Wasabi Sushi, located in the Puerto Banus Centro Comercial (just opposite Dreamers) offers an interesting fusion of continents, with modern sushi crossing ancient barriers in a harmony of east meets west. rong>

One might be forgiven for imagining Wasabi as a purely lunchtime haunt; however the clean, comfortable, contemporary restaurant with it´s ambient lighting and trademark muted shades of purple against dark wood, actually made a very pleasant dining spot. 

All the products are delivered fresh daily and that was held testament by the sashimi; you could still taste the sea in the tuna (although it could have been slightly more chilled).  Everything is homemade from the wasabi to the pickled ginger (slightly less sweet than the usual jarred versions and with a little more spice, “ginger as God intended” as Johnny described it!).

The sushi train snakes its way through the restaurant carrying each 'made in the moment' trio of sushi to its destinees on a smooth modern, magnetic purple surface, whilst the inventive menu, in addition to the sushi, offers a selection of salads, Kushi Yaki (kebabs), Bento boxes and Tempuras all with a modern, creative touch and served on wooden trays or in boats.

We were served a selection of perfect sized pieces of sushi where you could taste the intrinsic flavor of every ingredient separately – Marbella Roll, (lobster, tuna, avocado and salmon) and the smooth and creamy Philadelphia Roll with little taste explosions from the flying fish roe (salmon, crab stick, cream cheese, and avocado). The appetizing Ibi Tempura although not on the menu could be specially requested.  Salim was a charming and attentive host and attended to my every whim and was genuinely excited by the dishes, bringing me a pizza sushi just so that I could try it – it did not sound tempting but I have to confess that it was delicious; bite size morsels of salmon, avocado, cream cheese, crab stick and shrimp in a crispy, crunchy coating with a creamy, slightly picante Samurai sauce giving a subtle kick to the dish.

The chicken was slightly over cooked on the trio of pinchitos, whilst the beef was perfectly tender and flavoursome and the Yaki gyuchees was an unusual combination of creamy, melted gouda cheese wrapped in the finest layer of beef and enhanced by the sweetness of the teriyaki sauce on the plate, it was luscious!  The tempura had a good flavor but was too thick and the ginger-soy sauce really needed to be adjusted as it was far too salty.

Most of the desserts were cream based.  The refined Banoffi Pie had a perfectly crunchy biscuit base and was nicely served over a caramel sauce, whilst the Green tea panacotta was smooth and velvety and drizzled with a green tea coulis.  The homemade ice creams were disappointing, the green tea ice cream although had a lovely texture and an obvious flavour of green tea was nothing to write home about and I would prefer not to comment about the Sake sorbet, it was waxy and had no real flavour, thankfully the lychee sorbet was an uplifting and refreshing compliment to the other two; fresh, sweet and a nice little palate cleaner.

The house white (Penascal) although reasonably priced (11,95€) was not up to the standard of the food and we did mention this to the owner, however I would imagine that most aficionados of sushi would probably opt for the Sake (served in bamboo) or a beer (Japanese beers such as Kirin Ichiban 4,95€ and the old standards Heineken, San Miguel and Cruzcampo at 3,95€) which tend to compliment the cuisine better.  The wine list was limited however not badly priced, (Albariño 39,95€ - although maybe not the best compliment to sushi – too strong and rounded) and a G & T would set you back 4,95€.

Do not miss the delicious, refreshing, spicy, aphrodisiacal home made Ginger juice (especially if you are dining a deux!!!)

Restaurant Review at a glance: (1 to 10 i´s of success)

Ambiance                    7 i´s
Service                       8 i´s
Portion Size                5 i´s
Wine Selection           3 i´s
Price vs. Quality         6 i´s

Overall                        6 i´s (feel good factor after paying the bill)                

Price            40€ +/-     (based on a three course meal for 2 people with a bottle of house wine)