April 2011
While the name Tsunami conjures up some pretty vivid images from around the world, Jerusalem's own Tsunami is a diamond in the ruff. Located right near the major intersection of Agron St., King David St, and the entrance to the Mamilla Mall, Tsunami is basically a small store front between the 'falafel guy' and the kiosk! But once you enter, you see that the owners have taken care to ensure that your dining experience will be perfect.
The height of the bar and matching stools are extraordinarily comfortable. Traditional tables line the wall and eating areas as well, and each is equipped with a computer touch screen to easily see menu items and get answers to those questions we always seem to be asking.
For example, is the maki the one with the rice on the outside? (A: yes, if it is the I/O one - Inside/Out) Is the yellowtail a type of fish? (A: you betcha). What's the soup of the day? (A: Miso...of course!).
Our family of 4 ordered plenty of food and the amount left over testifies that main dish portions were abundant. We started with the piping hot miso soup (12NIS) - it was spiced just right, and had chunks of seaweed, tofu and some veggies. Then we went for sushi and maki, ordering a combination platter (the Green Dragon - 46NIS), which included 24 pieces of a variety of items. All were good: inside/outs with shitaki mushrooms, the tofu tempura maki and the avocado maki, too. We also ordered the sweet potato maki, "just to try it", and it too was very good - fresh, tasty and they don't skimp on the ingredients.
We shared some main courses which included an order of Yakituri - fried, almost tempura-like chunks - your choice of tofu, chicken, salmon or entrecote, served with rice and this delicious teriyaki-style sauce; and the Yoshinoya - your choice of veggies, chicken or entrecote cooked sort of like a rice casserole with another terrific sauce. The dishes were all served promptly and hot. We enjoyed every bite.
Our waiter, a linguist who entertained his clients in Russian, Hebrew and English, was quick to be generous with the pickled ginger, soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, wasabi, napkins and more. I mention this because personally, I really don't enjoy having to stop every so often and wait to flag someone down just to get more of this or that.
And the tea. I was expecting maybe the Israeli version of Green Tea, but no, the waiter brought out the can of imported loose tea leaves (with ne'er a word of English or Hebrew on it!) and prepared a delicious pot of tea.
Kudos to Tsunami - they offer a full fish, meat and vegetarian menu for all items. In addition, they have some very attractive deals: 30NIS business lunch, all you can eat dim sum Sundays (89NIS), all you can eat sushi Tuesdays (89NIS), and student Mondays (20% discount on the entire menu). And the bar - very well stocked (who knew there were so many kinds of vodka?).
So, next time you are downtown, head over in this direction and enjoy a good meal. Or call in advance for take-away or delivery.
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