Retail
Celebrating 30 years of Moshi Moshi
Moshi Moshi, London’s first conveyor belt sushi restaurant, celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2024
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Celebrating 30 years of Moshi Moshi
Retail
Moshi Moshi, London’s first conveyor belt sushi restaurant, celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2024. Founded by Caroline Bennett in 1994 at Liverpool Street station, Moshi Moshi introduced the UK to Japanese train station dining culture. Its sushi is served on a moving belt, offering dishes like sushi rolls and edamame. The restaurant champions sustainable fishing, working closely with Cornish fishermen to trace their fish’s origins. Longtime chef Siu Hong Li, who joined in 1994, retired this year, leaving a legacy cherished by loyal customers. Many staff members have been with Moshi Moshi for decades, fostering a family-like team environment.
Set above platform one, tucked away behind M&S at the iconic London Liverpool Street station, you’ll find Moshi Moshi, which this year is celebrating three whole decades in business.
Opened by Caroline Bennett back in 1994, Moshi Moshi was Britain’s first conveyor belt sushi restaurant. Diners can (quite literally) grab a selection of plates – from edamame to sushi rolls and beyond – from a moving belt which visits each seat.
We took a break with owner Caroline Bennett and Chef Siu Hong Li – known as Chef Hong – to discuss Japanese station dining culture, fishing escapades and the many and varied ups and downs of thirty years in business.
"My dad brought me up travelling on trains – they were a part of my life, a familiar, safe space,” says Caroline. “My grandpa also worked in trains, in Stoke on Trent, Malaysia and India."
Caroline Bennett
It’s Japan where Caroline got her inspiration, though. “Restaurants weren’t usually found in stations in the UK back in the ‘90s,” says Caroline. “I don’t remember anything other than an Upper Crust and a small coffee shop. It’s changed so much!”
“Restaurants in train stations are a mainstay of Japanese culture, though, so Liverpool Street seemed like the ideal home for our little piece of Japan in a familiar environment. And word soon spread.”
Back in the 1980s, Japan was experiencing an economic boom, and this meant a huge number of Japanese visitors to the financial district surrounding Liverpool Street station. “They were delighted to find us – we didn’t spend a penny on advertising! Word of mouth did the work,” says Caroline.
From bait to plate
Responsible fishing is at the heart of Moshi Moshi’s way of working. “We have a close relationship with the Cornish fishermen who source our fish,” says Caroline.
“I remember waking up at 4am to go out on the boat with them,” recalls Chef Hong. “We learned so much about the life of the fishermen. We work with fish all day, and to see the effort that goes into the fishing process was really special.”
Moshi Moshi prides itself on being able to trace each individual fish back to the boat it was caught on.
Moshi Moshi is available for dine in, or takeaway, and can be contacted with the below details.
