My thoughtful husband took me out for a Friday night dinner at Sapa recently. The restaurant itself has a rich and warm setting that is beautifully decorated . . . and it is busy. The place was packed, but we managed to score a couple of seats at the sushi bar.
Our sushi chef was a wonderful man who began talking with us when he noticed me taking pictures of our food. He was excited to hear that I wrote a food blog and talked with me about Julie & Julia. I didn't know then what I know now - that Julie wrote a blog and he was drawing a parallel. But, the conversation was wonderful and his sushi was delicious!
We started with gyoza that, unfortunately, was not to my taste. I should be clear that Sapa serves Asian fusion cuisine, so variations on old favorites should be expected. However, unless you are a huge fan of ginger and want that to be the overwhelming, overpowering flavor in your Gyoza, then I would avoid including them with your dinner. Not to worry though, the miso soup was fantastic. It was warming and filled with delicious bites of tofu, green onion, seaweed and fresh mushrooms. The mushrooms were a welcomed addition and added texture and variety to the flavors of a traditional miso soup.
The piece de resistance was the beautifully prepared sushi. We ordered two of Sapa's signature rolls and some ono ngiri. The ono was sweet and mild and melted in our mouths, just like it should. The Luscious Lover was luscious indeed; filled with tempura shrimp, avacado, cucumber, and eel and then topped with sliced strawberries and eel sauce. It was a wonderful melding of flavors and textures. We finished with the Blazing Jazz roll, which included asparagus, avocado and tuna wrapped into a roll that was topped with seared albacore. The roll was then garnished with two sauces, one of which was delightfully tongue-searing Sriracha, cilantro and tempura scallions. It was mouth numbingly wonderful and not designed for the weak tongued.
The lychee tea was subtly complementary to the overall meal. But, of course, it only made the Blazing Jazz all the more blazing.
Sapa Sushi Bar and Asian Grill
Master Chef: Billy Le
722 South State Street
Salt Lake City, UT
(801) 363-7272
www.sapabarandgrill.com
Open for lunch Monday - Friday from 11:30AM to 3PM
Open for dinner Monday - Thursday from 5:00 to 10PM and Friday - Saturday from 5:00 to 11PM
Reservations would be wise
Great post! Thanks for sharing!
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