Wasabi Sushi and Bento has become my go-to casual dining restaurant in the Birmingham New Street Station. Until recently, I did not know that they are a chain based in London where they have many, many locations. Although they have been around for a decade, the new brum outpost is one of only four outside of the capital. Count us lucky then, to have access to their wide variety of Sushi and Bento food items.
The set-up is akin to a very large cold case you would find at the front of pretty much any take-away place in town. It's separated out by sushi boxes, salads, individual sushi pieces, bento bowls, and a behind the glass deli section. You can choose to go with one of their pre-selected sushi boxes, or choose pieces a la carte. Wasabi claims to be the first outlet in the UK to offer individually wrapped sushi pieces.
There are fortunately a ton of vegetarian options, from seaweed sushi, inari tofu, vegetable sushi, pumpkin croquettes, several tofu curries, and tofu yakisoba. I've dined here over five times already and I still haven't covered half of their non meat meals. Although it's not explicitly posted, all of the items are up-charged if you eat in instead of take-away by substantial margins. The seating is modern, open, and airy, which means you'll have to deal with the frigid temperatures of New Street Station during the winter. I suggest getting your sushi as take away, and chow down at one of the benches further into the station.
The sushi uses high quality ingredients, and unlike other spaces in the station, the food is made in their kitchen behind the outlet. So far, my favourites are their tofu sushi pieces, either as futomaki or the tofu nigiri, as well as the interesting pumpkin croquette set. The price points are affordable, especially for New Street/Grand Central. Two individual tofu nigiri pieces are only £1.50. My only fault with Wasabi is that it seems like most of the food is prepared in the morning with only certain items being refreshed throughout the day. If you arrive for dinner, you may find the items you planned on eating are no longer in stock. Overall you can buy a substantial meal at Wasabi, and both your wallet and stomach will feel good about it. read more