I think it goes without saying that I’m someone who will travel near and far for food. Green flag in some people’s books, probably a glaring red one in others. But put a potentially good meal at the other end of the journey and suddenly those few debating lessons I took at school become incredibly useful.  I will convince you, myself and possibly Google Maps that no distance is unreasonable when there’s something delicious waiting at the finish line. And so, another foodie mission began. This time, thankfully, nobody needed a passport. Just a trip into the city to Aiko Sushi Plus on Bree Street.

“This isn’t just eight variations of salmon, avo and cream cheese wearing different hats.”

A Sushi Restaurant Walks Into an Art Gallery

There are a few Aiko Sushi locations dotted around Cape Town, but this one has a rather unfair advantage: it lives inside Youngblood Art Gallery. And when I say inside an art gallery, I don’t mean there’s a lonely painting hanging next to the till. The restaurant sits amongst the artwork in this beautiful, multi-level space that I’ve visited many times, usually alternating between pretending I know a thing or two about art and mentally calculating how I could turn the entire building into my house. Very cultured of me.

The restaurant itself feels suitably sleek and moody, with a gorgeous bar amongst all that creativity. Arriving around sundown only made it better. The light outside was disappearing, the lights inside were low, and the whole space slipped rather effortlessly from gallery into dinner-date territory. Good food, good drinks, hopefully good company. I can’t really help you with the last one unless you invite me, and not to toot my own horn or anything, but your odds would improve considerably. There’s even a piano in the mix, because apparently sushi inside an art gallery wasn’t quite enough personality for one building.

Suitably On-Theme: Start With a Cocktail

Once seated, I was greeted warmly and pointed in the direction of the cocktails. One of my favourite things about eating somewhere is leaning into what that particular place does rather than immediately ordering whatever I’d have anywhere else. I’m here for sushi, surrounded by art, with an Asian-inspired menu in front of me. This was hardly the moment for a vodka soda. So I started with the Lychee Rose, a bright little mix of lychee, rose, citrus and fizz. Suitably on-theme.

The first sip weirdly reminded me of that moment on a long flight when the holiday officially starts. You’re buckled in, someone hands you an easy-drinking cocktail and suddenly your brain has already landed before the plane has. Bright, fruity and slightly sweet, with enough citrusy tang and fizz to keep it refreshing, this was dangerously drinkable. The sort of cocktail where the alcohol politely stays out of the way until you remember that, yes, it is very much in there. Boarding complete. On to the food. 

Three Warm-Up Acts and One Dangerous Bao

We started with three little warm-up acts: mixed dim sum in miso broth, a prawn bao and a rather substantial bowl of traditional miso soup.



First, the dim sum. Delicate wrappers, juicy little centres and that salty, umami miso underneath doing most of the heavy lifting. Pretty? Very. Difficult to eat elegantly with chopsticks? Also very. They were light, tasty and a good way into the meal, but unfortunately for them, the bao arrived next and immediately stole their thunder.

Enter: The Dangerous Bao

Because the prawn bao was truly dangerous. In the best way. The bun was ridiculously soft, the prawn juicy, and the truffle aioli and eel sauce situation brought this creamy, tangy-sweet richness that somehow worked without making the whole thing feel heavy. I was grateful there was only one. This is not a sentence I say often.

A Miso Soup With Main-Character Energy

Then the traditional miso soup, which apparently had no interest in being a dainty little starter. This was a proper bowl. Salty, savoury and warming, with the wakame bringing that lovely little taste of the sea and the firmer tofu soaking everything up as it sat. I didn’t quite make it to the bottom, which, considering what Chef was about to send next, may have been my body displaying rare signs of intelligence.

Dinner With Built-In Entertainment

Now, eating inside an art gallery comes with one very obvious advantage: built-in entertainment between courses. I took the opportunity to wander off, get slightly lost and once again pretend I knew a thing or two about art. I don’t. But I can stare thoughtfully at a painting with the best of them. Also, filing this away as a rather excellent first-date spot. If the conversation is flowing, wonderful. If it isn’t, you’ve got three floors of art to discuss while desperately searching for a personality trait you have in common. Either way, nobody has to sit through awkward silence waiting for the sushi.

When the Exhibition Arrives at the Table

Eventually, I found my way back downstairs. Just in time, because apparently the actual exhibition was about to arrive at our table. I mean, look at it. I’m not sure whether putting a sushi restaurant inside an art gallery created some sort of unspoken competitive pressure in the kitchen, but Chef clearly understood the assignment.

The menu is huge, spanning the classics, signature rolls and an entire vegan sushi selection. But more importantly, there’s imagination behind it. This isn’t just eight variations of salmon, avo and cream cheese wearing different hats. And after chatting to Chef and letting him take the reins, our table very quickly became a full-blown sushi exhibition.

Plot Twist: The Vegan Roll Wins

We kicked off with the sweet potato and avocado vegan roll, which, plot twist, ended up being one of my favourites. Me. Choosing vegan sushi as a favourite. Please respect the character development. It had this gorgeous smoky-sweet thing going on from the roasted sweet potato and caramelised onion, with enough creamy avocado and vegan mayo to make it indulgent without becoming stodgy. Sticky, savoury, slightly sweet and ridiculously moreish. I would order that again without needing to be manipulated into eating vegetables.

Things Are Getting Spicy

The spicy salmon roll went in the opposite direction: richer, creamier and packing a proper little chilli kick. The salmon kept everything soft and buttery while the house spicy sauce brought the heat. Not aggressive enough to ruin your evening, but definitely not sitting quietly in the corner either.

Then there was the spicy tuna roll. Tuna already has an unfair advantage with me, but this one brought that drier, lingering seven-spice heat that sits at the back of your throat rather than punching you directly in the sinuses. I remain firmly Team Wasabi when sushi is involved, but I respect the argument.

Loaded Means Loaded

The loaded rainbow was exactly that: loaded. Prawn, salmon, tuna, avocado, sauces, textures, drama. There was a lot happening, but somehow it didn’t turn into one of those rolls where you forget there’s actually fish underneath all the furniture. The prawn still had that little snap, the fish stayed clean and buttery, and the whole thing felt generous rather than chaotic.

Welcome to the More Mayo Association



And then the new-style salmon roses, another favourite. Now, I am not president of the More Mayo Association (MMA). Too much mayo can very quickly turn sushi into eight pieces of mayonnaise featuring a brief cameo from a fish. But Chef kept getting away with it. Creamy, silky, a little smoky and savoury from the bonito and eel sauce, but crucially, the salmon still tasted like salmon. Revolutionary stuff.

Sometimes, Just Give Me the Fish

After all that elaborate sushi, going back to plain salmon sashimi felt almost rebellious. No sauce architecture. No garnish gymnastics. Just generous slices of rich, buttery salmon, a tiny bit of wasabi and soy. Sometimes, nobody needs to reinvent anything. Give me excellent fish and condiments and leave me alone.

The Rice Matters. A Lot.

What I kept noticing, though, was that the ratios made sense. There were sauces, chilli, mayo, sweet bits and plenty of Chef chaos happening, but the fish never became an afterthought. Even the rice was properly seasoned: slightly sweet, lightly acidic and sticky without becoming dense. Tiny detail, massive difference. Bad sushi rice can ruin very good fish frighteningly quickly.

Chef JC Was Clearly Having Fun

And I think that’s what I enjoyed most about letting Chef JC take over: you can tell he’s having fun. Not chaos-for-chaos’s-sake fun, either. The technique is there, but so is someone who genuinely likes playing with food. A little sweet here, smoke there, something creamy, something spicy, something that looks like it probably belongs on the gallery wall upstairs. Calling the chef an artist while sitting inside an actual art gallery feels almost unbearably on the nose, but unfortunately, it fits.

Hydration, Paige Style

By this point, I was relatively stuffed, which obviously meant it was time to hydrate. Now, I know water is good for us. I know we’re supposed to drink lots of it. But God, it’s boring. Why hydrate with water when you can hydrate with a mocktail? (Please note: this is absolutely not medical advice). So, purely in the interest of my wellbeing, I ordered the cucumber, lemon and lime mocktail. Cold, fresh and very cucumber-forward, although definitely on the sweeter, syrupier side. Paige’s hydration philosophy remains unchanged: if there’s ice and cucumber involved, I’m counting it.

Future Paige’s Problem

Being full is not the same thing as being incapable of dessert. Important distinction. Chef had one final trick: chocolate dim sum. Crisp little golden parcels with molten dark chocolate hiding inside, vanilla ice cream alongside and a biscuit and lemon crumble underneath. Crack one open, drag that molten chocolate through the cold ice cream and suddenly fullness becomes a Future Paige Problem (FPP).  The lemon gave everything just enough lift, while the little nori dusting threw in one last savoury curveball. Very clever. Very delicious. Very much eaten despite claiming I was full five minutes earlier.

Why Aiko Sushi Plus at Youngblood Works

And I think that’s why Aiko Sushi Plus at Youngblood works. Yes, sushi is why you’re here, but this isn’t an eight-piece California roll and off-you-go situation. Chef JC has clearly had some fun with the menu. The plates look completely at home amongst the artwork, and there’s enough variety that coming back feels less like repeating dinner and more like continuing where you left off.



First date? Absolutely. Second date? Even better. Dinner with friends, cocktails with the girls, cocktails with the boys, or sitting alone eating salmon sashimi in blissful silence? We don’t discriminate. Wander the gallery. Eat the sushi. Order dessert anyway. And Chef, thank you for feeding us so bloody well.