Wasabi chill out

Good friends, great food and the opportunity to bring these two entities together, these are a few of my favorite things. I savor moments like these when I can unwind and enjoy the company of close friends, exchange banter and trivialities, catch up on the latest, devour saucy tidbits on who’s cheating on who, of course, between bites of food. These occasions are few and far between, which is why every get-together plays fresh in my mind, like a good song stuck in memory.

Well, this opportunity came recently as I happily joined my good friends from the food business, Jane Paredes, Aileen Anastacio and Ben Go. Naughty as we are, we would take pleasure in finding fault and exchange personal critiques for every restaurant or watering hole we would go to, making me think these are traits inherent in all Pinoys. This time our target would be a trendy Japanese restaurant along Makati Ave. Little did we know that we would be in for a surprise.

The name of the joint was Wasabi Bistro & Sake Bar, which is a dining place cum bar. Cool chic would be how I would describe the place, from its sliding copper door entrance to its subdued, cozy and very modern interiors, nothing that would remind you of your basic Japanese resto. We were expecting deafening greetings in garbled Japanese from an overeager waitstaff, but there was none of that silliness either. Still another standard Japanese memento missing was the display of plastic and wax replica of its specialty dishes. This I found refreshing since basing one’s choice of what to eat on something inedible is like...hello??!!

We welcomed these changes as we were ushered to our seats. Ambient, laidback "Balearic" music filled the air, and set the atmosphere of how our dining experience would be. Later on, I would find out that Wasabi has a current tie-up with Music One Record Bar and would regularly play what they would term head-tripping, down-tempo house music. Whatever you call it, it just hits the right spot. The music is perfect for the work-driven five-thirsty executives, out to relax and talk over wine and good food, rather than party. It’s a be heard rather than be seen type of thing, where you could talk confidently across the table without scratching your lungs.

Positive energy flowed from the open kitchen, and we could view the action abuzz from our seats. It just successfully led to whetting our appetites even more. We opened our menus eagerly, and gave our orders. The unforgiving epicures that we are sometimes, we geared up for the test. And you know what? We could hardly find fault, as we sampled one entree after another. It is what one erstwhile bombshell would define as "flawless"!

Exquisite and intense is how I would describe the cuisine, which is essentially Japanese, yet very unconventional and exciting in terms of preparation. It’s light, clean flavors bring out the flavor of its premium ingredients.

And it’s no wonder, really, because Wasabi is sincerely patterned after the restaurant of the same name making waves, rip curls even, in Hawaii. Credit goes to Hawaii’s culinary gem, Kumi Iseki, who takes authentic Japanese cuisine to the edge. Her flair for innovation shapes her culinary creations, redoing traditional dishes and branding it with her signature.

Here in the country, it’s Keven Ozeki, a Japanese chef who has worked with Kumi who mans the kitchen and recreates Kumi’s magic, from the sublime tasting Rainbow Roll, the light but flavorful Kumi’s Special, to the novel Papaya Motoyaki. To describe each dish is a very personal experience that one has to try to discover its pleasures for himself.

Another plus factor for Wasabi is its extensive pastry selection as opposed to the traditional fruit cup or jello served at your neighboring Japanese eatery. This is due to Gerry Wallace’s long-standing reputation as a pastry chef par excellence. Partly responsible for the success of Wasabi, he offers exquisite creations such as green tea cheesecake. It can’t get more fusion than that!

Nothing can be more positive and mood lifting than sitting down to good food. Add genuine friendly company and engaging stories to share on the side and you’re probably in the ninth circle of happiness. And yes, there I was caught in one of those occasional happy moments in Wasabi.