Sasa

Buzzing with energy, authenticity, and an attentive wait staff, Sasa in Downtown Walnut Creek is the new Izakaya—style eatery to hit the downtown scene. Traditionally serving small plates, “Izakaya” is a compound word consisting of “I” (to sit) and “sakaya” (sake shop). Sasa has embraced this concept beautifully and offers patrons a beautiful space to dine with friends and enjoy a vast array of sake.

Situated at 1432 North Main Street Walnut Creek in the historic 100 year-old building that for many years housed the Walnut Creek Meat Market, Sasa delights guests not only with great food but with a spectacular ambiance. While the building is old, the look and feel of Sasa’s dining room is anything but. Modern touches include a lighted water feature, abstract lighting, a full contemporary bar space, and agate tables in the front lounge area. Sasa’s owner Phillip Yang worked closely with interior designer Jackson Santos for two years, ensuring that the look and feel of Sasa matched Phillips creative direction for the restaurant overall. Their collaboration truly paid off as Sasa is a delight for all senses.

On our most recent visit Trendy Eats got a surplus of small bites that left our mouth watering. Our recommendation is to enjoy Sasa omakase style—meaning, allowing the chef to make fresh fish selections for you. Sasa uses only the highest quality fish most of which comes from local markets, but there are even a few varieties that are flown in daily from Tokyo. Other delights include the Ahi Parfait, a light treat that is made of avocado, crème fraiche, crispy mochi rice, black tobiko and lemon oil—it’s the chilled perfect treat on a warm summer evening. We also really enjoyed many treats from the hot side of the menu which were all designed and tested by chef Sam Castro; the slow cooked Crispy Duck Leg, and our favorite the River Stone Grilled Steak—All of Sasa’s menu offerings are delicious and beautifully presented. We would like to call out the presentation of the grilled steak served sizzling hot atop a heated stone—delicious and beautiful.

Sasa does offer a complete list of sushi rolls as well. According to General Manager Suzan Rizer the most frequently ordered roll is the Sasa, which is spicy tuna, tempura prawns, and avocado—one bite and it’s not hard to see why it’s the most popular.

We can’t write about Sasa without extensively going though the cocktail and sake list. With the help of award-winning mixologist Manny Hinjosa, bar manager Eric Matsui has put together a killer cocktail menu. If you like a little spice you have got to try the Ring of Fire Martini made with El Jimador 100% agave tequila, pineapple and lime juice, agave nectar and giving it the Asian attitude and supplying the spice is the last ingredient, Sriracha sauce.

Moving on; the Twisted Pear is a sticky sweet super scrumptious martini consisting of Absolute pear vodka, ginger syrup, lime juice, pear puree and soda water, great for happy hour or at the beginning of your meal. We could talk about this menu all day but probably don’t have the time or the paper, so to wrap up, among other fun drinks are the L’Orange Pomegranate Martini, pretty self explanatory, and of course, the sake. Sasa has a very comprehensive offering—there are twenty filtered premium sake all of which are of the highest quality and served cold. There are several Murai Family offerings but my favorite is the nigori, which is unfiltered, creamy, and has a sweet finish. Very delicious and refreshing! Another popular sake is the Happy Rice which is filtered and is a little drier—an excellent choice. And we would also like to mention that Sasa has really cool non-alcoholic drink as well, but to see those you just have to go down and check out the place for yourself.

Now we at Trendy Eats love sushi, we eat it at least once a week, but have never been the type of dinners to order dessert at a Japanese Restaurant. But you would be doing yourself a disservice if you left Sasa without trying the Matcha Green Tea Crème Brulee; absolutely delicious! Also on the “gotta have it” list is the Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta with strawberry-basil soup, the flavors in this dessert are marvelous and it really makes a great summer treat as it’s light and served chilled.

To take a step back and evaluate our experience at Sasa, we can truly tell you its one-of-a-kind, from the modern original décor to the incredibly knowledgeable staff, we would like to wrap up saying come with an open mind, trust your waiter, and let them really help you maneuver the menu, as Americans perhaps we don’t know that much about Japanese cuisine, but let us tell you that the staff at Sasa does! Manager Susan Rizer took a month’s tasting, traveling, and immersing herself in the culture, getting to know the ins and outs of this fare as if it was her own restaurant.

Chef/Owner, Philip Yang (proprietor & owner of Blue Gingko, Lafayette) is lucky to have such a dedicated manager and staff. As the weather heats up be sure to check out Sasa’s patio. We believe it’s quite possibly the most perfect spot to gather with friends, enjoy fresh exciting food and relax with a specialty drink or refreshing chilled Sake.
PHOTOS, Opposite; Sasa’s Interior: