Sasa: More of the Fusion Invasion in Walnut Creek

In the past year, at least five restaurants serving Fusion cuisine have opened in Walnut Creek. My description of Fusion cuisine is that it is a combination of Asian and American foods and preparations.

While I think that the large number of Fusion restaurants in Walnut Creek might be a bit too much of a good thing, this is not stopping me from trying them. In June I wrote about Vanessa's Bistro 2, where the Fusion dishes have a Vietnamese slant.

Today, Melia and I tried out Sasa, where the Asian emphasis is Japanese. Sasa describes itself as a "Japanese Izakaya." Japanese Isakayas are tradional small plate restaurants where people go to unwind and visit all day long, sort of a Japanese version of a Dim Sum restaurant.

So far of the newer Fusion places I've tried, Sasa is my favorite.

For lunch today, we shared four dishes from the "To Share or Not" part of the menu. These dishes are Small Plates and priced at Lunch at $6 for one, $11 for two, and $15 for three.

We started with a selection of three:



* The Farmer's Veggie Roll, a serving of 5 pieces of a seasonal vegetable Maki Roll
* Tempura Prawns Lettuce Wraps, a serving of 2 large prawns, each on on a pile of butter lettuce leaves
* Spicy Grilled Baby Back Riblets, 4 sauced riblets with a side purple cabbage salad

The presentation of our selections was beautiful and all were very tasty. The Prawn dish was my favorite. The sauce on the Ribs was a bit too sweet for my taste, but all dishes were outstanding.

Wanting just a little something more to complete our meal, we ordered the Sweet Corn Fritters, which were freshly fried and bursting with the flavor of the fresh sweet corn which is at the height of its season right now.



We each enjoyed a pot of flowering tea with our relaxing lunch.



Sasa's lunch menu also offers larger plates such as Three Mini Chicken Teriyaki Burgers, a Soft Shell Crab Club Sandwich, Soba Noodles, and lots of Sushi.

The dinner menu features a similar mix of Small and Large Plates and dedicates an entire section of the menu to what's fresh from the local Farmer's Markets. Much of Sosa's fresh seafood is delivered daily from Tokyo's Tsukiji fish market (the largest fish market in the world) and Oahu's Auction Block.

Sasa's emphasis on fresh and seasonal food was showcased in each dish that we enjoyed today.

There are two dining rooms. The front room has a mix of booths and high tables. The back dining room is all tables. And, there is also seating on an outdoor patio.

DINNER AT VANESSA'S BISTRO 2 IN WALNUT CREEK

Walnut Creek is rapidly becoming the East Bay/Contra Costa center for Asian/Fusion restaurants. It seems that a new place opens just about every other day.

While I exaggerate a bit, I personally think it is getting a bit overdone...more so than Italian did a few years back.

Jim and I already have our favorites, but are always willing to give the newcomers a try. We've been to Elevé which we enjoyed but, because we were one of the very few customers in there the night we dined, we've not been back...I always am uncomfortable when I see more servers than customers and, while it may be unfounded, tend to think the ingredients can't be the freshest if they are only serving a few customers on a given evening.

The other night, we were in the mood for Vietnamese food after a movie in Walnut Creek. We already love elegant, but comfortable Le Cheval and the more modest Da Lat. But I proposed that we try somewhere new.

We chose Vanessa's Bistro 2, a Vietnamese French place that has been open for a few months. Vanessa's may be new to Walnut Creek, but not to the San Francisco Bay Area. Chef Vanessa Dang has had a Berkeley restaurant for three years and, with her children, decided to expand to Walnut Creek. Her son Michael Nguyen owns the Walnut Creek restaurabt.

Vanessa's occupies a space that previously was a Japanese restaurant. It has a long busy bar, where you can eat also, and several tables in the main dining room where you enter. There is another dining room off the back of the main room. The decor is simple but stylish. I liked the ambiance immediately.

The restaurant describes its menu as "Vietnamese Tapas with a French Twist."

Right off Jim questioned having Tapas in an Asian restaurant, saying that Tapas are Spanish. I calmed him down, with an explanation that, these days, small plates are being called "tapas" regardless of the cuisine.

To my surprise, the menu is not all tapas; there are several full-sized entrées. This being our first time here, I asked if the larger dishes could be shared, as I frequently do in Asian restaurants. Our server assured us that all dishes are able to be shared.

We decided on two Small Plates (Tapas) from about 20 choices and one entrée-sized Seafood dish.

Our Tapa selections were Crispy Saigon Chicken Rolls



and Panko Crusted Fish Tacos.



The Chicken Rolls were served in a bowl with lettuce leaves and shredded carrot, mint, and daikon. Our server told us to wrap a roll in a lettuce leaf with the vegetables and dip it in Nuoc Mam Cham sauce that accompanied them.

The Fish Tacos were garnished with avocado and other tasty vegetables.

Our larger dish was Sautéed Jumbo Prawns & Day Boat Scallops with Vegetables in Thai Basil Coconut Curry.



We might have ordered more but our server told us that this would be enough. She was correct and we did not order dessert because we were more than satisfied with the amount of food we'd eaten for our meal. Another time, I have to at least save room for their Tarte Tatin, an upside-down caramelized French friut tart that I rarely pass up.

The wine list features over 50 wines by the glass and over 150 wines by the bottle. By the glass wine is offered in 2 ounce and 4 ounce servings. We both chose 4-ounce glasses of an Albarino from Spain; it was perfect with our meal.

I enjoyed every dish. The ingredients were fresh, the flavors wonderful. I'm planning to return again soon to sample more of the menu. I've been told that their Sandwiches (Rib Eye, Roasted Pork, Crab) are wonderful and there are several Small Plates that intrigue me (Green Papaya Salad with Poached Prawns, Maple Leaf Duck Confit Lettuce Wrap, Salt & Pepper Calamari, Shaking Beef,to name a few). Jim, on the other hand, liked what he ate, but likes our "regular places" better.