Sushi Box is a little box of a restaurant tucked away around a corner in Cardiff Castle Centre, Newlands. There are several great restaurant options in Cardiff Castle, but if you’re craving sushi, Sushi Box is the place to go. It’s a relatively new restaurant, and it has somewhat weird hours and no liquor license. If you’re going for dinner, you have to go early. The kitchen closes just after 7pm! It’s a little bit crazy, but the sushi is good enough to get there early for. You can also bring your own wine.

The menu at Sushi Box is all about the sushi. There’s pretty much nothing else, so non-sushi eaters won’t be happy. There is a tuna and salmon salad, but it’s still fish. The sushi is some of the more inventive I’ve seen in Cape Town, and everything I’ve had is generally great. This time, I stopped in for lunch, and tried the Fusion Box, which comes with a few pieces each of loaded rainbow roll, crispy salmon roll, and salmon roses. I also tried the tiger roll, which is tempura prawn and avocado California roll wrapped in steamed prawns and drizzled with teriyaki and sesame seeds. Unfortunately, the batter of the tempura prawn on the inside was totally soggy, so it wasn’t nearly as good as usual. Perhaps it sat too long in the kitchen or something went wrong with the frying. But it was still good, and the other types of sushi from the fusion box were great! I especially liked the crispy salmon.

The Sushi Box is usually packed and hectic with people waiting for take away orders, so service can be a bit hit and miss. This time it was good though. If you have a hankering for sushi and you can manage to make it in before the ridiculously early closing time, Sushi Box is your best bet in the southern suburbs. It’s a bit on the pricey side, but you get a better quality than most other places.