Wasai Falls by the Weyside

When it comes to aesthetics the Japanese are true masters. Wasai is no exception with a keen eye to detail. Sleek and stylish with wooden screens, rice paper lanterns, lacquered mahogany textured tables and pretty clay soy sauce holders and an urn of seven spices creates a beautiful contemporary Japonoise setting.

We took a sake flight sampling three varieties. Edamame, soybeans in the pods are boiled in water together with condiments such as salt, and served whole. While this is customarily served with sake this is the first time I have come across this tradition which Cari says is customary having lived in Kobe for a year.

I'm happy biting into the edamame which reminds of of boiled peanuts one can obtain off the street stalls back home in Bangalore.

The girls take notes for their food reviews... and discuss the degree and depth of flavours, analysing and dissecting every bit of the meal.

Cari is excited about the Takoyaki: light, crispy octopus that is inserted into a vegetable dough ball served with Japanese BBQ sauce, mayonnaise and bonnito flakes. This was good, except the octopus was a bit tough.

This platter featured cooked tuna salad sushi rolls, California rolls with imitation roe, tuna, salmon and white snapper sashimi, prawn and veggie tempura, beef shabu shabu and age-gyoza: deep fried dumplings filled with minced pork and vegetables.

Kiku Kawa, grilled eel with rice was superb. The bottom of the dish had crusted caramelised burnt rice that the girls loved.

The best spider rolls I have eaten in ages.

Arguing over what to get - they still weren't full after all that!

Lastly, Katsudon: deep fried pork fillet with Japanese style omelette served on a bed of rice.

While the food was not bad by any measure, the fish on the evening we dined was perhaps not their finest, nor freshest, unfortunately!