He told me about the Embassy of Japan opening its Facebook page and asked that I encouraged my friends to like and stay engaged with the page as exciting information and opportunities are regularly dished out on it.

THE TESTING.

After we had sipped some wine and familiarized with each other, it was now time to roll out the Sushi.

“What distinguishes Afro Sushi from other Sushi’s is the fusion of Japanese Sushi with Nigerian condiments”, our guide said to us as she poured the spiced sauce and the not-too-spiced sauce into two different bowls.

My friend, David, asked that I took the fall for the team and tried the Sushi first and I agreed. With the chop stick, I picked up the rice-fused Sushi, dipped it into the spiced sauce, straight into my mouth and I chewed. It tasted interesting, as my brain had to make out the different ingredients and substance that ran around my mouth. But for the sauce, which I thought was a little too spicy, it would have been a great chew.

Again, I went in for the Sushi Prawn ball, this time, I had it with the not-too-spicy sauce. As I chewed, I knew I had found THE ONE. 

“Sushi Prawn Ball is THE ONE!” I said to my friends and every other person I spoke to at the event.

About an hour later, we gathered round for the Japanese Ambassador to Nigeria’s Speech. He was surprisingly funny and interesting to listen to. He emphatically assured us that the Sushi at Transcorp Hilton, Abuja, is up to standard as their chefs were tutored by his resident chef. He went on to say that his chef will come back intermittently to ensure that the Sushi is always up to standard.

Next, we tried Japanese Sake. Sakes are wines made from Rice. There were five bottles of Japanese Sakes displayed for tasting and I liked two of them a lot. I liked Bon because of its fruity and really mild alcoholic taste – which was surprising as it is a 15% alcoholic wine-. The second one that got me was Mio. If you are light headed, then Mio is the drink for you. 

As the event proceeded, I spoke to one of the chefs of Afro Sushi, Chef Padre. I told him that I enjoyed the Sushi but would have enjoyed it more if the sauce was less spicy. He took my feedback with appreciation and that made me feel good.

The highlight of the night for me, however, was the part where my friend, David, who had the most doubt about enjoying the event, drew me to a corner and gushed about how much he enjoyed himself and how cool it was to attend an event with me. I couldn’t believe my ears, so I had him repeat himself. You should watch him struggle with saying it the second time – hilarious!  

In all, I am always open to new things and I liked my time at Afro Sushi. If you have never had Sushi before; then, when next you are in Abuja, I advise that you stop by at Hilton Abuja and try their Sushi preferably the Sushi Prawn Ball. Or just try Sushi anywhere else and leave a comment below of your experience. 

If you would like me to review any restaurant, leave the names below and I will see to it.

It is always lovely gisting with you, till next time.

See Ya!