We were kindly invited to appear on this TV programme for Channel 4, Tricks of the Restaurant Trade, to give our opinions on the Japanese food Sushi - how could we refuse!!

The premise of the programme was whether the British people think that Sushi is a healthy option for us to eat and the differences between the Japanese eating sushi and the British eating sushi.

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The Japanese eat smaller portions and use rice and soy sauce sparingly compared to British. And they tend not to go for avocados & mayo, as these types of sushi such as the California Roll was actually invented in the USA!. To be an authentic sushi chef, a chef will train for 7 years in Japan before becoming qualified as a sushi chef. But unfortunately most of the Japanese restaurants in the UK do not have authentic chefs.

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Now to the Health Part !! Or not so healthy part as the case maybe!!

Amanda Ursula a nutritionist was interviewed. She explained that firstly most of the rice has had a sugar solution added to it. And here are the statistics that may shock you.

1. In a Pret A Manager Salmon/Prawn/Crab Box set there are 10.8 grams of sugar the equivalent to eating 2 Jammie Dodger biscuits.

2. In an Itsu's Health and Happiness Box set there are 579 calories and 24 grams of fat, so there are more calories in it than a MacDonalds Big Mac and a similar amount of fat !

3. In Wasabi's Hana Box set there are 132 grams of carbohydrates which is the equivalent to 7.5 slices of bread !!

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But this is not the worse part ....

The Soy Sauce is where alarm bells start to ring. 1 serving of soy sauce contains 0.9-2.25 grams of salt, part of your 6 grams of salt recommended  per day. The Japanese will eat 1 serving between about a family of 5. But in our test against how much soy the Japanese use compared to the British

The Japanese only used 15 millilitres of soy for 4 people

Whereas the Europeans used a staggering 45 millilitres of soy for 4 people !!!

 

The programme was Series 2 Episode 2 and here is a link to the Channel 4 Catch Up Video http://www.channel4.com/programmes/tricks-of-the-restaurant-trade/episode-guide/series-2

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The Programme was filmed in the very authentic and highly respected

Suzu Japanese Tapas Bar

 Address: 170-172 Hammersmith Rd, London W6 7JP

 Phone: +44 20 8741 1101

 Web: www.suzuonline.co.uk

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