Friends Sushi and Bento Place

Growing up in a small town in rural Kansas, there weren’t too many opportunities to eat sushi. Actually, there weren’t any at all. So I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I visited Friends Sushi and Bento Place, on 39th Street, a few blocks from KU Medical Center.

Paul and Lily Zhu opened Friends Sushi and Bento Place three years ago because they wanted to provide a Japanese dining option on 39th Street, which is known for its eclectic and ethnic restaurants.

When we walked into Friends, I was more than a little apprehensive. I knew that sushi was popular with millions of Americans, but was I going to like eating raw fish? I took along a couple of my KU Medical Center colleagues, both sushi veterans. With their help, I settled on a Bento box, which is a dish that divides up your dining choices into separate little compartments. I filled my box with a piece of shrimp sushi, salmon sushi, and a shrimp tempura roll. It also came with a salad, rice and miso soup.

I received a lesson in chop sticks from our friendly server, Tyler, but quickly got rid of them when I realized how much skill it actually took to use them. I was not going to let my first sushi experience be marred by dropping all my food on the floor.

While we were eating, owner Paul Zhu talked to us about some of the healthy benefits of sushi. The main ingredient of the delicious miso soup is tofu, which is made from the curds of soybean milk and is rich in protein.

Zhu believes that sushi should be one-third of a person’s diet, because it’s not cooked in oil, the fish is all natural and fresh, it has an abundance of protein, and is high in Omega-3 fatty acids, which are essential to human health.

Zhu said he has three primary strategies to make his business successful. First, he wants more people to try sushi, so he offers it at a discounted price on Monday nights. Second, he keeps his fish as fresh as possible, and never freezes it. Finally, he enjoys sharing his stories and his experiences about sushi with his customers because he believes that it’s important for small businesses to connect with their clientele.

Zhu’s goal is getting people to try the product and keep them coming back for more. In order to attract new customers like me, he also listens to his customers’ requests and works with them to make sure they have a good experience eating sushi.

“Three years in this business have taught me a lot of things,” he said. “Nothing can stay forever, things always change. Customers come to us with so many ideas, and we try to make it happen.”

As for this small-town Kansas girl, thanks to my enjoyable experience at Friends Sushi and Bento Place, I’m no longer one of the “sushi-impaired.” And while eating raw fish doesn’t give me the same thrill as biting into a juicy hamburger, I’ll definitely be back.

Sarah Van Dalsem is a staff writer at the University of Kansas Medical Center.