Here's food for thought. If you could choose (preferably not while on death row), what would your last meal be? Or for something less morbid, what's one food that you can eat for the rest of your life?
I'm the type of person to get tired of eating just one thing really easily, but I guess there is one exception to that. You've probably already guessed the answer considering what restaurant we're talking about today.
My answer, of course, is ... sushi! Sushi in all forms. Sashimi, nigiri, rolls. Doesn't matter, give me all of it.
During my trip to Japan earlier last year, we didn't indulge in as much sushi as I would have liked (that just means I have to make another trip). But the sushi we did eat ... let's just say I'm ruined for life. That's not to say that we don't have good Japanese restaurants in Edmonton. Never mind the whole frozen vs. fresh aspect, it's just sushi in Japan is a totally different experience than what we typically see in North America. Rather than relying on copious amounts of sauces and ingredients to make it taste good, sushi in Japan is rather simple in principle (... though complex in execution). Fish, seasoned rice, a little wasabi, a little soy sauce. The purpose is to highlight the fish, not hide it.
So, where do you find the best Japanese restaurant in Edmonton that follows this principle? Many people will point you to Sushi Wasabi, a longstanding Japanese-owned restaurant situated up the road from Southgate Mall. It might surprise you to know that this was my first visit to Sushi Wasabi, but there's a first time for everything.
Although I've wanted to try Sushi Wasabi for a long time, my first visit was rather a last-minute spontaneous one. We were throwing out ideas for dinner on one of my rare Saturdays off, and Sushi Wasabi came up out of the blue. Sushi? Don't have to ask me twice. We rushed right over, knowing that it'd be a full house if we didn't try to get there right at opening. Good thing too, because almost all of the tables were reserved. It seems like they do keep the sushi bar open for walk-ins since that was where we were seated.
We started off with an order of takoyaki ($5.50), one of my favourite Japanese street foods. I have no clue if there are any restaurants in Edmonton that makes their takoyaki from scratch (it's a bit labour intensive and time-consuming to make), so I'm assuming most take the shortcut with frozen pre-made takoyaki. And whereas most restaurants deep fry theirs, Sushi Wasabi bakes them so they're a bit softer around the outside. I did, however, appreciate the pieces of pickled red ginger, a topping that most restaurants leave out.
We also got a half order of shrimp tempura (4 pieces for $10.50). Nice and crispy, but a little too aggressively battered for my taste.
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On the left, two pieces of sake (salmon) nigiri ($2.60 each) and on the right, two pieces of aburi (seared) salmon ($3.50 each). I love aburi sushi, but the seared salmon ended up being my least favourite of the night. For some reason it made the salmon more tough without much char flavour.
If you want a recommendation for some of my favourite aburi items in town, Kobe Japanese Bistro's sweet passion roll and Sushi Park's salmon toro nigiri and Boston roll are must-orders! Miku in Vancouver is also famous for their aburi sushi -- I particularly love their saba oshi!
The toro or tuna belly ($3.50 each) deserved a close-up. Literally melt-in-your-mouth.
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Glad to know Sushi Wasabi does not disappoint. If I lived closer, or if I was *forced* (more like willing) to a sushi-only diet, you'd probably see me here more often.
Sushi Wasabi
5714 111 St
Edmonton, AB
(780) 433-0533
- CT
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