Leona Watabe

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By Dave Califano

Photography By Jennifer Polixenni Brankin

Husband and wife restaurateurs, Mitsuyuki and Leona Watabe have spent the past 13 years treating Tucsonans to some of the best Japanese food and sushi in the city. Now, they bring their skills to the Northwest with their newest restaurant, Osake Asian Bistro.

OVM: Where are you from originally?

LW: I am Korean. I grew up there. I grew up in the southwestern city of Chunju. Yuki is from Japan. He was born in Tokyo and raised in Nagoya.

OVM: How did you and Yuki meet?

LW: I met Yuki because my aunt and his family are long time friends. The Asian community is pretty small and sometimes Yuki would come to my aunt’s house. And sometimes my friend would have a karaoke party at his house and Yuki was always invited. I would go to his house and things like that.

OVM:What did you and Yuki do before opening Osake Asian Bistro?

LW: Yuki was in San Diego. He owned a restaurant in the La Jolla area. He was in Palm Springs and Los Angeles, too. Yuki came to Tucson in 1989 and I have been in Tucson since 1995. He was a chef at Sakura from 1989 to 1996ish. Then we opened Yuki Sushi together. We started the first Yuki Sushi in 1996 and sold it in 2006. A second Yuki Sushi was open from 2000 to 2004. Both have different owners now. We opened Osake last June [2008]. I handle the management side and he handles the food side. Since we have been in business it has been that way.

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OVM: Why did you choose to open Osake Asian Bistro in Catalina* this time around?

LW: Tucson is growing on the west side and we were looking for something on this side of town. We were also looking for something that was smaller than we used to own. I think this side of town will surely grow in the future.

OVM: Has it been tough opening a restaurant in such a difficult economic environment?

LW: All of my friends say that we aren’t doing bad for a new business. Because of Yuki we have great food. I try to give customers personal service so I am here all the time. My son helps me and my cousin helps me too. Pretty much it is a very small family crowd so we can give very personal and excellent service to our customers. So hopefully when the market turns around we can have really good success. We’ve been in the restaurant business for quite a long time so hopefully I don’t make any big huge mistakes. This side of town is a little bit different than what I was in before. I am still learning this side of town and the marketing.

OVM: How is the marketing different?

LW: It used to be when I advertised I was very comfortable because there was a very central Tucson area and there was a lot there. A lot my friends owned businesses there and would give me information and help me to figure it out but I am still learning this side of town. It’s a growing and expanding area and we have a lot of regular customers coming here so we just need to be patient and let more people know that we’re here.

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OVM: What is the menu like?

LW: I am Korean so we have some Korean dishes. We do have some Chinese dishes but mostly Japanese and sushi. When it comes to the food, Yuki has to satisfy my tongue before anybody elses. He is very adventurous and different minded than the traditional Japanese sushi chef. He cannot ever be boring.

The menu is a little bit different [than at Yuki Sushi]. We have a lot more salads and noodles. We added a lot of fusion style to the menu. Over the years with our business we have learned what works well. We used to have a lot of specials and at Osake those specials are now on our regular menu.

Also when we owned Yuki Sushi we had a lot of different types of cold sake. But we don’t have a sake menu like we used to, with over 40 different kinds, but we do have a good sake menu.

OVM: Do you find that more people eat sushi now than before?

LW: Yes, over the years I see people becoming more adventurous. Until you try it you never know. I have taken away a lot of people’s sushi aversion. They’re like, ‘Now I can do sushi.’

Osake Asian Bistro is located at 15318 N. Oracle Road, Suite 180. For hours and information, call 520.825.8228 or visit OsakeAsianBistro.com.

* Correction: The print issue mistakingly places Osake Asian Bistro in Marana. It is in Catalina, not Marana.

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