Because of its close proximity to great seafood, Seattle has become a city known for its sushi. However, for the many people living with Celiac Disease or gluten-intolerance, sushi is often one of the foods that must be admired from afar. Between the wheat-laden soy sauce and various hidden contaminants, sushi is anything but safe.
Enter Village Sushi. This jazz-inspired, U-District godsend not only recognizes those of us with proclivities toward gluten but takes great care in preventing cross-contamination while still turning out an incredible meal. Armed with a bottle of gluten-free soy sauce, JongChan and his knowledgeable team fried off my soft-shell crab in cornstarch instead of tempura batter, replaced the dangerous ingredients in my Philly roll with safe ones and patiently answered my onslaught of questions with a smile.
A former fellow New Yorker, JongChan brought his chef skills to the West Coast in 1998 and opened Village Sushi in 2008. His dedication to using the freshest, highest quality ingredients clearly shows. In fact, when my sister visited a few weeks ago, she proclaimed JongChan’s creations the best rolls she’d ever eaten.
While Shiro’s might have the sushi obsessed in a frenzy downtown, knowing that I can get a safe sushi dinner a little further north makes the choice of where to grab a bite a no-brainer.
Village Sushi is located at 4741 12th Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98105.
[Photo Credit: Spencer Huang]