Mr. Wasabi- been seeing the sign for years. Finally stopped to eat.

Mr. Wasabi has closed.

mmm-yoso is the blog.  It  never goes on vacation.  Cathy is talking today while Kirk does other stuff.

Hey there.  I've had a few meals that I haven't talked about because Kirk has been talking about his wonderful Peruvian vacation.  I love his prose and photos and ..um...his courage to drink spit and eat deep fried rodent like creatures as well as everything else that has kept those Peruvians going for thousands of years.  I kind of play it safe, although have eaten everything that has ever been presented to me...by safe I mean staying out of foreign situations for the most part.

So, anyhow.  If you have driven on Mira Mesa Boulevard near Interstate 15, ever,  you've seen this sign on the south side of the street.  If you click and enlarge it, you will see the unlighted portion at the bottom-$1 sushi and $1 sake.  Those prices are for a single piece of the 'regular' sushi- salmon, tuna, shrimp, etc.  The sake is from a box but I think you can get it hot or cold...not a bad deal if you are in the area  for Happy Hour- 5-6 p.m. Tues-Fri (Mr. Wasabi is closed on Mondays).

So, we decided, after years, that we would have to go here for a meal to see if it was any good.

Oh, it is.  There is a reason it has been here for kind of forever.

A simple menu, fresh food, attentive service.

We decided to start with the calamari salad ($6.25)- this easily could have been a meal and if I added a miso soup, definitely filling.  Good thing The Mister and I were sharing.

Wonderfully light tempura coated perfectly fried large pieces of fresh squid on top of a lot of salad lettuces and shredded cabbage, served with a side of house dressing, which definitely had onion in it and I thought needed a touch of soy added, but was otherwise so absolutely perfect.

Both of our meals came with miso soup and salad (same dressing) .  The miso was very good, rich and not salty and had large pieces of seaweed and small cubes of a good, firm tofu in it.   We each ended up putting the extra lettuce from the calamari salad into the salad bowls since there was a bit too much dressing on those individual salads. It worked out.

I saw the Chirashi Sushi on the menu as a main course ($13.25) and had to try it.  Assorted sashimi served over vinegared rice...  maguro (tuna), sake (salmon), shiro maguro (albacore), hamachi (yellowtail), amebi (sweet shrimp), the fake krab stuff (which tasted good), ikura (salmon roe) and tamago (sweet egg cake) with wasabi, pickled ginger, cucumber and shredded daikon radish on top of the wonderful vinegared rice.  So fresh, so delicate and a wonderful portion of sushi.  Well worth the price.

The Mister ordered the #13, Teriyaki and Tonkatsu meal ($10.95 plus $1 for the beef rather than chicken teriyaki).  Extremely high quality tender beef topped with a wonderful teriyaki sauce that was not salty nor too sweet.  The tonkatsu (lightly breaded deep fried pork) was tender and moist and topped with a more strong ponzu sauce, kind of on the edge of being too vinegary, but not quite.  These were served on a bed of lettuce (which went well with each sauce) and the rest of the plate filled with edamame (boiled soybeans) and a bowl of rice on the side. 

Excellent quality food in quite large portion sizes.   They don't charge for tea and it is a better quality loose green tea.  Don't drive by, drive in.

Mr. Wasabi 9379 Mira Mesa Boulevard San Diego 92126 (858)530-2546 Lunch 11:30-2:30 Tues-Sat, Dinner  5-9:30 Tues-Sun

Comments

[May]

Hi Cathy!
I do applaud Kirk and the Missus for their bravery when it comes to food. I try to not shy away from any offering of food, as long as it follows my golden rule: my food can't be looking at me when I eat it! Lol.

Anyways, I love your picture of the chirashi, the colors on its own makes me want to eat it up! However, my last few visits to Mr. Wasabi (approx. 6-8 mo. ago) were disappointing to say the least. I found their sushi to be not fresh at all. Maybe they've gotten their act back together so that it would warrant for another trip back!

[Carol]

Hey Cathy! I still remember eating at Mr. Wasabi during their grand opening week years ago when we still lived in the area. I think Mr. Wasabi has been pretty consistent thru-out the years and we still go every so often, especially after the change in ownership of Maiki on Carroll Canyon and not called Todo, not to be confused with Todai sushi buffet - ick). We don't care for the sushi or the service at Todo. Mr. Wasabi is way better!

[nhbill]

Wow looks great!

[Kirk]

Hi Cathy - For the record, it's fermented spit, and roasted rodents... ;o) LOL! I've passed this place many times too, and have always wondered how the food was.

[Cathy]

Hi again, May! Yes, the sushi was very fresh; everything was very fresh and great tasting and I will go back. Maybe lunch. Maybe soon.
Hi Carol- Mr. Wasabi is still in the same place after all that time, which says a lot, especially in that part of town. Thanks for the heads up on Todo. There are so many places to try...Sadly, we used to like Todai, back when we did not know better. I could still go there and pick out the better stuff, if I had to, I think.
Hey, Bill- Another one of our hidden gems.
Oh, OK, Kirk. Sorry about missing the qualifying "fermented" part...you know me and details. I was more fascinated with the photos of the cooked rodents and imagined the skin being crispy crackly because of frying. Mr. Wasabi was very nice. I guess it has been there that long for a reason.

[PGS]

Cathy, I'm not sure why, but I only comment on your posts! Maybe it's because you always eat at places that are close to my work/home...

We finally tried Mr. Wasabi a few weeks ago ,after driving by it for almost 5 years. It was hard to access their parking lot, but we enjoyed everything except where we were seated--by the restroom area.

Regarding Todai--I went a couple of times with co-workers, but I definitely like Onami better if I have to go to a sushi buffet.

[ed (from Yuma)]

Ah, chirashi. I love chirashi - that's usually how I would evaluate a new sushi restaurant. You get to sample a range of fish, test the artistic skill of the chef, and not spend too much money.

Nice post.

[Sandy]

I too drive by Mr. Wasabi all the time, but I haven't been there in awhile. I'll definitely order the calamari salad next time.

Regarding the Japanese restaurant on Carroll Canyon Road - is that now called Todo? It used to be called Meiki (not Maiki), and I understand that the owners of Meiki now run Sushi USA on Rancho Penasquitos Blvd.

[Carol]

Hi Sandy, thanks for the correction on Meiki and the info on Sushi USA. Might give that a try. The sushi at Todo is okay but not the best and the service was just horrible. Maybe it's gotten better since we've been there??

[Cathy]

Hi, PGS- I just checked and you have only commented to me (from different computers; I have all sorts of powers). But, you commented on places in Mira Mesa and El Cajon and downtown and Clairmont, so it sounds like you drive around a lot like I do...and I just happen to drive around a little more than Kirk does, but he blogs some really neat places, too. Perhaps it is my witty reparte that you find interesting...oh,nevermind. The Mister and I do just drive, stop and eat. Kirk has allowed me to blog it for everyone in the world to read. It works.

Hey, ed. Thanks. I never thought of chirashi as being my "basic" test dish for Japanese, but it seems to be lately.

Sandy, hi - You know this place too. That is so cool. Do try the calamari salad. It is an appetizer and meal in one. I need to drive more north and stop; I do go to Valley Center and Escondido fairly regularly, but rarely stop in between.

Hi again, Carol. Continue your conversation.

[Sandy]

I haven't been to Todo, although I was just at Mo's Island Grindz for a loco moco (thanks for the tip, Kirk!).

We were at Sushi USA a couple of months ago. I'd say their sushi quality is better than Mr. Wasabi's. They get bonus points for serving the sushi with nicely-presented fruit. Unfortunately, most people I know that have been there got turned off by the slow service. It has gotten better, but I remember when they first opened - they had *one* person working in the dining room.