Wasabi are well known around Canberra for their Dickson and Manuka Teppanyaki experiences, but since opening their new premises in the city just before Christmas, they have added yet another culinary element to an already appealing franchise. The knife twirling, rice flinging, fire starting hot-plates of Teppanyaki excitement are of course still set up and raring to go, but for those feeling like a hit of Japanese cuisine without the fiery flare or on-the-spot coordination, Wasabi Civic are now offering painstakingly beautiful sashimi and sushi experiences designed to share.
Our entree of Yaki Hontate with Spicy Miso arrived on the table supremely fast. Simply arranged but beautifully presented on a black oblong slate-like plate, the seared Hokkaido scallops with spicy miso sauce gleaned as sizzling gold medallions against the matt black surface. Served with deep fried baby spinach and lemon zest, the textural contrast between lace-crisp fried leaves and soft, pale scallop-creaminess was harsh but perfect. The sweet, thick drizzle of spicy miso formed reflective pools around the scallops and had such a Moorish flavour even the last remaining spinach leaves were used to mop up every last skerrick.
The first of the mains was a magnificent Sushi and Sashimi platter. A combination of the freshest sashimi, Nigri-sushi (sushi rice balls topped with a selection of fresh fish and Japanese delicacies) and Maki sushi served with wasabi, chef’s special soy sauce and vinegared ginger, this definitely goes down as the best sushi plate I’ve tried to date. Presentation was so immaculate and visually well balanced; the platter could have looked just as comfortable sitting in the Japanese exhibition of the Art-of-East-Asia gallery in the NGA. Cucumber trunks were hollowed out to house coloured beads of Salmon roe, each piece of Sashimi fish tessellated perfectly with geometric or organic form, and the six Maki sushi rolls were shaped identically as petals to form a ‘Wasabi’ flower.
Everything smelt, tasted and looked exactly as it should plus more. I assume I’m not the only person out there who’s suffered an unsavoury sashimi experience, but its places like Wasabi which really make you appreciate good Japanese food done well. The Maki sushi had that fresh cucumber burst and the dark Nori paper wrapping proved complimentary to the other flavours instead of taking on its occasional pungent and overpowering role. The tuna steaks were solid, dark and meaty, the salmon just tasted fresh and gleaned with a thin film of its natural oils, making the pink and white rippled installation really stand out on the plate.
Still only partially through our Sashimi platter (you may need more than two people to finish it), our second and final main of Beef Teriyaki arrived steaming-hot tableside. Tender eye fillet steak cooked with teriyaki balsamic reduction, crispy garlic slithers and fried onion rings sounded a great note to end the meal on. The steak was soft, juicy and streaked the perfect hue of pink through the middle. The fried slithers of garlic crunched like doll-house potato chips and emanated it’s characteristically smoked, sulphuric tang whilst the tempura crisp onion rings were dripping with acidic sweetness. The fresh green sprig of ice-cool mint did more than visually garnish, imparting a background theme of subtle flavours to an already show-stopping taste sensation.
The new fit out is bright, open and feels extra expansive with high ceilings and wall to wall street frontage glass, and the staff members are friendly and attentive. Wasabi Civic gives you the opportunity to try some exemplary quality Sashimi, Sushi and Japanese mains and would work perfectly for those dining alone, as a couple or for those running short on time. Not to mention you get to watch other people cop fried egg to the face while you enjoy your delicious, gravity obeying platter. It’s a win-win situation.
For more info on Wasabi Teppanyaki Civic Click Here
