It’s a small restaurant with only about 12 seats around a window-side bar, but Sashimi Sashimi provides a huge menu with big flavor — and the bright, fresh hues of coral and sea foam sets the mood for fresh food.
Located at 640 Church St., Sashimi Sashimi has become downtown Evanston’s newest sushi hot spot.
And sushi, increasingly regarded as a healthy dieting option, fares well in a health-conscious town such as Evanston.
According to Men’s Health magazine, sushi is loaded with nutrients. With potassium and iron in the seaweed, fiber in the vegetables, and omega-3 fatty acids and protein in the fish, sushi also is low in calories, containing about 40 calories per piece.
Many customers come in looking for few carbohydrates and loads of protein, said William Galsan, a Sashimi Sashimi employee.
“Weightlifters come in a lot, since sushi has more protein than beef, and they don’t mind eating it with a little rice,” Galsan said. “Another popular order is our edamame salad, which is a great source of protein.”
Edamame, or podded soybeans, joins Sashimi Sashimi’s other exotic options, including the restaurant’s namesake, sashimi, which literally means “high quality fish.”
“Sashimi is just the fish by itself without the rice,” Galsan said. “The fish eggs are also very healthy. Japanese women eat those for the health benefits.”
With the risk of bacteria and other harmful side effects of raw fish, Galsan stressed the importance of finding the freshest ingredients to stock the restaurant.
“The key is to make sure the fish we get is very fresh,” Galsan said. “The suppliers we buy from use special vessels to store the fish, cutting certain parts off the fish immediately to keep toxins from spreading. Then the fish is put into freezers they keep at 80 degrees below zero Centigrade. You can’t just buy this from a supermarket.”
Because Sashimi Sashimi mostly serves carry-out customers, sushi gives new meaning to “fast food.”
Communication sophomore Oscar Boyson said Sashimi Sashimi is a nice new option in the neighborhood.
“After living on Clark (Street) for a whole year, there’s no place we really want to go eat,” Boyson said. “We usually go to Panera Bread or Burger King, but that gets boring quickly, so it’s about time we got a new place to try.”
Because sushi often is reserved for expensive dine-in restaurants, Weinberg sophomore Adrian Adkison said she is glad that Sashimi Sashimi is different.
“It’s pretty cheap,” Adkison said, as he pointed to a tray full of maki rolls and sashimi. “I got all this for 12 bucks.”
With such a varied menu, including more than 16 varieties of maki rolls and 20 types of sashimi, there’s a little something for everyone — including those who abstain from fish.
“There are a lot of vegetarians in the area,” Galsan said. “For them we have cucumber, avocado and other rolls without fish.”
