A couple of weeks back, my mom saw a discussion on her Facebook feed about Trader Joe’s Kimbap sushi. That interested her enough to request a buy. I diligently agreed, but found the Korean sushi rolls extremely hard to find.
At both the stores I regularly frequent (aka TJ’s Bollinger and TJ’s Prospect), the $4 Kimbap rolls were always sold out. The new shipment arrival times I was quoted kept getting pushed back: December 7th > December 16th > February 2024. The difficulty in getting the goods piqued my interest and made me more curious about the Kimbap, but by the time I was told February, I had given up.
Imagine my pleasant surprise when I discovered a new shipment of Kimbap sushi at TJ’s Sunnyvale at 10:40am on December 15th. (I was in the area for my Valley Radiology exam and stopped by on the way to the bus stop.) Following their store restrictions, I bought the maximum of two before heading home.
The taste test happened on Saturday, after helping out with Tzu Chi’s East Palo Alto food bank distribution. I grabbed one of the 9-piece vegetarian sushi rolls, heated it up in the microwave and ate it hot. (The packaging says it can be eaten either hot or cold.) I reserved a piece for each of my family members in order to get their opinion. Here are their thoughts:
Chris: “Rice tastes weird.”
Dad: “It’s okay.”
Mom: “Not spectacular, but not bad. Buy more if you see any.”
Kimbap sushi is similar to what you’d find in the deli of Asian supermarkets. I side with my family members in that it’s nothing special, but that it could be a good grab-and-go option. (Each roll has 11g of protein, helpful in meeting my 60g daily goal.) However, before I buy in bulk, additional testing is required. Some sushi can induce food blockage so I have to be careful.
