Purnaman's journey into food started far from London, with culinary training and an internship at a five-star hotel in Nepal, followed by four years immersed in Japan, learning the discipline and technique behind real Japanese cuisine. That path later brought him to London, where he worked at Japan Centre, Sticks'n'Sushi, Nanashi, Kajoku, and as an Omakase Chef at Sushi on Jones. so years spent refining the exact skills behind every dish we serve today.

But Hitachi Sushi didn't start with any of that experience in mind. It started during the pandemic, when Purnaman began quietly making sushi for the neighbours around him people stuck at home, looking for something to look forward to in an otherwise difficult stretch of time. What began as a plate or two for people nearby turned into a weekly order, then a regular one. Word spread from one household to the next, and soon people who'd never met him were asking how to get some too.