Happy Hour at Japonessa

I came across this unique restaurant in Seattle and knew it would be something I’d want to try.  Our flight arrived into Seattle at 8pm and by the time we got to our hotel to check in and freshen up, it was close to 10pm, which was perfect timing to visit Japonessa, as they have Happy Hour from 10pm closing every night.

The official name of the restaurant is Japonessa Sushi Cocina, which might provide you with a hint that it’s not your typical Japanese sushi restaurant.  It is actually a Japanese Latin fusion restaurant, located within a block of Pike Place Market. 

We knew we wanted to visit during Happy Hour because the prices were between 25-50% lower than the regular menu.  Although, not all items from their regular menu are on the Happy Hour menu.  We started off with the Tempura Brie.  I wasn’t quite sure how this would turn out as brie is quite pungent, but it turned out to be one of my favourite items from that night.  The cheese was perfectly fried in tempura batter and the raspberry soy dip that came with it was a perfect pairing.

The next item to arrive was the Kimchi Hot Pot.  You may be wondering why we decided to order a Korean item, but it was a chilly night and we wanted something warm and the description of the Kimchi Hot Pot made it sound exactly like what we wanted.

It turned out to be much smaller than we expected.  I had actually never seen such a small earthenware pot before.  In the end, it was fine as we all still got to try it and it definitely warmed our stomachs.

Next came the main attraction – the rolls.  We ordered the Skin on Skin, the Mexican Ninja, the Seattle Crunch and then we added a Sweet Seduction at the end.  All of them were delicious and it was in the rolls where we really found the infusion of Latin flavours. In particular, the Mexican Ninja was really a perfect pairing of Japanese and Latin flavours.

All in all, we had a great first meal in Seattle.  It wasn’t until the next day that we noticed the restaurant only had a “Good” rating for food safety (not excellent).  It didn’t seem to bother most people as the restaurant was still quite busy for the time of night we were there.