At Falafel King, sushi can be king, too

What shall it be? Sushi or falafel?

Well, read the competing nutritional analyses — framed and glass-covered posters — that dominate the walls. They both make their claims, though the falafel poster is a dry listing of calorie and protein counts, while the colorful sushi poster does a better sell job. "You will find sushi is the healthiest food in the world!" it promises. "Low in calories, high in nutrition & delicate in taste."

The Nams come from South Korea. They moved to the United States 10 years ago with their two young daughters and landed in New York, where they adopted English surnames. Nicholas got a job in his cousin's sushi bar and learned a marketable skill that he would take with him. They saved money and, after moving to Atlanta, had enough to buy their own restaurant. In early 2006, they purchased Falafel King from its previous owner, an Israeli. Why falafel? Did they have any experience with this Middle Eastern specialty. No ... not really. But they liked the restaurant's healthy focus as well as its steady stream of international students from Emory. The owner would teach Jane to make the falafel and have no problem with Nicholas carving out a space for sushi.

Nicholas Nam has his mini-counter well stocked with tuna, yellowtail, eel and even a few more challenging items like mackerel. Behind him, a hand-drawn chart dominates the wall, showing not only the various kinds of prepared sushi, but also the creatures it came from. With its fishes, crabs, eels and spiny sea urchins, this chart has the charming detail of a Richard Scarry children's book.

Still, that falafel looks good. Jane Nam rolls them in her palms and fries them in a wok set over a wide gas ring until they are as dark as mahogany. Beside the fryer is a huge tub of dried chickpeas that she reaches into every day to retrieve some to soak and grind, as she was taught.

Sure, she has subtly changed the recipe over they past few years. She adds more cilantro, jalapeño, parsley and garlic to her taste. She likes the finished product crunchy-crunchy on the outside, soft centered on the inside, and pungent.

Sushi or falafel: what's your pleasure?

The Nams wait patiently — he at his counter, she at hers — as customers look back and forth between the two side-by-side chalkboard menus.

Hmm. The basic falafel sandwich costs only $3.95, priced to fit just about any student's budget. But, then, an 8-piece California roll is the same price.

When the Nams first took over the shop, fewer than one in five customers went for sushi. Now, the divide is almost at parity. The restaurant is open for both lunch and dinner, and there's usually a wait for tables. The twin kitchens can be a little slower than, say, Wendy's because all the food is prepared to order. But that's what makes it satisfying.

Sushi or falafel, sushi or falafel?

Let's go with falafel. After a few minutes, Jane Nam calls us to retrieve two red plastic baskets holding our sandwiches. She has snipped the edge off a tender pita and carefully layered the ingredients — falafel balls, tahina sauce, iceberg lettuce, precision-diced cucumbers and tomatoes — inside. It is the "ship in a bottle" of sandwiches. For garnish: the small sliver of pita she had to cut away.

According to my teenage daughter, who is a regular, the sandwich is always precisely the same, and that is its appeal. The pita is always as soft as a pillow, and the falafel always crunchy enough to ring in your ears. The hot sauce sits in a squeeze bottle on the table, to be dabbed throughout the meal.

Students don't have much money to spend on their food but still expect quality. Jane and Nicholas Nam know this. They may dish out $4 meals, but they do so with consummate pride.

Falafel King: 1405 Oxford Road, 404-377-1716.