RAVE: AZUMA sushi

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  • #589982

    Cali101
    Member

    I just have to say that Azuma sushi is so yummy, so laid back, so fresh, so prompt. I love going here. I think Mashikos (sp?) is super good too, but I am not a big fan of the scene there. Azuma feels very homey and has always been great.

    #659495

    Gina
    Participant

    The food, service and surroundings at Azuma is great. If I have visitors from other parts of Seattle that want sushi, I bring them there. They also have enjoyed Azuma.

    Mashiko has very high quality product. It is not a place to bring visitors that have not memorized “The Rules.”

    #659496

    Creighton
    Member

    I agree. Azuma is casual (almost ugly, but that’s ok) and I don’t feel rushed eating. However, Mashiko does have higher quality fish, but you pay for it with the aforementioned ‘rules’. I really, really, really, want someone to open a Blu C here in West Seattle. My wife and I would be there every other night.

    #659497

    TheHouse
    Member

    Awesome sushi and their owner/sushi chef rocks! I love stopping in for lunch!

    #659498

    Traci
    Member

    This post inspired us to get sushi last night… We went to Mashiko and it was AWESOME! I forgot how addictive that stuff is, and it was surprisingly afforadable given no booze or fancypants food.

    We’ll have to try Azuma next :) Thanks WSB for keeping me hungry!

    #659499

    squareeyes
    Participant

    What are the ‘rules’ at Mashiko?

    #659500

    chef
    Member

    Square – the rules are “tongue in cheek” and are meant to be funny; things like “soy sauce is not a food group”, etc……

    I can’t believe people are knocking Mashiko – a restaurant that has been voted best Sushi in Seattle MANY times – Azuma can’t even come close and has never been nominated!!!!

    We eat at Mashiko at least once a week and the owner, Hajime, is absolutely the best at his craft. He even has been featured in this month’s City Dog Magazine for making “doggie” sushi rolls.

    For those of you who want mediocre, run-of-the-mill, ho-hum sushi – go to Azuma. If you want the real deal from Japan from an expert chef – you can’t beat Mashiko!!! Just make sure you make a reservation now – they get pretty crowded.

    #659501

    flowerpetal
    Member

    Mashiko takes reservations? I haven’t been there in a couple of years. While it is clearly excellent sushi, it is way too noisy in that place for my dining experience.

    #659502

    Gina
    Participant

    “The Rules” at Mashiko are NOT tongue in cheek.

    Try going there with visitors that inadvertantly ask a question of the staff, that is stated in “The Rules”.

    I thought they were tongue in cheek also, that no place of business would humiliate someone for asking a question that is standard in the eating out trade.

    I was wrong.

    It wasn’t “I’m sorry, no separate checks.”

    “We state that IN THE RULES! NO SEPARATE CHECKS! DIDN’T YOU READ THE RULES!”

    Kind of shook up the gals I was with.

    The food was of excellent flavor and ingredients.

    But it was not enjoyed.

    Toyoda Sushi in Lake City also has sushi of excellent quality. And you can enjoy your food without waiter hissy fits.

    “mediocre, run-of-the-mill, ho-hum sushi ” tastes great when you don’t have a headache and upset stomach from the service.

    Mashiko was a place I visited five times over a two year period to try to give it a chance to shine, as it has in many reviews. Tried early, tried late.

    Azuma is a workhorse. Whether they are slammed, or if you are the only person there, you still get excellent service.

    #659503

    chef
    Member

    Gina – we are friends with the owner and all of the wait staff and have never been treated rudely – EVER – IN 10 YEARS!!! And yes, the rules for the most part are tongue in cheek.

    And no separate checks is a rule in almost every restaurant these days – it’s costly and troublesome for servers.

    All I can say Gina is you get back what you put out.

    #659504

    Cali101
    Member

    Please don’t get me wrong, I think Mashiko is delicious! But when my husband and I are dining on a work night, the low key atmosphere of Azuma is just what we need, and we are well fed at a reasonable price. Always good and speedy service! And, consistenly delicious. It may not be the most popular like mashiko, I am just saying it is damn good and does the job when I am in the mood for sushi.

    #659505

    Traci
    Member

    Aw, sucks that you got bad service. They didn’t object to us splitting the check last night, so you may have had a cranky server. In contrast to your experience, we were blown away by the attention we got, I swear there were like four people waiting on us and the chef was incredibly attentive at the bar.

    Gina, I’m not trying to invalidate your opinion at all – just throwing in my two cents :) Also I must add that I’m no sushi expert. The stuff that I get at midnight from Safeway is magical too!

    #659506

    russfin
    Member

    Azuma all of the way for me. More laid back and friendly service……including the chef! To each his own though. I can see the draw in going to Mashiko.

    #659507

    sunshine
    Participant

    I’ve definitely been treated like I wasn’t cool enough for Mashiko on 3 of the 4 times I’ve been there. And on 4 of the 4 times I felt like I was overpaying.

    I’ll have to give Azuma a try!

    For what it’s worth, I love the sushi and service AND the price at Kamei (across the street). It could be a little better in the ambience department – but when I gotta have sushi that doesn’t matter :)

    #659508

    Sue
    Participant

    sunshine, we are regulars at Kamei and love it there. I’ve never actually been to the other 2 sushi places; I never felt like I was lacking anything at Kamei to try somewhere else.

    #659509

    beachdrivegirl
    Participant

    I must be out of touch or something we go to mashikos all of the time for dinner and 1) have never been treated rudely & 2) never have known that their were “rules” Asuma is good when you are in a rush but if you want quality go to Mashikos.

    #659510

    sunshine
    Participant

    Maybe you get better service at Mashiko if you are a regular or friends of the owner and staff?

    That’s probably true of almost every restaurant.

    #659511

    villagegreen
    Member

    Azuma la posición!

    #659512

    vincent
    Member

    Mashiko is bratty enough that I avoid it unless its a specific request. I shouldn’t have to kiss up to get decent service at a restaurant. Also, its not great sushi at Mashiko, its Asian fusion. Sushi doesn’t have cilantro in it. There are plenty of amazing places for real sushi in seattle, and Mashiko isn’t one of them, and thats more or less the point, you go for the sideshow, the rules and the bidet toilet.

    #659513

    Traci
    Member

    Vincent, I didn’t go to Mashiko for the bidet toilet, I went for a good meal. The service was far from “bratty”.

    #659514

    beachdrivegirl
    Participant

    wow i must be completely removed from the world becuase not only did i not know that mashiko had “rules” but i didnt know that they had a bidet toilet.

    #659515

    JenV
    Member

    I wouldn’t care if Mashiko had the best sushi in town – I was treated so rudely there 10 years ago that I have never been back. Nice to know they’re just as snotty as they were when they opened.

    I love Azuma – I have not tried Kamei, but there have been plenty of recommendations here, so might have to give it a shot.

    #659516

    bsmomma
    Participant

    Raw fish………barf. I’ll take a well done cheese burger!

    #659517

    LStephens
    Participant

    Chef, while your opinion is appreciated, was it really necessary to trash the competition?

    #659518

    angelescrest
    Participant

    Azuma’s just fine with us; comfy food in a comfortable atmosphere. Nice miso–lovely salad dressing.

    Villagegreen: cool! ¡Azuma! (¡= alt + 173)

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