WaSa Sushi & Teppan — Restaurant in Newport Beach

Serendipitous! Nestled in an unassuming facade, neighboring Panera and Planet Beauty, one can easily overlook Wasa by its location. However, Wasa Sushi and Teppan is an extraordinary sumptuous restaurant that provides utmost cuisine. The evening started with meeting our lovely host Cindy, who showed great care and attention to detail. 3 appetizers, Spicy Tuna Tartare, Hawaiian Poke Tuna and Hot Sesame Oil Halibut Carpaccio, ensued. All 3 appetizers were delicious, but the slightly spicy Halibut was extra special as it gave a good kick in the tongue that begged for more. We were very happy that the evening started well with such great-tasting food. Teppan Chef David then introduced himself, demonstrating his excellent knife and cooking skills. For Teppan appetizers, we had Jumbo Prawns that were easily in the U5-10 size that were extremely high in quality. Our scallops were well-Seared outside but very tender inside, not to mention the garlic butter Calamari that makes me salivate as I am writing this review. For Teppan entrees, the Filet Mignon was cooked to perfection with Chimichuri sauce that added special flavoring. Zabuton, commonly referred to as Wagyu steaks, provided a slightly contrasting meat texture to the Filet Mignon. Lamb Chops are generally gamey for my taste, but these were excellent nonetheless. For vegetable and sides, Shiitake Mushroom with parsley butter, Fingerling Potato with Bacon and Zucchini were excellent compliments to our entrees. Moreover, a noteworthy stand out was the Bacon Fried Rice. Fried rice at Teppan restaurants are usually fillers and not paid attention to. But this was one Fried Rice that had excellent flavoring combination in a way that I had never tasted before. You must try it, as it rekindles life's special moments. As for dessert, the Tempura Ice Cream's crunchy shell on the outside contrasted the texture of the ice cream was extremely memorable as well. All in all, Wasa Teppan and Sushi was a special serendipitous find. If this food was in Yamashiro in the Hollywood Hills, the price would have easily doubled or tripled. It was a night where our taste buds were treated as royalty and it made an ordinary day feel tremendously special. Quoting the movie Hitch, "Life is not the amount of breaths you take, it's the moments that take your breath away." This was one of the moments that took our breaths away.

P.S. Special shoutout for orders of Salmon Sushi to finish off. Our son was extremely happy and full. Thanks to Lynn too for...

We came in to dine Tuesday evening after finding out Wasa recently extended their teppan days! We ordered from their daily specials, which was a teppan Tuesday fixed menu. Went with the steak option for $24 (chicken is available for $20), which included a choice of soup or salad, scallops and prawns, veggies, your choice of protein, fried rice and ended with delicious ice cream for dessert. Can't find those prices anywhere around. I couldn't believe the portion sizes of the fixed menu, we had enough to pack up for lunch the next day.

We ordered a few a la carte sushi dishes too and all of them were incredibly high quality, flavorful, and beautifully presented. However, the teppan experience really stole the show. A special shoutout to Chef Ricky, who served up perfectly seasoned and expertly cooked dishes with impressive flair and finesse. The show he put on for our table was a fun and memorable one!

Wasa has been a personal favorite of ours for years, and it never fails to impress. From the exceptional service to the outstanding food, it's a place I always look forward to returning to....

Very "underwhelming" experience pretty much sums it up. There was nothing special or memorable at all - the restaurant uses white lighting so just walking in you already feel like you've entered an airport diner near your gate. There was no "glow" to the ambiance or decor or really, anything inside. We felt we could have gotten the food to go and had a better experience in our own living room.

Fish quality was great, but the rolls themselves were hardly special. I love sushi and probably the least picky - I'll eat and enjoy anything. But this was an experience that could have been achieved with grocery store sushi. I know this sounds like an insult perhaps, but out of 8 rolls that we shared among ourselves, not one was a "wow" or "oooh, ahh". Same as any where else.

The final kicker was that even the edamame - probably the simplest of pleasures and most common - came with no salt. The result was just a bland, basic, boring experience. I wouldn't come back although the service itself was pretty good to...