Shinju Sushi is a sushi spot on 53rd Street and South Dorchester Avenue, easily accessible by the East campus shuttle or a 10–15 minute walk for those feeling active. Though Shinju has individual menu items composed of varieties of nigiri (fish/vegetable on top of a bed of rice), sashimi (just the fish), and maki rolls, the all-you-can-eat buffet option appears to be the go-to choice due to its rather affordable dinner price of $20.99 and the amount of food that follows. When our group arrived at Shinju, we immediately began to mark down the quantities desired for the different options provided on the buffet list. Included in the options were appetizers (miso soup, edamame, seaweed salad, etc.), nigiri, vegetable maki rolls, and specialty maki rolls.
Straight up, we ordered an absurd amount of food. After our six appetizers had been brought out (and devoured), several large plates topped with dozens of rolls and nigiri were served. Shinju Sushi, like many other sushi/all-you-can-eat joints, has a policy that charges you for uneaten food to discourage you from ordering more than you can handle. Unfortunately, our group completely overestimated our eating capabilities and over-ordered. What had initially been a nice, tasty dinner turned into a painful period of force-feeding to avoid the surcharge. But let’s forget that. Overall, the food was pretty good (not the crème de la crème of sushi, but certainly tasty, especially considering the price), service was quick, and needless to say, many of us left very full and in need of elastic waistbands.
If you plan on making a trip to Shinju Sushi (and I do recommend it!), here are some tips to enhance your dining experience:
-The restaurant is fairly small. If you plan on coming with a large group, make a reservation beforehand.
-If your group is large and gets divided into smaller groups for the buffet cards, write one person’s name on top of each card. That way, when the waiter brings out a tray of food, (s)he knows to which group the tray belongs.
-Order a lot of appetizers, but limit yourself to only one of each. There’s no need to have four servings of edamame unless that is all you plan on eating. Personal favorites of mine include the edamame, gyoza (fried chicken dumplings—can’t go wrong), and seaweed salad.
-Similar to the appetizers, when ordering nigiri, try to limit the quantities of specific fish to maybe four or five. Diversify your plate with one or two selections of other types. Our group made the mistake of ordering 10 salmon nigiri. None of us could bear to look at salmon afterwards.
-Also concerning the nigiri, the rice bed that sits underneath the fish must be eaten to avoid the surcharge. Realize that rice is ridiculously filling.
-Unless you follow a vegetarian/vegan diet, order only a small quantity of vegetable makis or skip them altogether. The vegetable makis ended up acting as unnecessary fillers since our attentions/mouths were directed mostly toward the specialty makis. After eating a decadent spider roll, a roll possessing just wet cucumber and rice seems plain.
-Ask for miso soup at the end of your meal. The hot miso soup will help settle your newly stretched stomach.
-BYOB!
Good eats to you!