Foods from Wasabi
Comments
2011 Mar 30
I hate to be the first to leave a negative review, but I will not be going back to Wasabi. I used to go when I knew the original chef (who had worked at another restaurant in Ottawa). He was very talented. But alas, no more.
My last visit consisted of a classic, the chirashi dinner. However, they prepared it long before the rest of my table, and I was able to observe the chirashi sitting on the counter for about half an hour (or longer). It doesn't help that it took them a ridiculously long time to serve the table.
And to make things worse, just recently I decided to give them another chance but upon walking in the door I wasn't greeted or offered one of the many open tables by any of the wait staff. I stood in the door-way near the welcome table for about 7 minutes before I opted to leave and never return.
Not worth the money in my humble opinion, when there are plenty of other good sushi restaurants in Ottawa, including a couple that are Japanese-owned.
My last visit consisted of a classic, the chirashi dinner. However, they prepared it long before the rest of my table, and I was able to observe the chirashi sitting on the counter for about half an hour (or longer). It doesn't help that it took them a ridiculously long time to serve the table.
And to make things worse, just recently I decided to give them another chance but upon walking in the door I wasn't greeted or offered one of the many open tables by any of the wait staff. I stood in the door-way near the welcome table for about 7 minutes before I opted to leave and never return.
Not worth the money in my humble opinion, when there are plenty of other good sushi restaurants in Ottawa, including a couple that are Japanese-owned.
2010 Dec 23
I went there for a friend's birthday a few weeks ago, and I had two rolls - "Wasabi Knockout" and "Volcano Triangle" (or something very similar, I can't be sure).
The rolls were delicious! Spicy, as I was hoping, but not so much as to ruin the flavours! If the place were just a tad more reasonably priced, I would definitely be a regular!
The rolls were delicious! Spicy, as I was hoping, but not so much as to ruin the flavours! If the place were just a tad more reasonably priced, I would definitely be a regular!
2010 Nov 15
We dined at Wasabi Saturday night. I hadn't been for a few years as we'd been visiting other sushi restaurants in the city.
We ordered edamame to start - I love that they bring the salt to your table so you can salt it yourself.
We ordered three rolls (dragonfly, spider and another I can't remember) for dinner and 6 pieces of nigiri. The fish was fresh, had wonderful flavour and the rice was perfect. The rolls were very well made and presented beautifully.
Service was a little slow, but we were slow to order and there was a big party of 15-20 people in addition to a packed restaurant. Overall an excellent sushi experience and the prices were reasonable. We'll definitely be back.
We ordered edamame to start - I love that they bring the salt to your table so you can salt it yourself.
We ordered three rolls (dragonfly, spider and another I can't remember) for dinner and 6 pieces of nigiri. The fish was fresh, had wonderful flavour and the rice was perfect. The rolls were very well made and presented beautifully.
Service was a little slow, but we were slow to order and there was a big party of 15-20 people in addition to a packed restaurant. Overall an excellent sushi experience and the prices were reasonable. We'll definitely be back.
2008 Oct 12
Food here is super tasty and definitely worth the money for the quality. The tuna tataki is fantastic!
One note however: service can be a little....interesting at times. Maybe it's because I look young and so did the girl I was with, but the last time I was here I was slightly offended by the server's assumptions. It was recently after the renovations and before the extended space had its liquor license. We were sat in the new section and the server said,
"Just so you know this section doesn't have its liquor license yet, but that obviously won't be a problem for you since you can't drink!"
Uhm. I don't have a problem being asked for ID, but I dislike being told off the bat that I OBVIOUSLY will not be ordering alcohol because I am CLEARLY under 19. Both my friend and I are 21.
One note however: service can be a little....interesting at times. Maybe it's because I look young and so did the girl I was with, but the last time I was here I was slightly offended by the server's assumptions. It was recently after the renovations and before the extended space had its liquor license. We were sat in the new section and the server said,
"Just so you know this section doesn't have its liquor license yet, but that obviously won't be a problem for you since you can't drink!"
Uhm. I don't have a problem being asked for ID, but I dislike being told off the bat that I OBVIOUSLY will not be ordering alcohol because I am CLEARLY under 19. Both my friend and I are 21.
Older
mgn
First post for this user
We ate at Wasabi in November of 2010 and I raved to several people in the weeks that followed because I was so impressed with my meal.
Tonight (August 2011), however, was a completely different story. To begin, the host was outside chatting up a friend. We stood in the restaurant entrance for FAR too long (there were open tables and there was no one in front of us), unsure if we were supposed to just seat ourselves, until a waitress noticed us and took us to our seats.
We ordered the exact dishes (three appetizers, one to share) that we had in November. I asked that they all be served together. Shortly after, two of our dishes were served and we were told that the final dish was coming. It was at least 10 minutes before the waitress returned (chewing food, no less - which she apologized for, instead of finishing her mid-service snack before speaking to restaurant guests). She told us the third dish would be awhile longer. We must have waited at least 20 minutes before it was finally served.
To make matters worse, the dish we ordered to share was incorrect. Given that we've had it before, we knew what to expect. When we questioned the waitress, she dismissed our concerns saying that this was, in fact the dish we ordered. It most definitely was not. As well, though the salad dish we ordered was presented in the same way as when we had it in November, the dressing was incredibly spicy this time, so much so that I could not finish the lettuce because my mouth was on fire. I would not have ordered this dish a second time if that had have been my experience on our previous visit. It was terrible.
Finally, once we asked for the bill (by this point, completely turned off the experience) it took another 15 minutes for the waitress to bring it around.
Highly disappointing service and food. I am shifting from glowing reviews of Wasabi on my first visit, to absolute thumbs down on my second.
A suggestion - go to the LCBO, purchase a lovely bottle of sake or wine, stop by Naked Fish in Westboro and pick up some take out for an evening in. The sushi is far superior and a fraction of the price.