Restaurant Wada

The first time Jeff and I came here, Wada was booked until 930pm. We had walked in at 730pm, and definitely weren't going to starve for another 2 hours.

Finally, on another Tuesday, my wish had come true. We were sitting in Wada. I couldn't wait to try their Uni/Washugyu Beef Sushi that everyone raved about.

Things you should know:
1. Make reservations a few days ahead. This place is small and always crowded (even on a weekday night you wouldn't think would be crowded). Made reservations a couple days ahead, and all I could reserve was 2 seats at the counter. Tables were taken already!
2. You will be the only English-speaking people in there. I guess that's how you know the place is good? The Japanese language will be your background music.
3. Valet parking only.
4. Wada is located in the old Tokkuri-Tei location, but you won't even recognize it once you walk in. Completely redone! And it doesn't look like its cramped, old self!

Verdict? We ordered quite a few things (as we usually do!), but only a few things stood out. Washugyu Dashimaki was one of my favorites of the night. Soft, tender dashimaki egg omelet with bits of washugyu beef throughout. A great sauce to top it off too! Then, there was the Uni/Washugyu Sushi that was served to us. Might I say the pieces have evolved over time! Definitely don't look like the pictures on Yelp. They were itty-bitty nigiri pieces. Bite-size. Boy, they really skimped. Jeff and I both had one each. Taste-wise, I wasn't too impressed. It wasn't mind-blowing, but it wasn't bad either. When I first popped it in my mouth, all I could really taste was the wasabi and shiso leaf. Towards the end is when you taste the uni/washugyu combo. To me, you have to try this once. I don't believe though, that once you've had it, you will order it again and again.

We also ordered Ahi Tuna Belly, which was by far the best I've ever tasted. So tender, lightly salted, and a generous amount for $9.75. Superb. I would definitely order this again.

In the middle of our meal came our 16 pieces of Washugyu tongue for our Shabu Shabu. Our waiter and all of the other runners that brought our dishes out were great in explaining things to us. Our Washugyu tongue was split in half- 8 tender pieces from the back of the cow, and 8 more lean slices from another part. Interesting. For us, the Shabu was large, but most of it was cabbage and other veggies while we split our 16 pieces of tongue. I have to say the meat was ultra-tender, but the shabu was nothing memorable.

We ended the meal portion of our dinner with Hiyashi Tan Tongue Men, a cold noodle dish served with ground tongue and a spicy sesame sauce.

Only thing I regretted? Maybe next time I'll try that Stir Fry dish that literally everyone was having. Oh, and maybe that Oxtail Soup!!

For dessert, I picked out a Coffee Jelly dessert with Banana Pureé topped with strawberries. THIS WAS DELICIOUS. I didn't know how well coffee and bananas balance each other off, but this was exceptional. So refreshing.

Now, would I go back? All of this for 50 bucks a person. It was definitely worth trying. Yes, they specialize in their Washugyu beef, which was wonderfully-tender, and I love how they incorporated it into different kinds of dishes, but this place could definitely break the bank!

Yuzu Sparkling- Bijofu Yuzu Sake and Brut Prosecco

Washugyu Dashimaki

Uni and Washugyu Sushi

Ahi Tuna Belly

Yuzu Salt, Garlic Salt, and Ponzu for the Washugyu tongue shabu

Washugyu tongue for the Shabu Shabu

HIyashi Tan Tongue Men

Pour the sauce over

Hot tea for end of the meal

Coffee Jelly and Banana Pureé topped with strawberries