Hashi Gawa — Restaurant in Alameda

Has been my go to sushi spot for several months now. 5 stars strictly due to the takoyaki, agedashi tofu, sashimi including uni, and the omakase sashimi/omakase nigiri. Real wasabi is served here with certain menu items or for an additional cost on the side. The restaurant is super clean and the setting is beautifully modern.

Before I talk about the good, I want to note that the rolls are palatable albeit having 3 rolls and 1 baked roll so far. And the soft shell crab is just not it. The soft shell crab's batter is gummy, and the taste, pungent.

Now onto the good part

The Takoyaki is crispy & saucy on the outside, tender and piping hot on the inside. Flavorful on it's own even without the sauce. The agedashi tofu has a lightly crisp coating which pairs well with the very soft tofu. The taste of both tofu and sauce is very delicate (somewhat bland), but nothing a little soy sauce can't fix.

The sashimi here is on point. It has a light and fresh taste for only a few dollars more than other places. If you order enough, the chef throws in extra slices which sorta makes up for the price diff. Both the Hokkaido and Santa Barbara Uni's are fire though. Both had a very clean and creamy taste which is hard to find these days (many sushi spots use low grade nameless/sourceless briny tasting ones with a running/mushy texture).

The omakase nigiri (10 piece) here is amazing (about $10 more than the omakase sashimi). It can get a bit overwhelming due to the richness (fat) of some of the individual pieces. Some of the pieces have wasabi between the fish and rice. But if you eat it in a certain order as recommended by the chef, you'll be fine. It comes with a spoonful of real wasabi which pairs well...

Definitely one of the hottest places in Alameda. We got there at 445pm when they opened and by 6pm, it was packed. That made us covid uncomfortable but we choose a table next to the wall and kept our masks on when not actively eating.

Scan the barcode to get the slow loading menu. Not all of the photos loaded for me so some items were mysteries. We studied the menu at home first.

We ordered two sets of the omakase, a mango paradise and Santa Barbara uni in a spoon. Nigiri was carefully prepared and poised on a very long wooden board. The sushi was mixed. Toro was excellent. Shrimp disappointed and the head was over-fried. A few others lacked depth of flavor or texture. There was sea bass, aji, scallop, ocean trout which looked like a dark salmon and then I lost track. It was a mixed bag of sushi but only if you are super picky. Overall, it was very good and thoughtful.

The Wasabi is different and spicy. The sauce that is brushed on top is the same for all pieces. It is on the sweeter side but I felt some of the pieces could use a salter sauce for balance. The waitstaff will instruct you to use the lime on the lighter pieces of fish and eat from right to left. They also position it that way for each patron. Thoughtful again.

Mango paradise which has crunchy tempura shrimp in the middle and finishes sweet was a guilty pleasure. The uni spoons were also very good.

Alameda is lucky to have this place. Be prepared for a crowd and a wait. They are...

TL;DR - Excellent selection of quality fish.

Hashi Gawa is a very good "middle-tier" sushi restaurant. They don't serve mediocre sashimi and huge sushi rolls like lower-tier restaurants that cater to the masses. And they don't provide a fine dining omakase experience. What you will get is excellent fish in a casual setting with reasonable prices.

We came on a Saturday as soon as they opened to ensure us a table. My wife and I ordered their "Omakase" 10-piece special. Please note that it's not a true omakase experience. It is 10 nigri pieces (sashimi option also available) served all at once.

The kind waitress provided all the types of fish, but it was hard to remember the order so I wasn't sure which piece was which towards the end. You will have a selection such as snapper, butterfish, salmon, salmon belly, otoro, chu-toro, ocean trout, scallop, amaebi, etc. We also ordered some extra single pieces to make sure we both had our favorites. One negative was each piece was glazed with a light soy sauce that I would have preferred not to have. The sauce masked the taste of the fish. Next time I'll ask if they can hold the sauce.

Overall, I was very happy with our meal. I will go...