Thursday, September 16, 2010

Wakame Sushi and Asian Bistro - St. Louis Park

My sushi hankering came back today, so I found myself looking for the place with the best lunch special. happy hour and ended up at Wakame. They offer your standard sushi, nigiri, specialty rolls and standard japanese fare (bento boxes, teriyaki's) along with thai stir fry and noodle dishes.

The decor is nothing special, but it is a nice little space. I'm always glad to go somewhere that isn't overwhelmingly trendy, but still somewhat refined. I had the pleasure of sitting right next to (what I assumed to be) a Russian party of seven people. They were enjoying themselves and it was ear-pleasing to listen to them.

Wakame actually has great happy hour choices, with reduced prices on appetizers (i opted for the steamed dumplings = $4.25 for happy hour), specialty rolls (i opted for the Hot Spicy Girl Roll = $8.95) and cheap nigiri (i opted for my beloved Unagi at $2.25 and Mackarel - yes MACKAREL, at 1.50. You get one piece each.)

Steamed Dumplings (my phone will only take good pictures when it's daytime and I am by a direct source of light!)


These were actually quite good. The dipping sauce was the best dumpling sauce I've had to date..it is not overly salty, and not too bland. It also has a little kick of spice to it thanks to a light hand of chiles, and green scallions. Overall, very good.

Hot and Spicy Girl Roll (spicy tuna, spicy yellowtail, and crunchy bits, topped with spicy salmon & crunchy bits, drizzled with spicy mayo sauce) and my Unagi and Mackarel nigiri.

I started with the Mackarel. I've been quite curious about it since hearing many unfavorable things about the flavor. Indeed, it is quite fishy. It did not, however, have the pungency I was anticipating. I probably won't eat it again, but it wasn't terrible. The texture is fine, maybe a bit more firm than yellowtail, but not quite salmon. The unagi was not the best I've had. Unagi can taste either too fishy or too smokey, and this was on the fishy side. I've oinly ever had mild, sweet, fresh tasting unagi at like 2 other places. Maybe it's me??

The roll was quite good. The big pieces you see in the pic are actually cut in half, which I was grateful for. Quite often, specialty roll pieces are too big. I want a good bite, and while these were definitely substantial. they were not difficult to eat. The fish was nice, though I struggled to find any yellowtail. I think I just may be a sushi purist (what??) Anytime there are 2 or more fish mixed together, it gets fuzzy for me. I can't distinctly taste any one thing. It's still delicious, but becomes more complex. The tempura crunch is always appreciated and toasty, especially against the softness of the roll. It was all supple, no firm. It was quite spicy. I am usually pretty surprised that spicy rolls actually ARE spicy. I can tolerate a moderate-high level of spice, and this roll satisfied that well.

Greats
-Cozy, unassuming atmosphere
-Great prices (i got a ton of sushi and appetizer for under $20)
-Dumplings were tasty
-The Hot and Spicy Girl Roll
-Listening to Russian..or Polish maybe?

Not so greats
-Unagi nigiri
-Mackarel
-Not so great on happy hour drinks..but who can blame them, as they are located in a well populated shopping area.
-That's it.

http://wakamebistro.com/default.aspx



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