They say you never forget your first. The first time I ever tried hibachi was at a place called…read moreMiyabi in Fayetteville, NC. Now, I can't tell whether it's pure nostalgia or merely personal preference. But that place has since been what wifey and I consider to be the "gold standard" for what hibachi should taste like. It's been nearly 15 years and our opinion hasn't changed since.
So, when we happen upon a place like Wasabi, we're certainly gonna notice and criticize culinary anomalies such as not using so much as an OUNCE of seasoning on any of the proteins, veggies, or rice. Oh, and spoilers up front - it's never a good sign when the appetizers outshine the main course.
Lobster Rangoon: I'll be honest here. I never knew anyone offered Lobster Rangoon until we came here. I suppose it was inevitable sooner or later; a logical ingredient to use, if not crab. Well anyway, this app was pleasantly superb! Unfortunately, it's also where the evening peaked. Nevertheless, it's a 9 out of 10, highly recommend!!
Clear soup: Normally, I never even bother giving this its own paragraph. I just wanted to highlight my first impressions rather quickly to say, while not ALL bad, it was mostly lacking in flavor whilst simultaneously harboring a hint of spice. All that's to say...there's not a lot going on here. I guess I should have asked if substituting soups was an option here. It's...whatever. 3 out of 10.
Lobster and steak: Okay. A few things of note here - there's apparently no option to upgrade your cut of steak to filet as with most other hibachi restaurants. So, I assume this was a top sirloin of sorts. Naturally, I got mine mid-rare and it's a good thing, too. Because despite its ostensibly rubbery texture, I can't begin to imagine how tough its exterior would have been were it cooked well done. And no...there was zero seasoning added to it, outside of soy sauce, some butter, and a bit of minced garlic. Whole thing tasted like bland puppy chow. Fortunately, the half cup or so of additional soy sauce *kinda* saved it. 4 out of 10.
Now, the lobster tail and appetizer shrimp were slightly better, mostly due to the added dash of lemon during cooking, combined with how well it pairs with the yum yum sauce. But once again....not an ounce of seasoning could be damned. What a let down! 5 out of 10.
Fried rice: here's where I usually can gauge pretty quickly where the chef stands in their ability to season food. It's normally the first thing to come off the grill. But I left this one for last because this is, funnily enough, where the majority of that soy sauce you see in my "after" photo went. It's like the chef went out of his way to add the absolute minimal amount of flavor possible to the rice. It's nights like these I wish they were the type of place that left salt and pepper on the table. Oh, and I've NEVER been much a fan of peas in fried rice, much less peas at all. After adding about half a bottle of soy sauce, this one's a 4 out of 10 for me.
Look, I don't want or like to lament on places like this. After all, hibachi holds a special place in my heart. Hell, even the service was fairly decent. But cordiality can only get you so far if the product you're serving is mediocre as hell and ineptly prepared. The one GOOD thing I can say about this experience is at least we know there's no need to travel so far to get decent hibachi. Ergo, we'll be sticking to the likes of Sakura and The Seafood King in Nashua and Manchester, respectively.
Wasabi in Salem gets 3 steak & lobster dinners in desperate need of seasoning out of 5.
