I've had a few calls and emails asking about Red Tuna, the combination kaiten sushi and robatayaki restaurant that had expected to open at the Tacoma Mall in January. I spoke with owner James Kwak briefly yesterday and he didn't have much more to report other than to say that construction delays were slowing the opening.

When I asked what was taking so long, Kwak said only that the space was large and construction was progressing slowly. Red Tuna is planned to be a 200-seat kaiten sushi and robatayaki restaurant at the Tacoma Mall, 4502 S. Steele St., Tacoma.

The 6,000 square foot restaurant will feature kaiten sushi, or conveyor belt sushi, where sushi chefs prepare small plates of rolls and nibbles, which are then placed on conveyor belts for self-service dining. The plates are color coded, each color representing a set price, usually from $1-$5 a plate. It's not a new concept to that neighborhood. Located just down the street from Red Tuna is Sushi Revolution, a kaiten sushi restaurant that opened in 2007.

What sounds much more interesting than conveyor belt sushi is Kwak’s plan for robatayaki – a style of open-flame Japanese grilling. I’m not sure what it will entail and Kwak wouldn't give details about his grilling techniques other than to say that robatayaki would include group seating for diners.

I'll check back in with Kwak at the end of the month.