Review: Wasabi a decent spot for sushi

A platter at Wasabi Japanese Fine Dining & Sushi consists of (front to back): Touchdown, fried California, lion king, Half Moon Bay and Summit long rolls and inari fried tofu pouches. (Credit: Johnathan L. Wright)

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Sushi is to summer as dry rosé, strawberries and strappy sandals are, too. Fish, seafood and spicy wasabi pair deliciously with sultry weather and a cold Sapporo.

And in my new south Reno neighborhood, I discover that a fairly good place for sushi is Wasabi Japanese Fine Dining & Sushi in the Summit Reno shopping center.

The restaurant, located in the southeast corner of the center, is an open, airy space with dusky yellow walls (hung with whimsical paintings) and an exposed ceiling. There are plenty of tables in the restaurant, as well as a long bar behind which sushi chefs roll and slice.

The menu includes Japanese entrées, salads and an extensive sushi selection.

Shrimp balls are large globes comprising shrimp, celery root, cilantro and coconut; they are breaded, fried and served with sweet chili sauce sprinkled with green onion. The crisp balls are extra flavorful when they're dipped in the sweet-sour-mildly spicy sauce.

Wasabi's version of sunomono, a traditional salad, consists of sliced cucumbers, crab, shrimp, octopus, black sesame seeds and sweet vinegar dressing. The helping of seafood is generous — there's almost more of that than there is cucumber. All in all, a delightful first course.

Saba nigiri (mackerel) is briny and robust. No fishy anything here. Inari nigiri features marinated tofu packets holding sushi rice. A bit of wasabi-spiked soy sauce complements the sweet tofu.

The snow flower long roll is composed of tempura prawn and cucumber topped with avocado, crab and tasty spicy mayonnaise. The touchdown is a fried, crisp roll of hamachi (yellowtail), green onion, crab, tobiko and spicy sauce. I like the crunchy exterior and soft interior with a hint of heat.

A Half Moon Bay roll has tempura prawn, cucumber, smoked salmon, spicy crab, tobiko and a special ingredient — cooked quail egg. I love raw quail eggs, but these are hard-boiled, sliced in half and draped atop the roll. The soft egg and pop of tobiko give the roll textural flair.

A lion king roll encompasses tempura prawn, cucumber, spicy tuna, teriyaki sauce and sesame seeds. Spicy tuna is always a favorite, and Wasabi's delivers adequate kick, the teriyaki giving the roll a hint of sweetness.

A fried California roll offers a crisp exterior hiding crab, avocado, cucumber and sesame seeds. The crunch provides a welcome change from the standard version.

A special roll one evening is the Summit: crystal shrimp, cucumber, salmon, lemon, cilantro, teriyaki sauce and sesame seeds. It's my favorite of the meal — I love the bright citrus notes and cilantro combined with shrimp and cooling cucumber.

Service at Wasabi is the restaurant's weak point.

Only two servers navigate the restaurant's many tables one evening. My party and I order water, which tastes slightly of dish detergent. Another glass is brought: still the same. Finally, two glasses of clean-tasting water arrive, and we are told that the other water had lemon in it.

Overall, service tends to be slow, and sushi items arrive at what can generously be called a leisurely pace. Luckily, the server is friendly, and my companion and I enjoy each other's company.

Several of Wasabi's new-sushi combinations invite interest, and the restaurant is handily located in south, south Reno. The Summit has had a few stumbles with its food offerings, but Wasabi, at least, is doing a solid job.

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