Japonessa: Seattle, WA, USA
This was recommended to me by R, and it conveniently happened to be right by Pike’s Market off the water. We started off the day at Japonessa after hauling all our luggage to SEATAC and dumping it into luggage storage for the day. After taking the light rail back to town, we found that Japonessa was only a two block walk from the station – hurray! Unfortunately, this place was so crowded that the wait for a table would take about 45 minutes!! However, we were more than happy to sit at the bar which was much faster! The things we ordered and tasted include:
- agedashi tofu
- chef omakase ($30)
- orange crush roll
- a spicy jalapeño roll – Barcelona sunset I believe
We also managed to get a roll on the house because they had somehow messed up one of the fried rolls. YAY!
Agedashi Tofu: I find it hard to screw up agedashi tofu if you are a Japanese restaurant. If I had a deep fryer, I would replicate this on my own at home. I can’t say that this dish was exceedingly special though.
PROS
- good portion
- not burnt
- tasty and refreshing
CONS
- none
agedashi tofu
Chef Sashimi Omakase: I came to Seattle specifically to eat their sushi because it is super fresh and ridiculously delicious. This omakase plate did not fail me. I should have ordered the $45 portion because after seeing what the smaller portion offered and not accounting for my mum and my sister also going for this amazing sashimi, I don’t think I quite had enough to satisfy my fill 🙂
PROS
- ridiculously fresh. It’s close enough to the water where it can be!
- great portions. For the amount that you get, this is truly worth getting.
- nice assortment.
CONS
- would be nice to know what fish I am eating.
omakase at a glance
sashimi omakase: tuna
sashimi: salmon and something else
Orange Crush Roll: my mum actually ordered this roll and it turned out really nice surprisingly. It tasted much better than my sister’s spicy roll. She tends to have my dad’s sense of taste when it comes to ordering which isn’t always that great. But at the very least, it is adventurous!
PROS
- nice flavors: that mango roe sauce on top was really interesting and tasty.
- good portion of crab on the inside: this restaurant is generous!
CONS
- none
orange crush roll
Barcelona Sunset Roll: probably not my favorite roll to be honest. It didn’t have too much flavor and the jalapeño was really spicy.
PROS
- good quantity, but for a roll that is more than $12 and lacking flavor, I’m not sure if it would do it justice.
CONS
- not enough flavor, very bland
- some pieces had so much jalapeño and even seed that all I could get from the sushi was just…hot.
All in all though, I really enjoyed my lunch at Japonessa. The sashimi was really great, I wouldn’t even bother with rolls the next time. This goes for all you purists and true Japanese eaters out there. In summary:
- agedashi tofu: ***.5 (3.5 stars)
- chef sashimi omakase: ****.25 (4.25 stars)
- orange crush roll: **** (4 stars)
- Barcelona sunset roll: *** (3 stars)
- extra fried roll that is something we do not know: ***** (5 stars for free food and it was tasty too, whatever was inside!)
If you wanted to try Japonessa, I recommend attempting to make a reservation or be patient enough to wait. You can find them just a few blocks from Pike’s Market as mentioned:
1400 1st Ave, Seattle, WA 98101
(206) 971-7979
Amazing sushi. For the price, it’s totally worth the wait.
R/g
Rammiegirl 2.0 