Woksabi in Collingswood

Collingswood was not always a hip town, but as of late, it’s easy to find great food on every corner. One of the best of these fresh, interesting restaurants is Woksabi, which specializes in exceptional Japanese-American fusion sushi.

Located on Haddon Avenue, Woksabi offers an array of sushi, sashimi, and hibachi served up in their modern restaurant.  Decorated with exposed brick, leather seating, and neon lights, Woksabi is not your typical Japanese restaurant, but that is exactly what makes them special.

Last week, my family and I went for dinner.  We were seated immediately by the friendly hostess, and our waiter was not far behind.  The restaurant is BYOB, however, we went mid-week and decided to stay relatively tame opting for the wonderful starters in place of wine.  The appetizers are plentiful and the traditional Edamame is delicious, but I convinced everyone to try the Spicy Tuna Pizza.

The tuna has a light spice to it,  not overpowering, and the creamy sauce blends the flavors brilliantly.  The heat of the jalapenos doesn’t disrupt the incredible tuna flavor a bit, and the roe makes for a tasty touch.  After our appetizer, all four of us selected different Signature Rolls to share.  Woksabi’s sushi is to die for, and I can’t imagine ordering anything else.  We chose the Rainbow Roll, Spider Roll, Manhattan Roll, and Volcano Roll, but I must say, we didn’t do much sharing.

The Rainbow Roll is a wonderful blend of raw tuna, salmon, and whitefish with delicate slivers of avocado on white rice and sprinkled with roe.  I order this every time I go, because it is a great, safe choice to combine with the more daring sushi options that Woksabi offers.  (Trust me, you want to try those options).  The freshness of the avocado gives this roll a really delicious, light flavor that acts as a palate cleanser between bites of the other, more out-there choices.

The Manhattan Roll, while not a particularly crazy combination, is still far more loaded with flavors and spices than the Rainbow.  It perfectly marries spicy tuna, salmon, and yellowtail with avocado together with a  light frying.  The spiciness is light and flavorful, as opposed to overbearing, and  is perfect with the sweet, creamy sauce.  But it is the delicate crunch of the frying that brings this dish to another level.  Fried sushi isn’t specific to Woksabi, but there’s something about the way they do it that puts the others to shame.  It’s deliciously crunchy and encases the burst of sushi flavor inside brilliantly, and it’s never over-battered or greasy.  Any of the fried sushi options at Woksabi are a must-order!

The Spider Roll departs from the more fishy fare of the previous two by focusing on soft shell crab.  Also unlike the others, this roll is cooked, and the richness of the crab is offset by a lovely cool crunch provided by shredded cucumber.  My mother, a very picky sushi-eater, loved this one, and the fact that it’s cooked was an added bonus for her.  Lastly, the Volcano Roll offered another lightly fried, spicy tuna option, but this one was served with an eel sauce.  It roll isn’t as spicy as the name would suggest, the tuna tasting instead like a slightly spicier version of the Manhattan, sans roe and sauce garnishes.

We cleaned our rolls up in no time, and the new dessert menus were brought out.  Crème Brule, a Chocolate Pyramid, and Chocolate Souffle were my family’s choices, but I decided on Red Bean Ice Cream, a really interesting Japanese flavor that I’ve come to love.  It’s sweet and rich, hard to compare to anything mainstream, and very unlike what you would expect of an ice cream named after beans.  It arrived fried, which I wasn’t expecting, but it created an interesting casing around the chilly center that wasn’t unpleasant and made a sweet finish to the meal.

If you are looking for something different Woksabi is your restaurant.  Beautiful, delicious, and affordable, Sushi afficionados and newbies alike can come and enjoy the restaurant’s fantastic take on traditional Japanese sushi.

Woksabi

(856) 858-6688

Hours:

Lunch
Mon – Sat: 11:30am – 3:00pm

Dinner

Mon – Thurs: 3:00pm – 10:00pm
Fri & Sat: 3:00pm – 11:00pm
Sunday: 4:00pm – 10:00pm

Casey Foedisch is a Rutgers-Camden college student living in Burlington County and working on her B.A. in English.  In her free time, she enjoys eating her way through the towns around her and sharing ‘people food’ with her pony.