Wasabi Bay a fusion of flavors
Published 9:00 pm Thursday, December 2, 2004
MILL CREEK – Turkey. Leftover turkey dinner. Turkey sandwiches. Enough. Time for anything but turkey. A few weeks ago, a Herald reader recommended Wasabi Bay in the Imperial Gardens mall, which is across the street from the Albertson’s. I knew there wouldn’t be turkey anything on this restaurant’s menu.
With its location a strip mall, I thought Wasabi Bay would be another small, traditional, possibly family-owned Japanese restaurant. I was never more wrong. This intimate restaurant describes itself as a “modern Japanese fusion restaurant,” and it is. The bold modernist artwork and lighting in primary colors highlighted by stainless steel and bamboo wood at the sushi bar.
When I arrived on a recent Friday night at the beginning of the dinner, families with youngsters were finishing dinner. Then the crowd changed to all couples sitting elbow-to-elbow while whispering in each other’s ears. This is definitely a late-dinner, date-place restaurant where couples can share an appetizer, turn appetizers into dinner or order main dishes.
Wasabi Bay, sister restaurant to Wasabi Bistro in Belltown, shares the same menu, which was created by Chef Jun Hong. He’s fused Japanese favorites with American dishes to make something new. For example, the menu includes New York steak with fruity teriyaki glaze ($20) and black cod with sweet cherry tomato sauce ($14).
There are 29 sushi rolls on the menu with appealing names like dragon, spider, green decadence, pink volcano or Godzilla ($5 to $12). For vegetarians, choices include miso soup with tofu, seaweed and shiitake mushrooms ($2), sushi rolls made with mushrooms, asparagus, cucumber, avocado ($2 per piece) and the Super V-6 roll ($8) that includes cucumber, asparagus, lettuce, pickled daikon radish, kampyo (dried gourd strands) and avocado ($8).
I decided that since I was dining in Mill Creek only the “Mill Creek Roll” ($10) would do. It’s made with tempura shrimp and cucumber strips rolled inside nori (dried seaweed). A layer of steamed sticky rice wrapped around the first layer. Then, it was all topped with tobiko (flying fish roe) and a spicy tuna sauce. It must have been 12 inches long, but it wasn’t turkey and it was delicious, so I ate it all. My drink was a cold Japanese beer ($3.50), which I enjoyed with a serving of edamame (steamed soy beans sprinkled with sea salt). There’s also a short wine list that includes selections from Washington, Chile and Italy.
For my main course, I ordered the seafood yakisoba with grilled shiitake mushrooms ($12). This dish is more like chow mein than the traditional Japanese combination of noodles pan fried with cabbage and a meat selection. It’s also packed with bits of sea scallops, shrimp, in-the-shell clams, salmon plus carrot, onion and mushroom strips. Nori confetti and two immense mushrooms marinated in a sweet soy sauce were the summit of my mound of delicacies. Each bite was a delight in freshness and flavor.
I decided to skip dessert although the menu includes green tea ice cream and lava cake.
I took my turkey-free leftovers home in a box to enjoy later.
Herald restaurant reviewers accept no invitations to review, but readers’ suggestions are always welcome. Reviewers arrive unannounced, and The Herald pays their tabs.
E-mail Anna Poole at features@heraldnet.com.
Wasabi Bay
16300 Mill Creek Blvd, No. 102, Mill Creek; 425-743-4424
Specialty: Japanese fusion
Hours: lunch, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Saturday; dinner, 5 to 10 p.m. daily
Price range: moderate to expensive
Liquor: beer and wine
Smoking: no
Reservations: highly recommended
Disabled accessibility: barriers
Credit cards: MasterCard, Visa
Wasabi Bay
16300 Mill Creek Blvd, No. 102, Mill Creek; 425-743-4424
Specialty: Japanese fusion
Hours: lunch, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Saturday; dinner, 5 to 10 p.m. daily
Price range: moderate to expensive
Liquor: beer and wine
Smoking: no
Reservations: highly recommended
Disabled accessibility: barriers
Credit cards: MasterCard, Visa
