A pre-match lunch with my father at a Japanese restaurant is in a league of its own

Shiki, 6 Tombland, Norwich NR3 1HE (01603 619262). Sushi and sashimi from £2 per piece, small dishes from £3, larger dishes from £10, beer from £3.50, sake from £6.50

We only get to truly value excellence by experiencing what it is to fall short. In politics. In sport. But also in food. How many times my heart has sunk as I’ve opened a miserable portion of fast-food sushi, limp and flimsy to the touch, dull in colour, the fish supposedly raw and yet partially cooked in its plastic enclosure. But when you taste the real stuff in all its glory, you know what you’ve been missing. So my excitement surges as our salmon sashimi arrives at Shiki, an independent Japanese restaurant in the centre of Norwich. Each of our four slices is plump, fatty, firm, glowing and juicy. Unusually, I dial back the wasabi in the soy sauce to let the fish dominate.