Wasabi on 82nd

I have a confession to make. I am not a big fan of sushi. I love fish, and even raw fish, but I really don't like seaweed much, and I am not a huge fan of wasabi itself. I keep trying to like it, but it isn’t my thing. However, I do like Japanese food overall, so hubby and I headed out for a quick lunch at Wasabi on 82nd Street in Castleton.

I like this place because the food is all really fresh and the cuts of meat (if you aren’t getting sushi) are recognizable. What do I mean by this? If you order chicken teriyaki, as I did on this particular day as part of my bento box, it is a breast of chicken, not all those weird gristly pieces of chicken you might get elsewhere. The sauce is nice, a lot of soy and the right amount of sweetness. As I said, I ordered a box which also came with sashimi—salmon, tuna and whitefish. The whitefish was the only thing that wasn’t very good; the other two pieces of fish were extremely fresh and tender

You also get as part of a bento box, a little teeny spring roll (which I appreciate for the crunch factor), a wedge of some sort of fried potato thingy and a nicely sectioned orange. Didn’t really get to the potato item, I was pretty full, but enjoyed the orange for dessert (someone spends a lot of time getting those oranges just so). Oh, and before meal is served, they give you a nice bowl of miso soup and a typical Japanese salad. Hubby just had several pieces of nigiri and was very happy with his orders, particularly the fatty white tuna.

This place is a bit pricier than many of the local Japanese places, but like I said, at least when you order chicken, you can be sure it actually is chicken, and not some other mystery meat. The service was efficient, not overly attentive, but it was lunch and we were in and out pretty quickly.

Hey, what’s your favorite Japanese joint? I would love to hear about it.

Wasabi on 82nd
5025 E. 82nd Street
Indy, 46250
317/594-1188