Size
Seven outlets, including the newest one at VivoCity, plus 17 restaurants in Indonesia, Hong Kong, Thailand and China.

History
Opened its first outlet in 1994 at Holland Village with just 20 staff members. The group staff strength is now over 1,000. Was the first to introduce the open-kitchen concept.

Price
From $1.60 for two pieces of tamago sushi to $78 for a platter of assorted premium sashimi.

Popular items
Tempura maki, unagi sushi, sashimi salad, hotate miso mayonnaise and dragon roll.

Watch out for
A retail corner selling everything from takeaway sushi to signature Sushi Tei sauces and crockery will open next month at its VivoCity outlet. Two new outlets will open this year in Bali and Sydney, with more planned for Singapore. It is also in the process of obtaining ISO 9001 and the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point certifications.

Taste Test
This chain has been upgrading itself through the years, and the newer outlets boast designer settings with ambient lighting. But the downside is that the premises often feel rather cramped.

At the Raffles City branch, the rice for the sushi ($2.20) was bland but the generous slices of fish made up for that somewhat. The California maki ($5) here was the best, plump with tasty ingredients like avocado and crabstick.

The soft-shell crab handroll ($4) was decent but not outstanding.

Another sore point is that the prices here are the highest.

Rating: ***