W A Japanese Restaurant on Mass Street, Lawrence, Ks
So there was an occasion to head out on a nice day trip to Lawrence, Ks and celebrate a birthday. What better way to celebrate than by heading to try out W A Japanese Restaurant. After dining in Okinawa, Japan last fall, I will admit that my expectation is sometimes a bit high when eating Japanese style food in the states. So, keep that in mind.
Dinner started with Miso soup and this is one dish that defiantly has been watered down (quite literally) in the states. The fish broth has very little of the strong fish flavor found in many of the Miso soups I tried in Okinawa. This soup was a very simple broth that was warm and had very mild flavor that would be palatable for just about any customer.
The main course was the the Love-Boat selection of Sushimi, California Rolls, Tempura, and Teriyaki Chicken. This only works if all diners in your party are fans of this type of food and open to the variety. This was a great way to sample a variety of the offerings at WA and seriously push the bounds on how much I can actually eat in one sitting. This was absolutely delicious! All the fish was cut well and the rolls were made tightly and stayed together when you picked them up with the chopsticks. Additionally, the fish selections were very flavorful. The Teriyaki chicken was good and the sauce had a very nice balance of sweet and tangy. The tempura batter was a bit thick on some of the selections but it had very nice flavor and was cooked perfectly.
After stuffing myself silly with the delicious array of sushi and sushimi it was time for my favorite Green Tea Ice Cream, and I was a little disappointed. This particular dish was very heavy on the bitter side of Green Tea Ice cream and did not have a pleasant consistency. It was really quite a let down as I had not had the pleasure of having this delectable dessert since my trip overseas. So if I go back to WA, will probably skip this addition.
Overall this was a nice new place to check out. The service was fantastic and very friendly which always goes a long way with me. Generally the food is on par with other Midwest land locked sushi restaurants. The reality is that there is going to be a little bit of taste sacrificed because of that. The ambiance of the restaurant makes it a really nice place to go on a date or other special occasion dinner.
Price Range: $15-35
https://walawrence.com/
