Published: March 19, 2007 02:03 pm            

DINING: A sushi lover's dream

If you are a lover of sushi and even if you’re not, Wasabi Japanese Restaurant is the place for you.

The restaurant, located at 100 Plaza Drive in the Dash’s Supermarket Plaza at the corner of Hopkins and Klein in Amherst, opened in December and boasts an impressive array of sushi, rolls, sashimi and other entrees.

Wasabi is co-owned by Tony Kang and John Chen, both with an impressive restaurant resume between them.

Head chef Kang, formerly at the Fuji Grill, came from Manhattan where he was the master chef at the famous Japanese restaurant Sushi Sennin.

He has been in the sushi business for almost 20 years.

The menu at Wasabi has something for everyone.

Appetizers include crispy calamari, spicy Chilean seabass, shrimp or chicken tempura, and chicken yakitori (skewers).

Some of the many selections include California roll, a crunchy spicy tuna roll, a yellowtail roll, smoked salmon roll, eel avocado roll and a salmon skin roll.

Some of the specialty rolls Kang creates include a Dragon roll which consists of broiled eel, cucumber roll topped with avocado and red caviar or the Super Dynamite which consists of tempura fried roll with eel, fish, crabstick, asparagus, cheese and a spicy sauce.

“We have 58 rolls, last I counted,” Steve Loi, employee of Wasabi, said. “Everything is always made fresh and Tony (Kang) came up with all the specialty rolls.”

But if sushi is not your thing, Wasabi offers cooked menu items such as grilled chicken teriyaki, New York strip steak, and grilled marinated beef ribs.

Wasabi also has an impressive wine list and a large selection of Japanese beers.

“We have a wide selection of wines but only carry Japanese beers,” Loi said.

Wasabi is open from 11 a.m. - 10:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, from 11 a.m. - 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and from 12:30 p.m. - 10 p.m. Sunday.

They take reservations for larger parties. For more information or to make reservations call 689-5888 or visit them on the Web at www.wasabius.com.

        

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