Poke, with a side of anime

Local foodies may already be familiar with East Lansing’s Uni Sushi and Ramen. Since it opened in 2019, co-owners and siblings Ben and Irene Zhang have lent an infectious energy to the place.

“Our mom always made sure we could have fun, even when we’re doing work,” Irene Zhang, 34, said with a smile.

About four months ago, Ginny Cheung — former owner of the now-defunct East Café — reached out to the Zhangs to see if they’d be interested in taking over her 2,000-square-foot space on the east end of downtown East Lansing. The pair saw it as a timely opportunity to try their hand at a sister concept to Uni.

Having already established a traditional sit-down sushi restaurant in town, they wanted to bring a more casual eatery closer to campus in order to reach more Michigan State University students and faculty. They opened Bowl & Above on Sept. 21, with a menu featuring customizable poke bowls, ramen, hibachi dishes and sushi burritos, as well as boba tea and other specialty beverages.

“We’re at a central location on campus, so this is more of a grab-and-go style,” Irene Zhang explained. “Our concept is basically fast, fresh and affordable poke bowls, but the menu also includes a lot of different freshly made options. We really tried to add some things everyone can enjoy.”

While traditional poke bowls are known for including raw seafood, Irene Zhang said she and her brother made a point to balance their offerings with fully cooked proteins.

“Some people don’t eat raw fish. For them, we also added plenty of cooked options, like grilled chicken, shrimp and salmon, fried and grilled tofu and chicken katsu,” she said.

Fully refurnished with Spartan-green leather booths, color-changing ceiling lights and a plethora of anime figurines, signs and posters, the new space reflects the owners’ lighthearted personalities.

A pair of custom wallpaper murals by Chinese artist Yukang Guo completes the colorful decor. One depicts an anime-style MSU football player standing next to Sparty and an MSU-gear-clad Zoro from the “One Piece” series. The other depicts famous anime characters like Kaonashi from “Spirited Away,” Goku from “Dragon Ball” and Luffy from “One Piece” dining together, with images like the Spartan statue, the Broad Art Museum and Beaumont Tower in the background.

“We definitely put a lot of effort into these decorations,” Ben Zhang, 36, said. His sister added that the decor is partly from her personal collection, while some of it she “just searched for online.”

The siblings moved to Greater Lansing from Oklahoma in 2017 and have since come to view the region as their permanent home.

“This is a great location, and for us, it’s all about bringing something new to this vibrant community that we love,” Ben Zhang said. “Here, you’ll find it’s a more upbeat environment, and the vibe is really fun and energetic.”