“Rio” by Duran Duran was playing as we entered Wasabi at 6:30 on a Thursday evening.
It was still quiet enough to hear the music overhead. Soon, the restaurant would fill its tables and the bustling sounds of waitstaff and happy customers would envelop the music, a clear sign that Wasabi is a hit in Asheville.
I’ve been to Wasabi several times before with small and large groups and I always have a great time, no matter the occasion. The place is hip, fun, casual, and this time around our server was above and beyond our expectations. Hannah helped us decide what to order, giving us all the nitty gritty details of the menu even though she had no idea I was there to write an article.
After Hannah’s description, we decided on the tuna dumplings as an appetizer, and I am so glad we listened to her. The dumplings arrived looking like two pink purses of fresh, velvety tuna, and were topped with wasabi tobiko (fish roe). A sweet chili sauce pooled beneath the fish. It was unclear as to the best method to eat this huge dumpling – fingers? chopsticks? We dove in and used both. The first bite exploded with flavor and crunch. Inside the dumplings were spicy, crunchy fresh scallops. The sauce was a nice, sweet complement and the tobiko added more crunch and spice. I will definitely order this again.
After much deliberation of what to order next (how could anything follow the tuna dumplings?) the manager let us know that the Godzilla roll is a house favorite. This was something to remember for next time as Hannah pointed us in the direction of the special roll for the night, The Earthquake Roll. Once again we took her suggestion, and the plate arrived as a beautiful, colorful display of Wasabi’s artistry. Fresh mango was rolled in rice and seaweed with a layer of spicy tuna, then shrimp tempura looking like they dove head-first from a diving board into the roll. This beautiful display was sprinkled plentifully with a tangle of fried crabstick strings, green and red tobiko, then drizzled with a house special sauce.
From my experiences at Wasabi, the tempura is always a winner, lightly battered and an amazing crunch. The shrimp tempura in The Earthquake Roll added a nice crisp texture as a counterpoint to the fresh, delicately smooth tuna. There was plenty of sauce and crunch to flavor the rice and fish. This roll was a mouthful and delightfully messy to eat.
Unsure of how much more sushi we could eat (as the first dishes were generous in portions), we shared the Sushi Deluxe – the chef’s selection of incredibly fresh fish. The long, slender, well-sliced fish overlapped the small mounds of rice, offering ample servings. This nigiri sushi was a nice palate cleanser to the heavier, fried shrimp of The Earthquake Roll, which did a great job of filling us up and rocking our worlds.
This dish however, was a clean return to calmer waters and simpler flavors. The red tuna was so delicate and fresh that it pulled apart in segments. The white tuna, salmon, and yellow tail were also delicious and tasted like the ocean, not fishy. The nigiri sushi was served alongside the traditional pickled ginger (natural color, not dyed) and wasabi. We asked one of the chefs how everything was so fresh and he said that the fish is delivered to the restaurant every other day.
After this meal, I can see why Wasabi has won so many sushi awards over the years. They’ve won “WNC’s Best of” every year since 2005. They certainly serve fresh sushi with stimulating visual appeal. I would cast a vote for “Best of” Service award as well.
Wasabi, 19 Broadway, downtown Asheville
828-225-2551, www.WasabiAsheville.com