Value for money - if taste isn't a priority

Steer clear from this restaurant if you're a purist when it comes to Japanese cuisine. I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone unless you're on a budget but still bent on having Japanese food (yes, you stubborn cow!). 

Students wanting to stretch their dollar make up the majority of the customers here, coming in during lunch time where they pay $16.90++ (adults pay  $19.90++)  for a buffet where they can order almost anything, sans dessert, worth up to $4.90.

On most fronts, an eating experience at Suki Sushi is mediocre at best and bordering on unacceptable at worst. The place is noisy with the cacophony of school kids and waiters relaying orders loudly to the kitchen staff. Not the zen atmosphere you'd expect from a proper Japanese restaurant. Decor wise it's passable, though I had the inkling that the place isn't properly cleaned when I noticed a small stain on my synthetic leather seat. 

Most of the food is certainly edible, though far from sublime. And some items on the menu may not be available; the oysters weren't when I was there. Sashimi lovers looking for a fix of fresh raw fish beware - the restaurant uses frozen fish. How do I know? Well, let's just say the fish hadn't fully thawed when I bit into mine. Not a pleasant experience.

The rest of the items on the menu are generally okay, with a few items tasting quite delectable actually. The ice-cream puffs are lip-smacking delicious, if they don't melt before they reach you. And the oven baked scallops are also quite tasty, with tomato puree and cheese adding a twang to the shell fish.

A tip if you're having the buffet here (or for any Japanese buffet in general): to get the bang for your buck, avoid the conveyor belt maki and select what you want from the a la carte menu. That way, your food is prepared fresh and you don't just consume the cheaper items circulating endlessly around the room.

In Suki Sushi, if you place an a la carte order, do expect to wait a while because the waiters remind you of something else - the restaurant's mascot the bee. They're buzzing from table to table, in and out of the kitchen, a desperate attempt to keep pace.

Admittedly, if you're paying less than twenty bucks for a Japanese buffet, you can't expect the freshest sea urchins and the widest variety around, but at this price range Suki Sushi does have one of the widest varieties. So I guess we can't complain. Not too much.