Takumi owner Papa San. Photo courtesy of the restaurant

Since its opening in May 2011, Takumi in Gardens, Cape Town, has had a loyal and growing fan base of sushi lovers from all over the Mother City. Sadly, the Takumi team announced last week that their lease would be ending at the end of March and that they would be closing their doors.

The infamous sushi master, Papa San, decided not to renew his contract, and the team have made the choice to close. The Takumi Facebook page released the official announcement last week: “Goodbye to all our loyal patrons and friends for joining us on an incredible voyage the past five years! We’ve decided to change course and will be off fishing for an extended period… perhaps even for good. Should we decide to head back to land and reopen Takumi elsewhere in the future we’ll let you know via our Facebook page. Feel free to check in on the page to share your favourite Takumi stories and pics, we’ll be eating Crying Rolls and missing all of you terribly!”.

Takumi’s prawn tempura California rolls. Photo supplied.

With his take-no-prisoners attitude, the post ended with Papa San’s golden house rules:

1. No pets, children under 10 years old or wise guys welcome
2. No debates allowed about who serves the best sushi in Cape Town
3. Order quick and enjoy the wait with your friends
4. Some dishes are quicker to make than others, please consider sharing
5. Wasabi is our friend, say so if she’s not yours

Takumi’s tuna California rolls. Photo supplied.

We wish Papa San and the team all the best for future endeavours and we can only hope that we’ll be able to get our Takumi dynamite roll fix again soon.