Good Japanese food is a delight, affordable Japanese an even greater one. With Japanese food, you need value for money, not just decor. Next River is surprisingly satisfactory and as 'River Salmon Pro-shop' (the other name on the sign) indicates, this is the place for salmon lovers. With about two dozen seats, the tiny sushi bar is easy-to-miss at the World Trade Centre. Without a roof or walls there is absolutely no privacy. As we mulled over the lengthy menu (a degree of repetition of salmon-based options withstanding), a waitress placed two glasses of steaming green tea, in earthenware cups, and two small dishes of complimentary appetisers. We dipped our chopsticks into the sumptuous slices of aubergine marinated in a sweet soy and vegetable sauce and covered in bonito flakes. It was love at first bite and we were ready for the main affair. Not only did the menu describe what was in the food, there were corresponding pictures that made decisions easier. From a long list of standard Japanese delicacies, we opted for the salmon sushi platter. Aesthetically decorated, it offered a few novel twists. There was a buttery avocado slice pasted between the rice and fish, another one of the fresh rolls had a tiny dab of caviar crowning it and yet another was topped with green herbs. We devoured them within minutes, abandoning our chopsticks as we went for seconds with our hands. For the main course, the 'salmon sushi pizza' caught our eye immediately. Expecting a large, crusty pizza base covered in cheese and slabs of salmon, we awaited an east-meets-west horror. However, a long tray with a large, circular heap of orange mush was placed on our table. We hesitantly bit into what we discovered was a crispy rice cake base topped with bright orange salmon eggs. Scrumptious. We were fooled by the size and thought we should order more, but we couldn't finish the rich pizza. There wasn't a large variety of meat (there were one or two beef alternatives and more seafood) or drinks available, but popular Japanese beers Kirin and Asahi were available for $27. Soft drinks were only $17. Our meal, 10 per cent service charge included, came to $186. For a quick bite of affordable, modern Japanese cuisine, this is a winner. Shops 421-423 World Trade Centre, Causeway Bay. Tel: 2808 4292. Open: 11am-11pm. $
