Wasabi Blue Restaurant Review, Ciudad Jardin

Situated to the east of Palma, this small seaside town has a wonderful south-west facing beach with glorious views of Palma and the hills beyond. And with a mix of relaxed sea-front cafes and contemporary restaurants, it’s easy to see why this place has captured the imagination of the next generation of bright young things.

One of the first new style restaurants to open in this area was Wasabi Blue, a sleek and contemporary Japanese restaurant with great views over the Bay of Palma. The Frenchman and I, belatedly following in the footsteps of the cool and trendy set, decided to call in for lunch. Fittingly, we were greeted by a cool and trendy server, who made us feel very welcome and told us to take our pick of the tables. We made a beeline for the last remaining table by the panoramic window overlooking the bay. Menus swiftly arrived, followed by a wonderfully refreshing Japanese beer. A good range of starters, sushi (nigiri, handroll, special rolls), sashimi, tempura and main courses are offered, and you can continue the traditional experience by ordering hot or cold sake. A decent selection of wine is also available. There is a special lunch menu for €15 but for one reason or another, we were not offered it. And actually, we were happy to have the excuse to order a la carte.

We were served a little appetizer of crab sticks in breadcrumbs, with sweet soy drizzled on the top. The Frenchman wrinkled his nose up, expecting them to be like your cheap supermarket crab sticks. Happily, these tasty bites actually tasted like crab. Our first dish was the ‘wasabi salad’ consisting of fresh raw fish on a bed of leaves, with a wafu dressing (like a creamy soy Caesar dressing). It tasted so fresh, we felt instantly energised. The sushi then started to arrive, fast and furious. The salmon nigiri was okay, the small slices of the meaty salmon were a little bit on the dry side – but then I prefer the salmon to be moist and fatty. Spicy tuna temaki (handroll) turned out to be a conical parcel of rice, tuna and avocado wrapped in seaweed and was a big hit with The Frenchman. The prawn tempura roll (special roll, similar presentation to maki)) was more to my liking – still warm prawn tempura in rice wrapped with (this time) moist and fatty slices of salmon. Fresh and delicious. Our final dish was a spider roll (special roll), made with soft shell crab, avocado, masago (fish roe) and wrapped in nori (seaweed). Another big hit with The Frenchman.

As you would expect in a Japanese restaurant, all the dishes were beautifully and artfully presented - sushi platters are served in charming wooden boats. The pale wooden decor felt somewhat Nordic, and the wooden chip chandeliers added an oriental feel to the dining room. Lounge music in the background, and professional, friendly staff help to create a stylish atmosphere. Our bill came to €56, which I think is not too bad for this kind of restaurant, particularly if you consider that our lunch could easily have passed for an evening meal. Portion size was good, and we certainly felt satisfyingly full from our order. I could imagine us returning in the late afternoon, having sundowners by the beach, dinner in Wasabi, followed by cocktails in one of the surrounding bars. And with a taxi only costing €10 from Palma, it’s within easy reach for a night out on the coast – it would not even be unheard of to stroll back to Palma along the well-maintained promenade in the evening warmth; helping the waistline to stay in trim!