Last week we were set on having sushi somewhere new before seeing Ani Difranco at the Moore. We had never been to Wasabi Bistro, so we thought that would be a fine choice. We parked on First, walked up to Second, and were arguing on the corner about how far away Wasabi Bistro was.
A homeless guy, Shane (as it turns out), walks up to us and asks if we need directions to somewhere. We mention that we’re looking for Wasabi Bistro, and he proceeds to tell us that it is 2 1/4 blocks from where we are, mentioning everything that is close by. He also tells us that it has “a very relaxed atmosphere”, that it’s “a great place to relax and have dinner out of the hustle and bustle of Belltown” and that it is “more Polynesian/Japanese than pure Japanese”.
“Great,” we say, and start walking.
He then says, “But that’s not the best sushi downtown.”
Intrigued, we respond, “Okay, what is the best sushi in town?”
He proceeds to tell us that the best sushi is at Umi Sake House, and that the chef there is a great guy.
Really intrigued, we ask the obvious question, “Where’s Umi Sake House?”
Shane then offers to walk us there. We’re into it now, so we follow him back down to first and over to Umi. On the walk, Shane tells us how Umi used to be a dance club, but it is really nice inside now. The chef brings fish in fresh daily, and it is really, really good. We’re excited, and our interest is really peaked now.
Did I mention that Shane has no front teeth? Or that he is filthy?
Anyway, we get to the Umi and are talking some more with Shane, when the chef of the restaurant next door, Apartment Bistro, comes out, sees us, and says, “Hey Shane! How are you doing?”
At this point, we’re wondering, “Who is this guy?”
Shane goes on to tell us that the best Italian downtown is at La Fontana Siciliana or La Vita E Bella Cafe. He mentions that both are family owned and are very generous to the homeless. He also says the food at Tavalota is great (which we totally agree with), but that it’s not authentic since it is not owned by an Italian family. We quickly make a mental note to try the two places he mentioned…
Shane also tells us that the best seafood in town is not even on the water — it’s at Oceanaire. Which we totally agree with. Even though it is a chain, Oceanaire has great food.
Turns out that Shane collects the recycling for all of the restaurants in Belltown, and they give him food. He’s eaten at more restaurants downtown than we have.
On that note, we say our goodbyes and head into Umi Sake House. It looks very small from the outside, but is actually pretty big. There’s a bar and and a sushi bar, plus a bunch of tables. It’s pretty loud, and full of the Belltown crowd.
We each start off with a Mint Sake Martini, which is delightful. The sushi menu is extensive, pages and pages of rolls. Very inventive. Thena ordered the Chirashi bowl (her standard). I had a couple of pieces of Copper River Sockeye Salmon sushi, a cucumber roll, and Belltown Barbie Roll — crab and cucumber topped with seared salmon and a mango/chili sauce. All of it was delicious. The best sushi we’ve had.
As Shane told us, “If a homeless guy doesn’t know where to get good food, who does?”
Rating: 5 stars (out of 5)
Filed under: Food Lust, Random Lust, Uncategorized | Tagged: Belltown, chirashi, homeless gourmet, Japanese food, martini, sake, sushi
