Tucked into a small plaza on Lasalle Boulevard, across from the New Sudbury Centre, is Wagyu Japanese BBQ, one of the city's newest restaurants.
The sign atop the entrance to the all-you-can-eat establishment is neither bright or flashy and if you weren't looking for it, you'd miss it.
It's worth looking for it though, because if you miss it, you're missing out, say the proprietors.
Wagyu in Japanese translates to “the best,” and the restaurant tries to live up to its name, offering one of the most unique, friendly, and not least of all, tasty, dining experiences you'll find in Greater Sudbury.
The Japanese BBQ-style restaurant is one that has been popular for years in Toronto and other larger centres, but hadn't made its way to Sudbury until Wagyu opened on June 6.
Owners Ocean Yu and Eve Liu have lived in Sudbury for three years and have long been fans of Asian BBQ restaurants.
The format at these restaurants is always similar whether it's Japanese, Korean, Mongolian, or Chinese: The menu is all you can eat, and plates of food are brought out where you cook them on a grill built right into the table.
“We've always loved this kind of restaurant and we wanted to bring it to the people of Sudbury,” said Liu.
The couple met in China through their shared love of snowboarding; Ocean is half Chinese-half Japanese and Eve is Chinese. Ocean moved to Sudbury three years ago and Eve wasn't far behind.
The two share a passion for Japanese cuisine, which played a major part in their decision to opt for opening a Japanese BBQ.
“My uncle taught me a lot about Japanese cooking,” said Yu. “I learned a lot from him and from my mother.”
While most of the cooking at Wagyu is done by the customers, all of the marinades and preparation are done by Ocean and Eve the previous night.
“That's the one thing we keep secret, the recipes for the marinades and the sauces,” laughed Eve.
Everything else at Wagyu is a completely open experience and Eve can often be found circulating the restaurant providing cooking tips and tricks for her customers.
“When people come in the first thing I always ask is whether it's their first time,” she said. “Some like to experiment with their own style, some will ask for help.”
The sharing of knowledge goes both ways, according to Ocean, who says he's picked up some tips from customers.
“I've learned things from people who come in here to eat and they'll tell me a different way that they prepare or cook certain dishes,” he said.
The menu at Wagyu isn't enormous, but offers plenty of variety for mixing and matching different meats and vegetables and sauces.
The meats include chicken, spicy chicken, wagyu beef, beef ribs, pork belly, chicken sausage, along with seafood like mussels, calamari and shrimp.
Veggies include onion, green pepper, mushrooms, sweet potato, white potato, and lettuce. The menu also includes miso soup, udon and two types of rice, as well as a selection of sushi rolls.
Eve isn't shy about offering suggestions for mixing different items, like rolling a piece of pork belly in a leaf of lettuce and dressing it with some spicy chili sauce.
“There's so many different ways you can eat here, it's a personal choice and everyone does it a little different,” she said.
What the couple really enjoy about the Japanese BBQ style restaurant is the atmosphere and setting.
“It's small and cozy, it feels like a family meal when you eat here,” said Eve. “It's also interactive, everyone is cooking their own foods and talking while they're doing it instead of being on their phones.”
Ocean plans to expand the menu soon to include salmon, lamb, and butter rice among others, and they are looking to get their liquor licence soon and will offer sake on the drink menu.
The restaurant itself, while small, can seat groups of up to 20 with each table able to seat four people per grill.
If you're looking for something new and fun for your next family or group outing, Wagyu will definitely provide a new and unique experience.
Wagyu Japanese BBQ is located at 1212 Lasalle Blvd. Groups of more than four are advised to call in advance to make a reservation at 705-566-8880.
