Wasabi

LOCATION: Natick Mall Natick, MA (shocker!)
TYPE OF FOOD: Sushi
REVIEW: I'm going to come out and say that I do not like malls. They do not entertain me. They do not amuse me. They do not make me laugh, or cry, or feel any strong emotions (except for bad, BAD deals... this is why we must have haggling, people! Put it up for vote! All for, raise your hands! I can't see them, but... do them anyway! Please?). Malls only make me want to riff every store I pass by alas Mystery Science Theater 3000, but it's kind of odd to hear someone passing by a L.L. Bean saying, "Maine! In Massachusetts!" However, one thing has sparked my interest at the Natick Mall, especially in recent times. And no, it's not Teavana (but they do have Teavana, the samples are so good, especially after the second... third... fourth time you have them! Come on, you've done it... you've done it, right?). The thing came, plop, right in the center of the mall, and it's simply known as Wasabi.

Having been seated down with a menu, I quickly glanced over it. Of course I wasn't going to purchase anything from the menu. All I had to do was wait. Just wait. Why? Because this sushi wasn't any normal sushi you would get at Whole Foods (though Whole Foods sushi is de- another review! Another review!). This sushi was on a conveyor belt, or more correctly, thing that went round and round with dishes of sushi with their names on them. All one had do to (again I use this phrase)was pluck the sushi dish off the belt, take off the plastic cover, place the cover back on the belt, take your chopsticks and dig in. Or more correctly, eat. Digging in's rude, you know?

Before the food came a cup of green tea, which was perfectly brewed and warmed nicely. The first dish I got was seaweed salad. While it sounds strange, it's one of the healthiest things one could eat. The seaweed was very nice, with a somewhat-nutty flavor. There was plenty on the dish, so it took me some time to eat, but I savored every bite of the delicious algae. Next was a salmon-avocado roll, which, being my favorite sushi combination, I took short work of. While I don't normally eat white rice, the white rice here was good and matched well with the flavoring of the salmon and avocado. Next came some crabsticks, which are basically just a long stick of crabmeat on rice wrapped in a thin strip of dried seaweed. The crab had a slight salty, fishy flavor to it and the texture was something along the lines of a carrot stick. I had no problem with this (despite the fact that I don't like very salty food)and the sushi was done pretty quickly. After the crab came more salmon, this time cooked and by itself with rice. This, despite being not the most exciting thing, was delicious and it quickly vanished off the plate. As a palate cleanser, I decided on some fruit kabobs from the belt. The fruit was fresh, juicy and nice, and it was a nice conclusion to the meal.

SERVICE: I probably had less time with the service than any other restaurant experience I've had, to be perfectly honest (okay, not perfectly... I only stole a rocking horse from Britain twice... maybe three times). Considering that for the most part you're serving yourself and taking care of yourself, this is perfectly reasonable (again with the perfectly... I hate that word... yet I used it... twice...). From what I could tell, they did seem to be content and were willing to serve. The tea was served traditionally with pots pouring into cups, but otherwise from being content and willing to serve, the service wasn't significant. Is this bad? No. Maybe a little? Not at all. Can it be better? How can it be? Why are there still questions being asked? Wish I knew? Why is that a question? Can we move on? Sure!

ATMOSPHERE: The main piece that drives the atmosphere is, of course, the sushi bar itself. The floors did seem clean, and the colors that were around me were very nice and refreshing. But it's kind of (leaving it at kind of for now, all you jet fast people out there... come on, you know who you are! The people who can look for cleanliness and get octopus at the same time... you know... those people!)hard when you have to focus on trying to eat and if you can't reach it, you could be out of luck. And when I mean out of luck, I mean for a long time. And when I mean a long time, I mean one or two rotations. And it doesn't go very fast. It. Doesn't. Go. Very. Fast. And. I. Kno- okay, I'll stop with the one word sentences for today. Okay. Next. Th- fine! Fine!

PRICE: Each plate, based on the color of it, has a certain price. For instance, one type of plate could be four dollars, while another could be three dollars. Overall, a meal for three without tip could be about fifty dollars or so, including tea (of course!). Considering the high quality of the dishes as well as the portion size, the price is reasonable (though keep in mind: it's fish, not a vegetable and tofu stew... it's expensive... that's what I'm trying to say... because I should know, I watched two whole episodes of Mad Money... long story). Okie dokie, next section! I can declare that now! I write them, don't I? Don't I? DON'T I?! At least I think I do. Do I? Do I? DO I? Um... I'm losing my mind.

RATING: Wasabi is a new, interesting experience in a place I don't particularly like. The food is very good with a good price to match. While there is little atmosphere present, THIS IS A CONVEYOR BELT SUSHI BAR IN A MALL! The service as well has little to speak of, BUT YOU'RE SERVING YOURSELF! EXCUSES, PEOPLE! EXCUSES!!!! OMG!!! EXCUSES!!!! OMG!!! G.T.G. TELL PEEPS 'BOUT EXCUSES! NOW! YEAH!!!!!!! Sorry, I... uh... am losing my mind. That's it. Well... Wasabi gets a four out of five.