Wabi Sabi — Restaurant in Palmerston North

Finding a fully authentic Japanese restaurant (where the owner and chef are Japanese) is very hard in regional NZ but not impossible. Even with a big leeway, most places try a little harder than this…. It’s a complex ‘okay’ rating from me. If someone has never had Japanese food before, they would be happy here, but I would never bring an actual Japanese person to Wabisabi, or a discerning foodie.

I forgot to take a picture of the beef tataki, oops. Oddly dark grey inside (not freshly cut red) and absolutely drowning in a ponzu mixture, it was still tender though. Wouldn’t order again just out of weirdness.

The bento box was interesting. They are honest on their menu that that their takoyaki is deep fried (read: ready made frozen, not made on a takoyaki grill) which is fine, but even the gyoza did not have any crunch on the brown parts, the chewiness would indicate being reheated after made in a batch, which is a disappointment.

Salmon sushi was fresh enough for inland NZ. Salads were not exciting but nothing wrong with it, and the katsu was dry (perhaps pre frozen?) but crunchy and freshly fried.

Good parts: Grilled teriyaki chicken was 10/10, perfectly fresh and moist with a nice glazed sauce. The service was friendly and prompt.

I don’t think it’s bad, I think I was just expecting a little more effort for the first dinner...

We visited after a long time. I think we last came in 2017.

Menu has changed quite a bit and so have the prices; which is quite understandable given post Covid situation.

We had octopus balls Takoyaki - 10$; this was ok.

Also had okonomi fries -9$ - this was disappointing as it just supermarket fries with some mayo and soya sauce likely. Avoid.

Tuna tataki - 19.50$ - this was raw tuna seared in soya sauce likely. It was nice.

Salmon Maui was typical teriyaki salmon - 17.9$

Tom yum tofu 21$ - this was disappointing as it wasn’t tangy and didn’t really feel the Tomyum taste.

Drinks (coke) 6$/ head was really off with no fizz and had to return but even after changing was still flat. likely served from an open bottle.

Total bill for 2 adults and 2 kids was 121$ and we didn’t order main dishes for everyone.

Overall this was a disappointing experience and I’d suggest avoid this place. Go to Haru which is worth...

You're fancying some sushi the night before Waitangi Day, so where to go in Palmy? Wabi Sabi seems like a good option, so there you go. Surprisingly quiet this night, so it makes for pleasant, relaxed eating. The first thing you notice (since last visit) is that the menu has changed, so old favourites are out, new challenges await sampling. Order sashimi, sushi, and the fruity sake samplers. Sashimi is good, but miss the old tuna dish. Sushi was okay: The rice was a bit hot tonight (plausibly because you went a bit late, and its freshly made), which steals some pleasure out of each bite. The sampler of fruity sake is interesting for a try, but probably not to be repeated again, as it becomes too sweet in time. You could go for a sampler of normal sake, instead, if it comes to the menu in future. That would...