Over winter break, while students went home for the holidays, a new restaurant opened on Western Boulevard just around the corner of Gorman Street. Surrounded by ever-popular fast food chains for quick and convenient meals, students are curious to see what the new restaurant Sushi 9 has in store for and how the sushi would turn out, compared to other popular local sushi joints.

Lisa Fatfat, owner and the manager of Sushi 9, explains that the restaurant’s business plan is to offer something different and unique that is also close to home for students.

“The concept we have here is to offer a nice atmosphere with good and reasonable prices for college students to be able to afford,” Fatfat said. “It’s not fast food like most of the restaurants around this area.”

The restaurant aims to target the student demographic and is located near campus.

“We are in a convenient location and we are open all day, and we offer lunch until 5 PM, which is longer than most places,” Fatfat said. “We offer a variety of Asian cuisine such as Thai, Chinese, and Hibachi (Japanese).”

Traditional décor associated with Asian cuisine, including gold trimming and an aquarium in lobby, garnishes the restaurant. Upon entering the main dining area, patrons are greeted the brightly lit sushi bar complete with flat screens playing sports. The sushi bar makes for a bright center of the restaurant that contrasts with the rest of the dining area’s subdued lighting.

Thomas Pham, a senior in Industrial Engineering, visited the restaurant and commented favorably on the sushi menu and the restaurant’s environment.

“Sushi 9 has a variety of sushi to offer,” Phan, a frequent customer, said. “Some of the names might seem odd, but the presentation and taste of the sushi are well worth it.”

“Price-wise, the sushi is very reasonable: it’s buy one, get one free, and they’re all around 10 to 15 per roll. It might seem expensive on a college budget, but it’s a nice way to splurge every now and then. The atmosphere inside Sushi 9 is great. All the staff [members] are very friendly and easy to get along with.”

Young Lee, a junior double majoring in Economics and International Studies, also enjoyed the environment and location of the restaurant.

“Sushi 9 brings a new experience that we didn’t have before,” Lee said. “Close to campus we have Greek food, Amer-Italian, burgers, fried chicken, but we never had a fun but formal restaurant/bar with decent sushi.”

According to Lee, making to the trip downtown to Sushi Blues would be out of habit and tradition.

“Not only does Sushi 9 have a better atmosphere for both eating, drinking, and watching sports, its non-sushi items are also worth a visit,” Lee said. “This is something that I couldn’t say about Sushi Blues.”

Fatfat said that the restaurant presents a comfortable semi-formal atmosphere for those that might enjoy it, but it’s not too formal that anyone looking for a standard visit should be turned away.

“Students can even dress up and come out for a meal together to enjoy a special occasion,” Fatfat said. “We might make plans to eventually stay open until 2 AM, which we hope will appeal to students with late-night plans. It’s an idea that we’ve taken into consideration, and it might happen in the future.”

Sushi 9 resides in a building that has been refurbished and revamped, which the defunct Ten Ten Chinese restaurant formerly occupied. In addition to the aesthetically intriguing main dining area, Sushi 9 boasts a glimmering bar at one end of the restaurant for students wanting to try out something other than their green tea.

Young Lee is a fan of tea and expressed enthusiasm regarding the tea selection at Sushi 9, but also paid a visit to the bar, which serves a variety of Japanese beer and sake.

“The drinks at the bar are decent,” Lee said. “This isn’t a place for old folks to order fancy drinks. Instead it’s a place for college kids to get a fun cocktail, martini, or beer.

According to Lee, Sushi 9 is not a place to get traditional Japanese food.

“It’s a place to have fun and relax,” Lee said. “I like Sushi 9 because it’s comfortable and confident in what it is and it fits the college atmosphere.”