The Bento Box is a sushi spot at 33 Fitzherbert Street in Featherston, South Wairarapa, with a 4.9 Google rating and, judging by it, a loyal local following.
Good sushi is judged as much on the rice as on the filling — lightly seasoned with vinegar, used at room temperature rather than straight from the fridge, and holding together without turning clumpy. Fillings should smell clean and taste fresh, never fishy. At small-town sushi counters, the cabinet is usually filled in morning batches, so regulars arrive early for the best pick and ask what went in most recently. A bento-style box, with a mix of a few things at once, is a handy way to try more than one filling in a single sitting.
In a town the size of Featherston, a rating like that on the main street is real word-of-mouth — reason enough to call in next time you're passing through the Wairarapa.