5714 111 St NW, Edmonton

Last week I was in the mood for some fish so we decided to go to Sushi Wasabi right after work. It’s located near Southgate Mall in a little strip of shops. We got there right around 5:30PM and it was already starting to get busy so I definitely recommend making a reservation if possible. There’s an ample amount of parking out front, so that is always a plus. I’ve been here multiple times before, and it’s always a debate between here or Ichiban. Ichiban has been closed for some construction, so that made my choice a lot easier.

The interior of the restaurant is relatively small, with a long hallway with seats on the left, a little bar in front, and a small area for seating in the front. Again, things were already starting to get pretty busy, but luckily we snagged the last table. For menu items, we decided on beef tataki,  Chirashi donburi, grilled Tobi-uo (Flying Fish) and a couple pieces of uni sushi. I’ve also added links to the menu at the bottom!

Beef tataki is one of the appetizers that I always order at any Japanese restaurant. It’s definitely a staple for me. I would have to say that this is definitely the best place that I have ever had beef tataki, which is a pretty tall order. You get a really decent-sized portion here. It’s beautifully plated, and all the flavours worked together. One of my favourite things about this dish is that you can really taste the flavour of the sear, which really added to the overall dish. There was a lot of ponzu sauce, but it was really light and didn’t overpower the dish. Definitely recommend getting this dish!

Sushi Wasabi has one of the best Chirashi donburi that I’ve ever had. It’s a rice bowl topped with the chef’s pick of various toppings including sashimi, fish roe, and sesame. For today, it had seaweed, surf clam, tamago, octopus, tuna, salmon, ebi shrimp, and avocado. Everything was really fresh and really good. A really underestimated part of a chirashi bowl is the rice, and it was perfect. It was cooked perfectly, and seasoned just right. The fish roe really adds a nice element to the rice. I think this is a really good deal, you’ll definitely get your money’s worth with this one.

Lastly, we decided to go with something from their seasonal menu, the grilled Tobi-uo (flying fish). This is a whole Tobi uo fish, grilled, and served. To be completely honest, this was a mistake. The fish came out over-salted, and overcooked. It definitely was not worth the 22 dollars. It’s a relatively small fish, so there was not a lot of meat, and it was difficult to eat. I’m quite used to eating whole fish served in this manner, and I still found it pretty challenging because it was dry and crumbley. Don’t let this deter you from coming however, I would just not recommend getting this dish. Everything else that I’ve ever gotten has been great.

To top off the night, we went with a couple pieces of uni sushi. Not every Japanese restaurant serves sea urchin, and finding one that serves it just right is even more difficult. This came out just right and was really a good way to end the night. Uni is light and has a nice sweetness to it. It had a nice creamy texture and not too briny. It’s not for everyone, but if you want to try some good uni, give this place a try.

Unagi

Sashimi

Another two things we got were Unagi and their sashimi. Again, Sushi Wasabi is one of my favourite sushi places in Edmonton! The fish is really fresh and good. Unagi is also another favourite of mine and it is excellent here!

Overall, I still enjoyed my experience here. I’ve been here probably a dozen times in the last few years, and 90% of the time everything has been really good. The fish here is always really fresh, and I do enjoy the atmosphere. You can definitely feel that the owners put in a lot of effort into the restaurant, and it has a good wholesome vibe. Again, I definitely recommend getting the beef tataki. Some other honourable mentions would be Nabéyaki Udon, Sunomono and any of their sashimi! Defintely one of my favourite Japanese restaurants in Edmonton.