Personally I have always leaned toward bold flavors. The kind that hit instantly and don’t hold back. So the idea of eating something raw and subtle like sushi never really made sense to me.
But then I went to Bali.
And like every trip, this one also had that “let’s try something new” phase. That’s how I ended up sitting in a sushi place, staring at a plate of salmon and tuna, mentally preparing myself for something I thought I wouldn’t enjoy.
Because back in India, sushi had never worked for me.
Most of the time, the freshness just isn’t there. And with sushi, that’s everything. If the fish isn’t fresh, the whole experience just falls apart. Then there’s vegetarian sushi which is a thing to be honest but as usual in India we have done some experiments on it, which honestly just feels wrong. It looks like sushi but it doesn’t feel like it. It’s like you’re trying to replace the main character and expecting the same story.
And on top of that, we’re not really used to the taste of soy sauce like that. Having it directly, without anything blending it in, feels too sharp and unfamiliar.
So yeah, I walked in with very low expectations.
The food came.
The main platter was loaded. Salmon on one side, tuna on the other, and a few white fish pieces that I didn’t even know the name of at the time which was butter fish. Everything looked clean, fresh, and honestly a little intimidating. I had even ordered a plate of vegetarian rolls just in case. Just rice, seaweed, and some creamy avocado slices inside.
I decided to start safe.
Picked up one of the veg rolls first.
And it had a rich creamy chew to it. You get through the crispy layer of seaweed and then the avocados just melt in your mouth. No wonder they are called as “Butter Fruit” in India it’s even better if you have avocados and, of course, rice- just try combining their flavours and textures in your mind.
A good place to start if you can find this in India with not shit ton of mayo or some processed chesse inside/on top.
Then I moved to the main plate. Just to be clear its nigiri on the right and maki rolls on the left but to make things easier for beginners let’s call them all sushi for now.
Salmon first.
Dipped it lightly in soy sauce, still unsure, and went for it.
And that first bite changed things.
The salmon just melted. Like actually melted. Soft, buttery, and clean. No weird smell, no overpowering taste. Just pure flavor. The tuna had a slightly firmer bite but felt just as fresh, just as satisfying.
Even the butter fish, which I was the most unsure about, turned out to be super delicate and slightly sweet. Nothing loud, nothing aggressive.
And suddenly the whole plate started making sense.
The wasabi wasn’t meant to burn your mouth like chili. It just slowly crept in and disappeared. The pickled ginger worked like a reset button between bites. Even the soy sauce, which I usually find too sharp, somehow fit perfectly here.
Nothing was trying too hard.
And somehow, that worked.
By the third or fourth piece, I realized something.
Maybe the reason most Indians don’t like sushi isn’t because it’s bad.
It’s because we try it the wrong way.
We try it in places where freshness is compromised. We start with vegetarian versions that don’t really represent what sushi is. And we go in expecting strong, instant flavors, while sushi is all about balance and subtlety.
It’s not trying to impress you.
It’s just doing its thing.
And if you try it in the right place, with the right ingredients, like I did in Bali, it suddenly makes sense.
