New sushi restaurant opens in East Grinstead over Bank Holiday weekend

The Sushi Co has taken over the old Papa John’s site on King Street, next to Pure Gym, following a complete refurbishment.

The opening event on Saturday, May 2, offered free rolls to 200 customers from midday, with free face painting, a DJ and special offers.

Sushi Co’s announcement before the opening said the restaurant chain’s ‘unique offering’ is ‘a live Sushi Kitchen in which chefs make top of the range, fresh food in minutes, in front of customers’.

Co-founder Sama Varanand Reddy said: “No other high street sushi restaurants include live kitchens where you can see the food being prepared. It’s one of the reasons why we’re so popular, as people really value fresh ingredients and kitchen skills when it comes to this cuisine.”

He said: “Our point of difference is that our food is ‘minutes fresh’. Ever other premium sushi chain boxes their food, and keeps it in the chiller for hours. Ours is made fresh to order, every single time and our fish is delivered daily from Scotland, that’s why it tastes so good.”

The restaurant’s team of 13 staff includes chefs from Nepal and Japan who will prepare Hosomaki, Uramaki, Nigiri, sashimi, poke bowls and hot dishes (curries and gyozas) from 11am until late.

This is the 31st Sushi Co outlet and the company said there are plans to open 11 more venues this year.

Sam called East Grinstead ‘the perfect place for us to continue our expansion’. He said: “This area is known for being family-friendly and fast-paced; people want good food and fun dining experiences all day long now, from quick lunches to Friday night dinners and late-night bites. We know that people have been waiting for The Sushi Co to arrive. We are delighted to have arrived and to be joining the local thriving community.”