In a tiny building wedged next to a tattoo parlor on Central Avenue just south of Dunlap Avenue, chef and owner Kevin Min slices and shapes fresh fish. He folds pink tuna, bright orange salmon, and grass-green avocado into a colorful wrap for the Rainbow Roll. He carefully arranges sashimi in bamboo boxes for large format orders, and he serves a mean lunch.
After honing his craft at Stingray Sushi in Scottsdale, Min opened the tiny takeout-based restaurant in January. And considering the small nature of the space, the menu is extensive, filled with specialty sushi rolls, standard rolls, hand rolls, sushi burritos, salads, soups, and a couple of cooked-fish dishes.
Our favorite, however, is the poke.
On a recent lunch visit, roughly 15 minutes after placing an order on the restaurant's entirely automated iPad ordering system, a server brought out a couple of boxes packaged and ready to go.
You can eat inside Sushi Friend, at one of a few tiny tables or a thin counter rail. But the idea really is to take it home. And this fresh fish travels exceptionally well.
The Rainbow Roll at Sushi Friend includes salmon, tuna, and avocado draped over a crab mix sushi roll.
Tirion Morris
The fish is fresh, soft, and cool, with just a hint of salt. It's doused in a light coating of shoyu, or Japanese soy sauce, and sprinkled with furikake, a seasoning made with toasted sesame seeds. Grab a cube of tuna, a little rice, maybe a hint of crab, and some of those crunchy pickles for a satisfying bite.
Whether you are working nearby or meeting a friend, when lunch is calling, Sushi Friend has the answers.
Sushi Friend
8727 North Central Avenueyoursushifriend.com
