Sushi Wawa – Innaloo

 

After a mid-morning trip to Ikea – Chef and I decide to skip the meatballs and head to the newly opened Sushi Wawa, right next door. As we enter, we are greeted by a cheerful and lively “Irasshaimase”, by many of the staff, which is a traditional Japanese welcome.

The restaurant is so well branded you could be excused for thinking you’d walked into a nation-wide restaurant chain. Sushi Wawa is not a chain – in fact it is even named in honour of WA! It’s decked out in its signature bold orange and images of “Bob” their cartoon sumo wrestler. The feel of the restaurant is fresh and funky – which is exactly what Sushi Wawa aims to be.

The rectangular open kitchen is slap-bang in the middle of the light and bustling restaurant. The train moves around it. We watch the chefs busily making the 110 varieties of sushi, sashimi, and hot and cold dishes available on the menu. The Sushi Wawa kitchen team is run by Head Chef Hiroaki Fujioka, an accomplished Japanese Chef, formerly of Nobu Perth.

 The sushi train is an impressive 62 meters long – thought to be the largest in the Southern Hemisphere. We sit in a cosy booth. The sushi train runs past the end of the table. Neither of us have experienced a proper sushi train before and we are a little mesmerised. We sip some warm Miso Soup ($3), while we watch sushi and other Japanese treats pass by our table.

Chef and I start lunch buy trying a few plates, fresh off the train. We don’t recognise a lot of the dishes, so we begin with a “safe” option – a sushi roll filled with Chicken Katsu ($4.20). We agree they’re very crisp and tasty. We quickly reach for plate two.

The Soft Shell Crab sushi roll ($5.60) is totally lush. I’m a big fan of soft shell crab. This sushi felt decadent, the rice covered in salmon roe which shone like tiny jewels.

One of Sushi Wawa’s original creations, The COB ($4.90) is a sushi roll filled with cream cheese, onion and beetroot. The homage to Australia’s love of beetroot is a random combination. I think it really works and the COB becomes a fast favourite of mine. I grab another plate!

Then we start getting really adventurous, trying the Takoyaki ($4.20). On the plate are 4 little deep fried balls, filled with octopus, pickled ginger and spring onion. We weren’t too keen on those, the diced octopus was a little chewy.

After we’d amassed a pile of colourful plates, we decide to try something a little more substantial. Chef chooses the Wagyu Beef Don ($20) He tucks into his bowl of wagu and rice – for the price he thinks it’s very good value.

I have my old favourite – Salmon Teriyaki, salad and rice ($22). The main meals are very fresh and tasty.

Sushi Wawa is family friendly, as long as your children like Japanese food. There is a kid’s zone, with a TV and play area. It is also open for dinner and offers BYO – I think a nice bottle of SSB would go down a treat with some fresh sushi next time we visit!