Sushi Wave

You know, I was all set to say Sushi Wave was average.  I had been there fore a lackluster lunch service, and had some Chicken Jalapeño, some Teriyaki Salmon, Spicy Scallop sushi roll, and a Blue Georgia roll.  In a word, everything was pretty average.

Because Sushi Wave is the favorite place of a few close friends, I gave it another shot.  That time, I ordered a Cool Spring roll and Lollipop roll.  Here are the pics:

These pictures are worth a thousand words.  Craftily put together, delicious balance of flavors, imaginative.  I loved them.  The first wasn’t –that– imaginative, but it was a little, and the second roll was.  I also happen to be a sucker for sweet shrimp.  And that was sweet shrimp interspersed with avocado.

Freaking fried heads.  I love it.  The Cool Spring roll was a much more interesting, and delicious, take on the "classic" "American" Spider roll.  So, here is my verdict.  3 for the first trip, 4 for the second.  3.5 in total, and above average.  I would recommend giving them a try, in particular given the dearth of good downtown Seattle sushi lunch joints.  I’m excited to drop by for a dinner service and see if it’s better so maybe they can earn and out and out four.

Sushi Wave
2904 1st Avenue  Seattle, WA 98121
(206) 441-4348

Mon-Fri	11am–2:30pm, 5–9:30pm
Sat	5–9:30pm
Sun	Closed

3.5 of 5

Kebapçi Enver Usta

Thanks to a tip from Istanbul Eats and the Guardian's top ten Kebab Restaurants in Istanbul (actually brought to you by the Istanbul Eats crew), I decided to drop by Kebapçi Enver Usta and give their kebabs a shot.  Why? I know many travelers won't eat where the locals do for fear of getting sick, getting inferior meatstuffs, etc.  Well, if that's you, that's ok, but there is a reason to eat on the local economy.  13 lira!  That's what my meal, to include a bottle of water, cost.  I ordered the Adana Kebab and Ezme Salatasi.  Compare that to the 29 euro bill for breakfast at my hotel and you can see that venturing out is well worth it. 

More importantly, the food was delicious!  What made it delicious?  The fresh bread, spread of condiments, fresh meat grilled to perfection (and this particular variety had a nice mix of spices on the inside of it), and cool basement atmosphere.

And they have variety.  But be warned, the place is not easy to find.  When you get close (off the pub trans in the area and start walking up the faint hill), start asking around (or use FourSquare).

Kebapçi Enver Usta  
Şahkulu Mah. Tramvay Sk. No:5, Tünel 
Beyoğlu, İstanbul, Turkey
4 of 5

Crush

My wife and I decided to celebrate a special occasion at Crush in Seattle, Washington.  It is a French restaurant in a small converted home in the Central District/Madison Valley area, and had a strong reputation for good, innovative food.  We ordered the tasting menu with the foie gras supplement.  My wife called it the “sampler,” and I think the waiter took pity on us and was extra helpful. 

The amuse bouche was a little potato soup with chive and truffle oil.  On the show “Chopped,” the judges always harangue participants for the use of truffle oil.  It taste too strong they say.  It ruins the dish.  In this case, I didn’t think so at all.  The potato soup was very lightly seasoned, so the truffle oil added the “seasoning” that made the dish work.  It was a nice start.
While we are off track, I should take a moment to mention the delicious mocktails that I had.  One was a cucumber sour, the other a cardamom lemon drink.  They were both fantastic, and actually well worth the $5 price tag.  I was very impressed by the creativity of the bar, given the no-alcohol constraints with which they were saddled.

The next course was barramundi.  The squash bits were again the most delicious I have ever eaten.  The fish itself was cooked perfectly, moist while having the crispy skin you can see below.  The natural flavors were enhanced by the seasoning and I would order this dish again too..

I would like to take a moment to talk about their bread.  It was fresh, and very, very good.  My wife loved the little pretzel-y ones, and I devoured the cheese topped buns with a vengeance.  If they sold these out of a little stand adjacent to the restaurant, or in the front, I would come by and by them by the dozen!  The butter also did not disappoint. 

Next came the bacon and eggs dish. The flan was delicious. I was impressed by how they imparted a smoky flavor into the dish.  The salmon roe had a nice salty explosion and the sweet contrast from the maple syrup was nice.  This said, this dish was one of the less successful ones to me, and would have benefit from a bit more crunch. 

Hamachi.  This dish had a very nice balance of flavors. For me, the heart of palm purée stole the show because it was just so delicious. It was simple,and luscious.  I had no idea heart of palm can become that delicious, but now that I know I will play with it in my own kitchen.

"Spotted Prawn" Gnocchi. I tasted my wife’s lobster emulsion, and it had a much stronger flavor than mine.  Mine was light, but clearly "seafoody." Hers was clearly lobster.  This ding aside, I didn't care. The course was phenomenal, the best gnocchi course I've ever personally eaten. The spot prawn was so fresh and sweet, my only complaint was the dish wasn't five times its size.  The gnocchi was not toasted off, but that did not negatively effect the texture or dish like you might imagine.  No, this dish was brilliant.

Dating our experience, in the middle of our dinner we heard a loud "Did you just call me a prick, Chef, Jason Miller" before a customer stormed off. He then cried out “You’ll see my review shortly.”  Who knows, maybe the guy posted something nasty on Yelp.  I can’t imagine a real critic would have reacted in the way he did, in particular over the issue at hand (the cooking of the foie gras).  The name of the chef, it should be mentioned, is Jason Wilson, so you can imagine how definitive his review was.

Foie Gras.  This course came as an add on to the normal tasting menu.  We had heard it was well worth the money, and we were not led astray.  It was delicious, an intriguing "apple pie" themed dish.  To me, this was totally genius and something I never would have considered. For my taste, the foie was perfectly seared with a nice temp at service. I like mine to be seared on the outside, mid-rare in the center, and warm.  My wife became giddy while eating this. Though I wasn’t quite as hot on the dish as she was, it was very very good.

The Snake River wagyu beef course, following after the heels of foie gras, certainly delivered.  After her giddy gobbling of the foie, my wife then quickly declared this may have been the best dish of food she had ever eaten.  Her father will be crushed, because he grills steak right.  However, the rich, hearty truffle flavor from the Oregon truffles they use at Crush, with the Trumpet mushrooms (which my wife ate happily in spite of herself) and butter made this dish a fatty yum explosion. Mmm.  I think the mushrooms might have stole the show, but this again was a highly successful dish of food.

After such a rich dish, the pear and pink peppercorn sorbet was a nice break. It was a nice mix of texture and flavor, and the peppercorn created a delightful zing.

Finally, they fed us chocolate cake and praline ice cream.  Honestly, these let down the rest of the dishes because they were not memorable. The cake was moist enough, but it just wasn’t great.  I also happened to be a little sad that Crush didn’t share their homemade pop rocks they were parading around to a few of the other tables.  Oh well.  So…. in the end, Go here for a special occasion...

Crush

2319 East Madison Street 

 Seattle, WA 98112 

(206) 302-7874

4 of 5 (my wife will tell you 4.5 or 5)

Nobu - Dubai

Nobu Nobu Nobu.  After hearing about Nobu for years, I finally went to Nobu in Dubai.  I wanted to get the deluxe omakase because I doubted I would be back anytime soon.  The waiter, however, talked me out of Omakase Deluxe for Omakase (regular), reasoning that if this was my first Nobu experience the regular Omakase meal would provide a great overview of the restaurant.  I'm never opposed to saving a few dollars, and I appreciate waiters that do not recommend the most expensive thing on a menu, so I went with it.  I was a little disappointed in the end, but more to come...

Take a gander at that giant lobster!

I always feel like I'm in a pretentious place when I have to pay for still water.  Nobu was no exception - they brought me out Fiji - at least it's a personal favorite.  Water is water, after all, but Acqua Panna and Fiji are the two best bottled waters out there.  I digress.


First course. Yellowtail, salsa, cucumber, fried seaweed. The fried seaweed looked cool and tasted good.  Very tasty bites, but a bit unremarkable. Fresh, clean, but I will forget about that dish. (Being a little behind on blog posts, I can tell you I did actually forget about this dish... even if it does look like art.)

Second course. Salmon roll, salad roll, ginger roll, and miso dressing. Note the lack of rice in the salmon roll.  I love riceless sushi - like this, or wrapped with cucumber.  I'm a sucker for it.  The Miso "dressing" was light and sweet and delicious. Then Anchovies were a burst of flavor and nice texture contrast (see them fused together - they were like a cracker). The micro greens were flavorful, and the salmon roll was delicate and delicious too. (I did remember this dish, and I can still taste that pickled veg in my mouth today.)

Third course. Wood roasted oven Sole with Jalepeno sauce. Perfect crispy skin on the sole. Yum.  The sauce was good, light and fulfilling (though it didn't have much zip), and the flecks of flower on the top were a nice touch. It was the best Sole I've eaten, but not the best rendition of dishes of this type.

Fourth course. Alaskan black cod, with miso marinade. This is a Nobu house specialty. The sweet miso sauce very similar to the sauce on the second plate. This dish was very good, but I've had better marinated black cod cheeks at Maneki, a 100 year old Japanese restaurant in Seattle.  Maybe I am being a bit picky, but I was expecting real magic.  (It does look good, huh?)

Fifth course. Sizzling Beef Teppanyaki (on a personal stone plate) with mixed mushrooms. I was told this would be a Wagyu course on the Deluxe Omakase. I wish I'd ordered that now. The ju was so delicious that I could have poured it on a bowl of rice and eaten it like a porridge. A super rich, heart attack portage. Mmmm.  This was the first truly remarkable dish of the evening, and it would have been all the more spectacular with Wagyu. A word to the wise, order one shade under what you want, the beef continues to cook on the plate and Middle Easterners always overcook their meats. I ordered mine rare, and it ended up being a perfect mid-rare.

Sixth course. Sushi and miso. To say this was an incredibly sparing portion may do injustice to other sparing portions out there. Spicy tuna, salmon, seabass, and sweet shrimp were served. The Rice was perfectly cooked - not a trivial accomplishment. The spicy tuna, a scallion, Jalapeno, tuna roll was a tasty riff on the classic, but needed more spice for me. The miso soup had a hidden surprise, two pieces of clam at the bottom. While that was nice, this was by no means the best miso soup I've ever eaten. Again, nice, but not memorable. (Again, I'd literally forgotten about it.)

Seventh course.  "Pre-dessert" Tiramisu mochi. Shockingly delicious (since I don't generally like tiramisu and hate the flavor of coffee).  It was much more subtle than I expected with almost fruity notes. The consistency was not the best, but the ratio of mochi to ice cream was on the mark.

Eighth course. The finale was a warm chocolate souffle, a la a molten chocolate cake. The sorbet, a banana one, WAS one of the best I'd had and the dessert was a very successful end to the meal.  A real high note.  

Overall.  The wait staff was attentive and excellent.  Without a doubt they raised the quality of my experience.  Watching on during the preparation of dozens of sushi pieces and rolls was great fun while I sat at the sushi bar.  The ingredients looked fresh and of excellent quality, but the portions were stingy, small, and the price tag was high. I'd recommend the restaurant for impressing someone, like a prospective client, or for a trendy, modern Japanese atmosphere and special occasion. You can get numerous hard-to-find (in Dubai) luxurious ingredients like Otoro, Wagyu, etc.  This said, if you are not willing to shell out the money for specialty Japanese fare (and by specialty, I mean said hard to find items), you should probably go to somewhere more reasonably priced.


Nobu - Dubai
Atlantis (Hotel)
The Palm (Jumeirah)
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
971.4.426.2626
4 of 5 (only 3 in its class - aka fine dining or fancy Japanese)

Leonard's Bakery

Leonard Jr.'s Bakery on Oahu was not a disappointment.  You needn't fear the Aloha Bump.  Their pride and joy are the traditional Malasadas - a sugar and cinnamon topped fried donut of sorts.  Leondard's fills them with a variety of delicious puddings, and we chose custard, coconut, and macadamia nut.  Having a long drive ahead of us, we also picked up a sausage roll, and blueberry square.  

The other baked treats were ok.  Only ok.  The shop itself (it was Hawaii - granted) had lots of insects running around, and flies in the microwave.  I decided my sausage roll really didn't need heating up.  But, those Malasadas!  Take a peek.  

Soft.  Scrumptious.  Bursting with gooey, yummy pudding.  The coconut and macadamia nut both also had an occasional little piece to add some crunchy yum.  Best fresh (and they pump them out by the dozens).  So, let me just tell you, if you are in Honolulu, stop and grab a box of these things!  I wouldn't bother with their other offerings though :(.

Leonard's Bakery

933 Kapahulu Avenue

Honolulu, HI 96818
(808) 737-5591

4 of 5 (5 for Malasadas)

BaFang YunJi (Dumplings)

Located near Causeway Bay Metro in Hong Kong, on Hong Kong Island (and elsewhere around) is the dumpling chain restaurant BaFang YunJi.  I ate at one between Perceval and Patterson Streets on an unnamed road also near Jaffe Rd.  My pot stickers were devoured too quickly to get a picture, but luckily I snapped one of the place.  Here is another review and a few good pictures.

Apparently this is a Taiwan-based chain which loosely translates to "Everywhere Gather Here."  I gathered, and got some super delicious street food.  They had a perfectly crisped skin, porky-vegetable flavor, and just the right amount of oil. Unfortunately, the guy charged me a bit more than he should have (pictured below).  He must have added a "tip" for himself, though even after that they were dirt cheap and some of the best pot stickers I have ever eaten (Taiwanese McDonalds or not).

BaFang YunJi (Dumplings)
Causeway Bay
Near Perceval and Patterson (though locations vary)
Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong
4 of 5

Tatsu at the InterContinental

Tatsu was a happy accident.  I stumbled upon it based on the Malaysian International Gourmet Festival (basically an Eat Around Kuala Lumpur event).  InterContinental took over a Hotel Nikko, which you would expect to have good Japanese food.  The hotel was remodeled, and so was Tatsu.  The menu was enough to draw me in:

Apps:

-Japanese Yam and Friend Anchovy Bruschetta

-Tuna and Trifoliate Citrus Leaves with Wasabi Sauce

-Avocado and Sweet Shrimp with Spiced Cod Roe

-Sushi with Eel, Avocado and Deep Fried Soft Shell Crab served with Almond Sauce

Starters:

-Sautéed Tiger Prawns and Eryngii Mushrooms topped with Japanese Soba Sauce

-Foie Gras Steak in Cod Fish Teriyaki

Main:

-Tatsu's Volcanic Stone Grilled Wagyu Beef with Ginger Soyu and Tatsu's Spicey Dip with Green Tea Onigiri

Desserts:

-Dried Fruit Tempura served with Chocolate and Red Bean Fondue

Does that sound good?  Well, it was.  We walked in, were greeted instantly by a number of people in the waitstaff, and the sushi chef behind the bar.  There were not a lot of diners, and the spartan, contemporary simple Asian decor looked even more sparse without patrons.  Word to the wise, omakase must be ordered in advance and is ordered course-by-course.

Our waitress took our order, the front-of-the-house manager poked by here and there to offer an explanation or suggestion, and all around the service was excellent.  We placed a little order of Scallop and Bontio sushi to go along with the tasting menu.  The scallops were fresh, delicate, butter-like and delicious.  The bonito fish came out with a few scallions, and was so fresh it was almost criminal.  I wish I could have eaten a pound of it.

Aside from the extra sushi, the dinner began with a little pickled carrot, and radish.  They were nice, and had a little more taste than an average Korean restaurant.  The Japanese Yam was salty and tasty. Then you ate the tuna, a delectable little bite with a soft soy flavor and touch of seaweed for a little extra taste of the sea.  The sweet shrimp, there was nothing to not like.  It was a nice balance of shrimp, egg, and avocado - and sweet shrimp in general is a treat.  The sushi was amazing, and the addition of the crunch with slivered almonds was a first (surprisingly) for me.  It won't be a last.

The "starters" that following did not disappoint.  The cod was utterly stunning.  The foie gras was every bit as good as you'd hope, and the pairing was made complete by the chef creating a small pocket for it in the cod piece.  The teriyaki was not overdone, so you could still taste the sweetness of the foie gras and cod.  Surprisingly, the "spot" tiger prawn soup was overshadowed by the cod, and was good - but a footnote compared to the other dishes.

Wagyu is synonymous with yum to me.  Sadly, I asked for rare to mid-rare, and the waitress, who cooked the steak on a stone at the table, cooked it to medium.  Not to stereotype, but she was Asian and didn't seem completely comfortable cooking a rare steak (a la many Middle Eastern people who also look at you funny when you make such a request).  Also, many people say that Wagyu is best served at medium because of caramelization of flavor.  Well, how a medium, verging on medium well steak remains like butter, is a happy mystery.  Everyone has heard the mythology surrounding Kobe beef, or Wagyu (simply not from Kobe), but it's remarkable when you eat it, and cool, rare, or mid-well, it remains just as soft, buttery, and delicious.  I just wish that it was grass fed and had that beautiful grass-fed tang.

Cooking it in front of us

Take a look at the formed, crisp rice, also beautiful, herbaceous, delicious.

The dessert was fantastic.  The fruit was tasty, and a great choice in Southeast Asia.  The chocolate, with some red beans, had this flavor that was almost reminiscent of cherry.  It was so delicious, honestly, that the waitress eventually brought out two spoons for my dinner companion and me to eat a few scoops.  We didn't finish off the chocolate, but only by exercising the greatest of self control.

One of the best Japanese meals I have had anywhere, let alone Kuala Lumpur.


Tatsu

InterContinental Kuala Lumpur

165, Jalan Ampang

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

03-2782-6118

tatsu@intercontinental-kl.com.my

4.5 of 5