Wasai

A restaurant closing its kitchen at 9pm doesn’t seem entirely fair. But with a chef (and owner) intent on maintaining quality control by overseeing every plate, you can forgive Wasai for the stringent hours.

Even for a sushi restaurant, there’s a heavy focus on seafood. The most popular dishes are served in boats containinga variety of fresh pieces. If seafaring miniature vessels aren’t your thing, the à la carte menu caters for those in the mood for smoky aburi, refreshing soba noodle salad or even crispy skinned salmon fillet. Vegetarians can breath a sigh of relief with many options throughout the menu – Wasai is a famous haunt for those not wanting a meaty meal.

As with most popular, long-serving restaurants, the customers come back for a menu that remains consistent. Despite this, the staff encourages sampling a special or two so you don’t miss out on options such as salmon saikyo yaki– a traditional Japanese dish with salmon marinated in sake sediment and miso paste.

Wasai’s sake range holds about 10 varieties, and it also boasts a selection of Japanese whiskeys. Keep an eye out for the Hibiki aged 10 or 17 years – even after the kitchen is closed, you still have a full hour to savour one.