Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Sushi Tuesdays at Lui Lui Restaurant

Ever get the craving for some good, local sushi? No, not that overpriced packaged Okami shit at Baker's West 82. I mean fresh, hand rolled stuff. I've tried the California Rolls at Baker multiple times hoping it might be better each time, but it never was and it never will because it's packaged. Packaged sushi tends to be very dry, and never fails to crumble apart in your hand. Nobody wants to sit in the cafeteria scooping rice chunks out of their soy sauce. Sushi on campus is important, but not that important.

Okay, so back to good sushi. My roommate Laura Baskin was walking to the HDL center for work one afternoon and a huge sign reading 'Tuesday Sushi Special' caught her eye in a nearby window. This is when she discovered Lui Lui Restaurant next to the Oak Room on Station Street. Soon after, we decided to check it out.


Every Tuesday night they offer a wide range of sushi combinations at super low prices. Anything from salmon, tuna, eel, scallops, shrimp and even crab - they've got it. Unfortunately though, it's
only on Tuesday nights. On a regular basis they serve the California and New York Rolls, but they're more expensive during the rest of the week.

But on Tuesday, the Lui Lui basic
California Roll is priced at 4.50, a dollar less than West 82's 5.25 and Kroger's whopping 5.86. And all rolls on the menu are between 4 and 8 bucks, depending on what's in them.

Laura and I both took forever to decide what to get - everything looked so good! I finally decided on the
Shrimp Tempura (battered and lightly fried shrimp, with green onion) and Laura got the New York Roll (smoked salmon rolled with avacado, cream cheese and wasabi). We also ordered the Dragon Roll to split (crab and avacado rolled inside out topped with eel). They brought it all out on a plate and everything was presented so nicely. Not to mention, the food itself was just incredible...

(left: NY roll, right: shrimp tempura, furthest back: dragon roll)

The
Dragon Roll was by far the best, but it was all really good. And what's great about Lui Lui is that it's so close to campus. Only a short walking distance from Bromley, Baker and uptown, it's the perfect spot for lunch on a Tuesday afternoon! With good food, low prices, and a comfortable atmosphere, what more could anyone ask for?



Take a look at their complete sushi menu if you're interested, and check it out for yourself. Trust, me you won't be disappointed. And if you become a fan of theirs on Facebook, you can receive even more discounts. It says right at the bottom of their Sushi 101 post that they'll give anyone a free sushi
a la carte order by simply mentioning the post! And guys, if you're not a big fan of sushi, Lui Lui also has a full menu including wok items, seafood, pasta, pizza and even vegetarian entrees. Their general lunch menu is also very reasonable with all items costing under 7 dollars. See Athens, I've got your back :)

Happy eating!

6 comments:

  1. I enjoyed the post Julie, and I like the concept for your blog as well considering I'm a college kid on a tight budget, too! It's funny, actually, that your post was about a sushi restaurant. I was talking to my sister the other day who absolutely loves sushi; and she asked if Athens had a sushi place, but I couldn't think of any. After 3 years here at OU, I've never even heard of Lui Lui, but the pictures look delicious. I'm definitely going to get over their sometime and try the sushi. Shrimp tempura is actually my favorite, so I can't wait to try it. Thanks for pointing this out! See you in class on Monday!
    ~Matt

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  2. So happy I could help out Matt! And I know what you mean. I had never heard of it before either! It's funny how this small, little town could have so many hidden treasures. Anyway, hope you had a good weekend and see you tomorrow bright and early!
    - Julie

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  3. Julie,

    I love this place, too! It's a great place to take the parents. I think Lui Lui should get a PR person STAT. We should mention it to Jennette. Class field trip anyone?

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  4. Lauren,
    I totally agree! My roommate and I were actually just talking about taking our moms there over Moms Weekend. It's such a cute little place! I kinda feel bad more people don't know about it. And oh, I'm all for a class field trip! Let's do it :)

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  5. Girl, my boyfriend works at Lui Lui/The Oak Room/Tuscanos. I think their sushi is alright, but China Panda puts all over Athens sushi to shame. Too bad it costs as much as a trip to the grocery store.

    Unfortunately, we are really (really) far away from a sushi-fish-producing body of water, so anything we get is going to be a little questionable (especially that Baker shit. Processed crab food and seaweed substitute! Ick.)

    If cost is being factored into quality, I'd have to say Kroger is a good choice because you can choose brown rice instead of white AND they make it right in front of your face. No question on freshness, which, to me, is the most important thing when lookin' for decent sushi!

    Groovy blog! I've got all sorts of money savin' tips if you need any!

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  6. Mary, that's so awesome that your boyfriend works at those places! I had no idea they existed until recently... When it comes to the Oak Room, I had always heard people talking about it, but I never really knew where it was. I look forward to making a trip there sometime soon :)

    I just recently heard about China Panda too, but like you said, I also heard how expensive it is. That really is too bad! Because it's true, we do live extremely far away from a fish-producing body of water. And I agree, Kroger does have a lot of options and you really can't deny the quality and freshness of their products. But if you're looking for a good atmosphere, friendly service and sushi on a budget, Lui Lui is definitely a good alternative!

    Thanks so much for the comment, and I would love to take and any tips you have! If you have any suggestions on the blog, feel free to let me know :)

    - Julie

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