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Airport food... it's often overpriced and pretty terrible. I travel alot, so I tend to see the Dutch airport of Schiphol very very often.... and so, I've gotten to try out a lot of the cafes and little restaurants that are scattered around the airport. It's quite a major airport, and so there is no lack of places to choose from...

When I arrive at Schiphol from a different land after work... I always make it a habit to drop by this Sushi Daily at the Airport Albert Heijn.

The Space

To quickly explain... Albert Heijn is the major supermarket chain in The Netherlands. Over the time that I have been living in The Netherlands, the food quality has undergone a huge upward swing in diversity and quality. Part of this has been the estabishment of fresh sushi preparation centres by Sushi Daily at selected Albert Heijn stores.

Now, most of them are pretty ordinary... nothing worth stopping by for... however, for some reason the Schiphol Sushi Daily is really a huge standout in quality! I'm not sure if it is the fact that I'm starving after a flight... and tired and wanting something to eat... but that said, this is the place that I keep coming back to after every arrival flight!

So, there are no sit down areas (except for the common dining area outside the supermarket)... there is just the sushi preparation area and the immediately available array of sushi selections.

The Menu

This is pretty simple system... there is no menu! You take what you want and then go and pay for it!

Now, if only they could integrate a sort of Amazon physical store-like payment system that knew what you took... and then just debited it... then that would be the most ideal thing!

Things to remember to take... wasabi, soy sauce and chopsticks... all of which are stored seperately on the top of the counter! There is nothing more annoying that running for that train, getting on an then sitting down to eat... only to find out that you have no of those condiments or eating utensils!

The Food

Well... here is where I usually eat the meal! On the train, on top of my suitcase!

Anyway, as I had mentioned earlier... most of the Sushi that is produced by the various Sushi Daily stores around the country are pretty hit and miss... mostly miss. Likewise for most of the "sushi" places that dot the Randstad (the highly populated areas of Netherlands, that include the major cities). Quite often, they are run by Chinese (I recognise the language) and are just playing the Japanese card to charge a higher premium....

However, for some reason, the Schiphol Sushi Daily prouduces some pretty decent sushi! It's nice and moist and the fish is fresh. There isn't a huge variety of things... and as I have mentioned before in previous Tasteem reviews, I'm more of a Ramen guy than a Sushi guy.

The Experience

The Sushi is decent enough for me to keep stopping by here (unless it is a choice between sushi or the train home....). You are in and out within 10 minutes (more like 5....) and on the way to the train. There is some clever positioning, as it is right next to the train platforms... in between the airport arrival gates and the trains!

Of course, there are better restaurants for sushi... but as far as a fast takeaway at a airport goes... this is pretty damn good!