Sushi Ya New Brighton is a Japanese restaurant at 47 Brighton Mall in South Brighton, Christchurch, rated 4.7 from 36 Google reviews. At a good sushi shop, turnover is everything: a cabinet that empties and gets refilled through the day means rice that is still glossy and faintly warm, and fish that has not been sitting since morning. Trust your nose as well: fresh sushi smells of vinegar and rice, never of fish. Regulars tend to order a few pieces first, then add as they watch what moves, because the rolls that sell fastest are the ones made most often. In a small seaside shopping strip, the busiest hours tell you more than any menu, and a mid-afternoon lull is when cabinets are at their sleepiest. Set in the Brighton Mall a short walk from the pier and the beach, Sushi Ya makes an easy stop on a New Brighton day out.