Bian Sushi

Sushi and maki selection are unique and inexpensive. Between NZ$ 1 to NZ$ 2.50 per piece and each piece is huge. If you don’t have a big appetite, 5 pieces would be more than enough. I loved the donburi, particularly the katsudon. Authentic Japanese taste. Great location, too. Dining alfresco offers a nice view of surrounding shops.

Winner of many awards for Best sushi from Metro mag and NZ Herald, I’ve wanted to check it out for years and finally got to. Happily dining in, got their Tempura Udon. Always have been a fan of udon noodles and heard they do their tempura well. A nice plate of deep fried seafood to mix up the noodles. Yum though nothing outstanding.
Enter through the sliding door and straight ahead there is a line of rolled and nigiri sushi for you to pick and choose. You can sit down at their black patterned tables indoors or outdoors if the weather is nice enough. You can takeaway too and get party platters if you need it. Their order menu comes out in heavy black and red bowls like their logo which I was admiring and wanting to keep. Cups for self service if you want hot tea or fruit infused water.
Would like to come back to try one of their curries and green tea ice cream or dinner only bento boxes!

We were invited to lunch here and to be honest did not have high expectations. However we were happily surprised.
Bian has both cooked meals and pick your own sushi. The salmon nigiri and eel nigiri were great. Salmon was fresh, and they were on point with the eel to rice ratio. For pick your own sushi I usually tend to steer clear from ones that are wrapped in seaweed, unless it was just made, as the seaweed is always soggy from sitting there for a while.
In terms of cooked meals, the spicy chicken katsu don was delicious. It was missing spice but the chicken was tender and coating was perfect. We also tried the pork curry don. The pork was very dry (get chicken instead) but we enjoyed the curry itself. They do small donburis for $ 8 which is great if you are wanting to have some sides too — highly recommend. Our favourite has to be the tempura. It’s $ 9 for a small and $ 14 for a large with assorted veges and prawn. The veges were super sweet (kumara, pumpkin, long beans, onion) we actually enjoyed them over the prawns which is definitely a first for seafood lovers like us. The batter was just right, not too thick and not overcooked. They provide tempura sauce unlike some sushi places that just give you soy sauce.
The staff there are also super friendly and food comes out quickly. There is lots of seating both inside and out.
Will definitely be getting tempura and chicken katsu before hitting the Takapuna shops next time we are in the area and craving Japanese!

Bian Sushi in Takapuna on the Strand is a great place to go for lunch. They have a pick your own sushi which I always prefer better than the boxes. The Udon Noodle soups and curry’s are great too. The place is white, fresh and modern and the service quick. Its right in the thick of it with The Commons and Mexico along side too.

For reals, this place rolls out some fresh to death sushi!
Normally I find it hard to get excited about sushi but this place is next level. The ingredients they use are incredibly fresh — no slimy salmon or limp cucumber here. Not to mention their topping to rice ratio is unreal and they don’t stinge on the avo. I am huge fan of their vege roll — packed full of carrot, cabbage, capsicum and the like.
Warning: The lines here at lunch times can get a little daunting but don’t let that deter you — these guys operate like a well-​oiled machine. Simply grab your box and tongs, choose your sushi and pay — in and out in 5 mins tops!

What I like about Japanese restaurants is that it’s small portions, and usually cheap, so you can order a few things and get a selection of flavours going on. For lunch and smaller takeaway style places, you usually get a selection of sushi or a complete meal such as a donburi (meat and rice). What I like about Bian is that they do small versions of the cooked meals for $ 8 and sell individual pieces of interesting sushi so you can create a bit of a combo for lunch. Also they have a nice seating area outside on a shaded terrace overlooking a park.