Thanks to everyone who checked out our International Christmas Market on December 11th and 12th.

Shiki had some authentic Japanese snacks for sale, including sushi sets, osenbei rice crackers and pocky chocolate!

On Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th December from 11am-5pm there will be an International Christmas Market, held outside Shiki on Tombland (click here for our website's google map). Joining Shiki will be the wonderful cafe and delicatessen, Amaretto, The Window Coffee, selling fine coffee beans, Wholesome, selling English Christmas goodies, and the famous Maids Head Hotel, selling pancakes and mulled wine!

We hope to continue our relationship with these places, supporting fine local food in Norwich!

10% of the proceeds from the International Christmas Market will go towards the SOS Children's Villages charity, which helps disadvantaged children in the Philippines. Four of our staff members are from the Philippines so it's nice to make a positive connection with the country.

We hope you can join us over this special weekend for some international festive fun! For more details and the latest updates, please check our Shiki Facebook page or subscribe to our Shiki Twitter Feed.

Apologies for the absence of blogs recently. Your resident Shiki blogger was away in October, so we had to rely on our trusty Shiki Facebook fan page -where you can, of course, make use of Shun-san's ever prompt responses!

On October 28th, Shiki hosted the Sushi Washoku Challenge in partnership with JETRO (Japan External Trade Organisation). Washoku (和食) means traditional Japanese cuisine and there was certainly plenty of that on offer during our two sushi workshops.

The event featured an all-day stall outside the restaurant selling specially imported Japanese sweets and snacks rarely available in the UK, but instantly recognisable if you've ever visited Japan. There were also free Japanese tea, sake and sweet tastings!

The Washoku Challenge was a great success and we hope to have more events such as this in the near future. Please check this blog or our facebook page for further details.

Check out Shun's amazing birthday sushi created for two birthday parties at Shiki.

If you're interested in birthday sushi (or sushi for another special occasion), please contact us for more details.

Shun has created some exciting new dishes for this year's Norfolk Food Festival Moveable Feast!

Tofu hamburger (with slow cooked onion, portobello mushroom and grilled
vegetables.

Salmon and amaebi tartar with dill, avocado, ginger, soy sauce
dressing with jalapeño.

There's also an Avocado shake and Tofu-mascarpone dessert
with red bean paste!

Thanks to everyone who came to The Book Hive this past Wednesday. It was great to see so many people turn out for the Sushi and Sake evening. The Book Hive seems like a great venue for hosting friendly and informal cultural events such as this, so be sure to check out their programme for the rest of the year.

Guests look on as the next round of sushi is prepared. Of course, if you missed the Shiki evening, we're sure to be planning more events like this in the near future, so watch this space!

Shun pours some unusual and lively Hou Hou Shu sparkling sake, adding a celebratory mood to the proceedings.

There were a number of Japan-themed books on display, topics ranging from how to prepare Japanese cuisine to the literature of Shusaku Endo. More books are on the way soon!

On Wednesday 1st September at 6:30pm, Shiki will be hosting an exclusive sushi and sake evening at The Book Hive on London Street. Admission is £3 on the door and is redeemable against book purchases. There will be an array of books on Japanese cooking and culture to browse and Shun will be demonstrating how to make sushi. Please come along and learn more about the art of sushi-making!

Shiki is now hiring for a number of permanent positions. If you are interested in applying, you can contact Jobseeker Direct on 0845 6060 234 and quote the Job reference codes below, or contact Shiki directly. All our positions meet minimum wage and pay is negotiable based on experience. Hours are also negotiable depending on the requirements of the restaurant.

FLOOR STAFF (REF: NOS/126318)
Shiki is looking for a conscientious, hard-working individual with outstanding time-keeping and presentation skills to join our team as waiting staff. Duties will mainly involve ensuring customers receive the highest-standard of care possible and the delivery of food promptly and carefully to their respective tables. Previous experience of working in hospitality is desirable.

PART-TIME ADMINISTRATOR (REF: NOS/126344)
Shiki requires an administrator to work part-time. Previous office experience is highly desirable and successful applicants will have outstanding organisational skills and be fully proficient in the use of Microsoft Office applications.

WASHER (REF: NOS/126343)
Shiki is looking for an individual to work as a washer. As part of this role the successful applicant will be responsible for maintaining hygiene standards for the restaurant and as such will be expected to be highly organised and have impeccable time-keeping.

The closing date for all positions is 8th September 2010.

The next Sushi Class is on 22nd July! The class starts from 19:00 (until around 21:00) in the restaurant. There are still a few places available!

Shun will be teaching you how to make sushi rice and prepare all the ingredients for hosomaki (thin rolls), uramaki (inside out rolls), and nigiri (oval shaped rice with fish on the top).

As usual, the cost is £45.00 per head and includes equipment rental, ingredients, sushi tasting and wine or sake tasting!

For more information, or to reserve a place, please email Shun at shunsuke_tomii@me.com, or call us on 01603-619-262.

Shiki took things outside for the Lord Mayor's Celebration this past Saturday. Thousands of people lined the streets around the city centre to catch the parade - an established Norwich tradition packed with music and dancing and all manner of characters from dragons to daleks!

The imposing figure of the town crier led the procession, followed by the new Lord Mayor of Norwich, Tom Dylan.

The event raises money for numerous charities as well as promoting local societies and businesses. The busy sound of whistles almost evoked the Matsuri (festivals) of Japan!

Shiki's Teppanyaki Chef, Cisco, got in on the act with some improvised egg-juggling (much to these two stewards' delight - can you spot the egg?!). Look out for video of Cisco and his Teppanyaki tricks soon...

We haven't featured desserts on the Shiki blog before, but we thought this one would catch your attention. Introducing Teppanyaki Ice Cream!



The stage is set ... let the performance begin! The mouth-watering fresh fruit and ice cream is prepared Teppanyaki-style for a unique visual experience and taste sensation (yes, we even set fire to the ice cream!).


Our Teppanyaki chef, Cisco, presents the finished masterpiece.


Teppanyaki Ice Cream is available now from Shiki!

Thanks to everyone who visited us at the NNF10 Festival Garden Party this past weekend. We managed to sell out of bento boxes and sushi! The fine weather created a genuine carnival atmosphere as an assortment of street performers mingled with the crowds.



This is apparently the most successful Norfolk and Norwich Festival yet, with tickets sold out for many of the world-class performances on offer. The festival continues throughout the week until Saturday 22nd May.

If you glance down the sidebar to the right you'll see a 'Shiki Twitter Feed'. Please follow @shiki_norwich to get the latest offers!

From 27th April we are introducing two new Donburi toppings!

Donburi (Japanese for 'rice bowl dish'), is a staple of Japanese-style 'fast food' restaurants and makes for an ideal lunch. Shiki's Donburi are lunch-time only and at the special price of £4.50, including miso soup and pickles! The two new toppings are:

1. Una-Tama-Don (grilled eel and egg Donburi - see picture)
2. Spicy Salmon Don (fresh salmon in spicy mayo Donburi)


Please Note: These items are lunch-time only and we can only provide up to 20 Donburi a day.

The next Sushi Class is 13th May  from 19:00 to 21:00 (although it may extend a little longer).

Shun will be teaching you how to make sushi rice and prepare all the ingredients for hosomaki (thin rolls), uramaki (inside out rolls), and nigiri (oval shaped rice with fish on the top). As usual, here's a photo from our last class:

 
The cost is £45.00 per head  and includes equipment rental, ingredients, a free Shiki T-shirt (pink/black), sushi tasting and wine or sake tasting!

For more information, please email shunsuke_tomii@me.com, or call 01603-619-262.

This past week saw the emergence of cherry blossom (sakura) in Norwich. You can see cherry blossom in the church yard just next to Shiki on Princes Street.

In Japan 'flower viewing' (hanami) is a national past time with mass picnics held under the cherry trees of major parks and a TV forecast of the 'cherry blossom front' (sakurazensen), which sweeps from southern Kyushu to northern Hokkaido each spring.

Be sure to catch sight of the Norfolk sakura before it disappears for another year! Read more about hanami at japan-guide.com. While the guide may suggest castles, temples and shrines, we certainly have enough churches in Norwich and there's even a cherry tree in the Cathedral grounds.

If you want to add Japanese flavour to you special event, Shiki is available for outside catering!

Last Saturday we collaborated with Mercedes-Benz of Norwich on Heigham Street, serving sushi to prospective customers in the car showroom.

If you would like to hire Shiki catering for anything from a corporate promotion to a birthday party, please contact us by email or phone. Pricing can be arranged on an individual basis (there is a minimum order of £500).

Donburi (Japanese for 'rice bowl dish'), is a staple of Japanese-style 'fast food' restaurants and makes for an ideal lunch.


It's quick, big and tasty, served with Miso-soup and a small side dish. Our current Donburi toppings are pork or salmon ... and it's only £4.50, making it great value at lunchtime!

Every Monday and Tuesday it's Sushi Night at Shiki! That means all-you-can-eat sushi for £24.50 per head (£22.00 NUS discount on Mondays). The offer runs every week of the year, so start your week in style with this healthy and delicious favourite!

Teppanyaki in its modern form is Western-style meat and vegetables cooked on a Japanese 'teppan', or iron griddle, creating a distinctive Japanese 'steak-house' taste.

The food is served at our special Teppanyaki counter and includes entertainment! Teppanyaki chefs are famed for their amazing bartender-style tricks and showmanship ... and our chef is no exception!


Take advantage of the Teppanyaki discount every Wednesday and Thursday. Teppanyaki (meat or seafood) is £16:00 per head.

Our Sushi Classes are a great way to explore Japanese food culture and have fun at the same time. If you're a fan of sushi but aren't quite sure how to prepare it yourself, here's your chance to learn from our expert chefs ... and eat the delicious results!

The next class will be held on Wednesday 17th February from 19:00-21:00. Cost is £45 per person - Maximum of 10 people per class. You will be tasting your sushi at the end of the class with a complimentary glass of wine or sake!

For more information, please email shunsuke_tomii@me.com, or call us on 01603-619-262

Here's a photo from the last class:

Here are the current menus for Shiki (pdf):

Lunch and Dinner Menu

Teppanyaki Menu

Sushi Menu

Don't forget that we offer a pickup takeaway service for all items on our Sushi and Lunch & Dinner menus.

We are working on a new menu featuring Izakaya-style 'Japanese tapas'. More details soon!

Enjoy!

Yes, we know Valentine's Day is a Sunday this year, but we are open! The restaurant will be decorated for the occasion and we'll be offering a special Valentine's menu. Booking is essential (we sold out last year). Book now for a romantic night, Japanese-style!

Email bookings@shikirestaurant.co.uk

Here's the Valentine's Day menu (click on the image for a closer look). There are three options to choose from: Ume ('Plum'), Sakura ('Cherry'), or Tsubaki ('Camellia'). Prices are per person: