Restaurant Review: Sasaki Sushi

Pack your bags, grab your passport, check your visa. We're taking you outside the loop for a taste of Japan, folks. Houstonist, on the wise recommendation of the Fearless Critic, recently made the trek out to Westheimer and Fondren to dine at Sasaki. The restaurant is incognito in a dumpy strip center, nestled right next to your typical shady cell phone store, an insurance office and a hair salon (with 100% real human hair extensions!). When we walked in, we were struck by how many Japanese patrons were chowing on bento boxes, hot plate dinners and sushi. We promptly ordered some nimono (cold cooked vegetables, $5.95), shishamo (grilled salted smelt fish, $4.95) and a bowl of ramen. Of course, we put in an order of assorted sushi. The nimono isn't outstanding, but recommended if you are an adventurous in the vegetable department. We could only identify two vegetables out of the modest serving, but all of them were tasty. The shishamo is another adventurous order. The smelt fish comes out whole, two small fish to a plate. The entire fish is edible so if you can't stomach the head and tail, don't order this dish. For the intrepid, the smelt offers a great flavor and great texture. We were especially excited about the ramen. The broth was mild and flavorful, but the star of the dish was definitely the soft, chewy ramen noodles that were reminiscent of the instant variety, but definitely upgraded. We got that nice cozy feeling of nostalgia for those midnight cravings in college but this time, we were all grown up.

After what seemed like an unusually long time, the sushi finally arrived. The pieces were hearty even if they weren't cut to perfection. One bite of the yellowtail sent us to the moon. We were blown away. Yellowtail has never tasted like this: sweet, buttery, with essence of the sea. Then came the salmon: again, flavorful with just the right amount of oils. We loved the sweetness of the hotate (scallops) and the gentle lemon flavor of the escolar. The unagi (grilled eel) tasted freshly grilled with just a touch of sweet sauce. The flavors of the fish were so well defined that we hardly needed any soy sauce or wasabi for our nigiri. This experience might just ruin us. Like eating Spam all your life and then getting a taste of filet mignon. Or watching football on a 24 inch and then seeing it on High Def. Okay, so there are plenty of good sushi options in and around Houston. Kubo's offers a great second choice, especially when you eat at the sushi bar and tell the chef to make what's fresh. Or if you're hunkering for a great bowl of udon at Sage 400. Then there's Ra - if you're not hungry and just want to valet your car and wait in line. But hear me now, believe me later: the sushi at Sasaki is in an entirely different class. That said, it's not worth making the trek if you prefer your sushi in the form of california rolls and fried spider rolls. This place is for purists. Hands down, one of the best sushi experiences of our life. Fer real.

Next time, we're going to streamline the ordering and get an assortment of nigiri (heavy on the yellowtail and escolar) and finish the meal with a hearty bowl of Ramen. And then we'll hop next door to get our hair extensions did. It's 100% real human hair, ya'll.
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Sasaki Sushi
8979 Westheimer
713.266.5768
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photo courtesy of flickr user jslander