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A better bento
4:00 am Oct 15 - by Jeff Girten – buzz Writer
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Sarku Japan has opened at 619 South Wright Street. photo by Paul Habeeb
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Sarku Japan Teriyaki and Sushi Express »Address: 619 S. Wright St Champaign, IL 60062
Phone: (217) 607-1481
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Sarku offers a variety of Japanese inspired cuisine ranging from sushi to bento boxes to chicken teriyaki. And, perhaps equally as important, every item on the menu is under $10. Yet, everything I tried had not a shred of mall food court taste in it. The vegetables they use are fresh, and as manager Alex Uy explained, “All the sushi we have is made here in the restaurant by our chefs.”
I can honestly say that I’ve never eaten a better bento box for under $10. Part of that is because I’ve never eaten a bento box for less than $10, but the fact remains that it was far and away the better of the two bento boxes I’ve ever eaten.
For Uy, the difference between this Sarku and its competitors is that “the sauces are made with 100% natural ingredients — without MSG.” Pretty surprising given Sarku’s roots in our nation’s food courts.
The Green Dragon roll is a wonderful blend of crisp cucumber, perfectly cooked eel, subtle avocado and spicy mustard. Dollar for dollar, it’s the best sushi I’ve eaten in a long time. Their bento box was elegantly plated, and backed up its appearance with a wide variety of flavors. I wasn’t impressed by the mandarin oranges, but that’s equally likely to be due to my personal bias against tiny citrus.
To me, rainy, torrential downpour Thursdays have never inspired a hunger for sushi. More often, they mean sleeping in late and missing out on class. But, as I walked in to Sarku that awful, soppy day, I knew that it was my job, my duty, to the reading public to eat sushi and a bento box. It was also my pleasure. It’s difficult to imagine a better restaurant where I can get lunch than Sarku. The combination of price and quality are unmatched by any Japanese restaurant I’ve eaten at here on the UIUC campus.
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Last post: Oct. 16, 2009 at 4:31 pm
Timbo (unregistered user) said on Oct. 16, 2009 at 4:31 pm:
I went there today on Jeff's recommendation- no regrets. If you get the 'deluxe' bento, you will be quite satisfied with the amount of food. B/c I am a gluttonous motherfucker, I also got an unagi (they use the gaijin-friendly "bbq eel") roll, which was not as good as one might hope, but compares nicely to the fare you might find at the Urbana Schnucks for the same price. It was not expertly rolled, and was very classic/conventional in flavor but it was still tastier than I expected given the price and fast food-like nature of the joint.
Also, the place was well staffed for the lunch rush and everybody I interacted with was exceedingly friendly and helpful. I would compare the overall quality to a restaurant in Downtown Springfield called Bentoh's, a great lunch place adorned with signed pics of Obama endorsing the nosh.