We tried… The Sushi Factory’s Bento for 2.

I love Sushi and for some time, I had a thing for the Salmon Roses (when I just started eating Sushi). But over time, I started to sample other varieties and have many favourites.  To be honest, I wasn’t keen on trying sushis at first because I used to be super fussy with food but now, sushis are among my favorite meals.

How did I hear about The Sushi Factory?

I have been meaning to try The Sushi Factory for some time but was very hesitant. I stumbled onto their Facebook page a few times but I never ordered. However, some months ago, a fellow Zoli Bloguette posted a picture on her Instagram and the sushi looked so tasty I had to ask and she told me that it’s from The Sushi Factory. I was back on the Facebook page and skimmed through and decided to give it a try.

Some weeks ago, I decided that it was high time to give it a try. If you’re a Sushi lover, The Sushi Factory is the place to try.

To get in touch with The Sushi Factory and access their menu, you can access their Facebook Page HERE.

The Sushi Factory – An Interview

After my first experience from The Sushi Factory (I am sharing my review right after this section) I wanted to learn more about their concept and how they started out. Salim from The Sushi Factory’s Team was happy to share the story with me:

Foodwini: Can you tell us a bit about you and your team at The Sushi Factory?

The Sushi Factory: We are a family business operating in duo, driven by passion for food, quality and fresh products. We started The Sushi Factory in March 2019.

Foodwini: Why did you choose a sushi business?

The Sushi Factory: I have personally mingled with Sushi lovers and makers at younger age when I was living abroad. Today my wife and son are true Sushi eaters and are fond of my new creations. This encourages me to maintain quality and freshness.

Foodwini: How did The Sushi Factory start?

The Sushi Factory: I have been doing Sushi for quite a long time but more on a small scale and for home consumption, then friends who would eat at our place started to ask me to prepare Sushi for them.  With time, my Facebook posts of Sushi pictures started to collect many likes and comments. So the market started to create both physically & virtually.

Foodwini: What was the biggest challenge(s) in starting your company?

The Sushi Factory: The biggest challenge was mostly to find fresh products and to identify genuine suppliers. The market was present and has been quite responsive.

Foodwini: What kind of sushi do you offer?

The Sushi Factory: We actually propose some varieties of Sushis, not an exhaustive list but well designed and fresh, mainly Makis, California rolls, Temakis, Nigiris & Sashimis.

Foodwini: Do you have a restaurant or do you offer delivery only?

The Sushi Factory: We only have a Service order for pickups & deliveries. We’re not planning to run a restaurant. We can thus maintain a fair price. However I must precise that we never do Sushis in advance or stock in speculation of orders but respond only to advance orders of 12 or 24h, depending on availability of ingredients.

Foodwini: How does the delivery system work?

The Sushi Factory: The delivery system works just like our advanced orders as we outsource this service which needs a planning beforehand. We outsource our deliveries and have different routes on specific days.

Foodwini: Do you operate every day?

The Sushi Factory: We started operating only during weekends but have now decided to extend the service to weekdays as well for Corporate lunch and Family dinner.

Foodwini: How do you ensure that the sushi remain fresh until delivery?

The Sushi Factory: We do not encourage door to door delivery to avoid the Sushis to travel less than 2h. Our customers meet our riders at specific pickup points to collect their bentos, which are packed and sealed in special food plastic, then stack in cooler bags with ice packs to maintain at least 10°C.

Foodwini: How do you make sure that the quality is maintained? (Ingredients, service, delivery, etc.)

The Sushi Factory: We use fresh products and maintain the cold chain all over the process from production to consumption. Also we have a separate Sushi lab with Inox amenities and equipment where we prepare Sushis. After each production day the lab is sanitised and cleaned with required hygiene norms and standards. We make sure to have regular feedbacks from clients.

We are very keen to develop a friendly service with our value-added recipes for taste and sauce, using the best and fresh ingredients at affordable prices. We are also working towards having our Halal Certificate which will also re-inforce our commitment to norms and standards.

Foodwini: How can one place an order and what are the payment options?

The Sushi Factory: We allow customers to either WhatsApp us, call, email or send us Facebook messenger messages. They can either make cash payment on delivery or Juice us or do a bank transfer.

Foodwini: What is the next plan for The Sushi Factory?

The Sushi Factory: We intend to develop the business into different distribution points all over the island, thus catering for demands even in rural areas, where we are having a lot of requests.

My Experience

Placing the Order

I went through the menu which is available on The Sushi Factory’s Facebook page. There was as much detail as possible. I was a little confused and decided to make a call (the number is displayed on the menu and on the Facebook page) and I talked to a friendly woman (Nadia, I think) who explained to me how it works. The prices on the menu exclude the delivery charges.

I ordered a Bento for 2 which contains 25 pieces for Saturday. It’s a mix of 6 types of Sushi, including the wasabi, soy sauce, ginger, Kikkoman and chop sticks. I chose to pay by Juice.

The lady on the phone explained that the cold chain is very important to them and the sushi are stored in cold containers to maintain the cold temperature till delivery. This was important as I live in the North and The Sushi Factory is located in Roches Brunes. That’s a long route.

The Sushi Factory delivers at specific pick up points around the island and ours was at Engen, Grand Bay La Croisette.

Trying th Bento for 2

On Saturday we headed to La Croisette, knowing our treat was on its way. However, traffic delayed our delivery by some 15 minutes which wasn’t bad. The Sushi Factory texted us in advance to let us know about the delay, which is highly appreciated.

The delivery guy gave us a call when he reached the pick-up point since we were hanging out just nearby. We drove to the Engen filling station and spotted him immediately. The delivery guy came on motorcycle and has a big container where the sushi is stored at a cold temperature. He carefully removed the well-packed Sushi and handed it to us. The Bento Box was very cold and from the aroma, we knew that we were in for a treat.

After a super quick snack, we headed to the beach to enjoy Sushi right in front of the sea. Of course, I had taken a few pictures. The contents looked mouth-watering and we dug in immediately. We were wowed by the different Sushi.

It’s probably one of the best Sushi I had in Mauritius and with each mouthful, I would be closing my eyes to enjoy the taste and flavours. I think my favourites would be the Sashimi and the California rolls (which I didn’t like whenever I tried it before).

Overall, it was a fantastic experience. I believe that the price is fair based on the quantity, variety and quality and freshness of the sushi and the delivery. I will be ordering from The Sushi Factory more often.

However, I wish that the delivery could be done anywhere (home delivery) rather than specific pick up points. Maybe that will be something that will be possible in the future.

We thank Salim and The Sushi Factory Team for taking the time to answer the interview questions and giving us the permission to use their pictures for this post.