SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — When you’re thinking of a place to buy sushi, the name Wal-Mart doesn’t come tripping off the bamboo rolling mat. But for those with a hankering for the cold Japanese rice-veggie-seafood delicacy, Springfield’s newest Wal-Mart has 28 types made fresh daily at an in-store sushi bar, 7-month-old big-box store at 1100 Lejune Drive, off South Sixth Street.
Located next to the deli at the front of the 203,000-square-foot supercenter, the sushi bar displays plastic trays of colorful, ready-to-go varieties such as California rolls, shrimp salad, spicy tuna rolls, vegetable rolls, rice balls topped with tuna and various combos.
They are made fresh daily by E.J., who mans the 8-foot station from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. seven days a week. He works for Advanced Fresh Concepts Corp., a Rancho Dominguez, Calif.-based company that leases space in Wal-Mart and other stores. Established in 1986, the company has more than 2,500 supermarket sushi bars in 45 states, according to its Web site. The company’s sushi carries the brand name Oishisa.California rolls are the most popular type of sushi sold at the local Wal-Mart.
Wal-Mart traditionally has been known for its “everyday low price” format. According to market research from ACNielson, the typical Wal-Mart shopper’s annual income is between $10,000 and $50,000, slightly below the U.S. median income.
The retailer, however, has been starting to market to the well-heeled customer. ACNielson reported that 46 percent of potential Wal-Mart shoppers have incomes greater than $75,000.
To attract this group, Wal-Mart has been stepping up the sushi bars, organic foods and high-end coffees. range in price from $3.90 for the teriyaki chicken salad roll to $9.20 for rainbow rolls with tuna, shrimp and salmon.
TYPES OF SUSHI
Maki: A roll of vegetables or seafood wrapped in rice and seaweed. It’s typically sliced into smaller pieces.
Inari: A tofu pouch filled with rice and sometimes other ingredients.
Temaki: Cone-shaped sushi filled with vegetables, seafood and rice.
Chirashi: A bowl of rice topped with seafood or vegetables.
Nigiri: A hand-formed rice ball topped with a slice of seafood
How to eat Sushi? Sushi can be eaten with either fingers or chopsticks. Many people dip it into a blend of soy sauce and wasabi, a pungent Japanese horseradish. To cleanse the palate, pickled ginger can be eaten between courses.
Sushi star Katsuya Uechi takes a traditional approach at his new restaurant. For the ultimate, reserve a spot at his backroom omakase bar.
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