Wa Restaurant   

Opened by a trio of sushi chefs and graduates from the Matsuhisa hall of fish, Wa occupies the unlikeliest of locations: a mini-mall anchored by a 7-Eleven convenience store. Wa's food exudes a flamboyance that is relatively absent in the atmosphere, with a bevy of creative Japanese dishes such as the Chilean sea bass with eggplant and the popular Spanish mackerel served up alongside singular sushi rolls like the delicious toro or giant clam sliver cloaked in a shawl of seaweed. Even if the sushi is priced singly instead of in pairs, who can deny the chutzpah of a sushi joint that actually has the smelt eggs to put 'fois gras' on the menu? Matsuhisa faithfuls may recognize other ballsy concoctions such as the broiled Santa Barbara spot prawn smothered by ochre sea urchin in a silken beurre blanc or the salmon roll served with cocktail sauce. As with most sushi joints, ask the affable chefs what's best that specific day.