A Merger of Cuisines, With Sushi in the Fore
Dec 30, 2010
 LIKE many other Asian restaurants that strain their resources in an attempt to satisfy the tastes of all potential customers, Oishii Asian Fusion succeeds only some of the time. Although a couple of dishes that I tried recently — like the tasty tuna tortilla, similar to a small pizza of tuna slices drizzled with a tangy Japanese mayonnaise — merged or fused elements from non-Asian cuisines, this restaurant’s menu is more pan-Asian than fusion, with specific offerings culled from the Far East and Southeast Asia.
Not surprisingly, almost half of the menu lists items from the busy sushi counter. Most of the standard fish for sushi and sashimi — tuna, scallop, salmon, yellowtail — were fresh-tasting and nicely cut to avoid any sinew. But be sure to ask the price when ordering from the blackboard menu.
The delicate, buttery o-toro tuna went for $8 apiece. It’s a pity, then, that the sushi rice was bland and that the nuggets of rice supporting the fish were poorly compressed and disintegrated easily. Rolls, too, were not adequately seasoned, although the Oishii roll benefited from a sweet eel sauce. Rainbow naruto, a riceless roll wrapped with thin shavings of cucumber, also lacked cohesion, leaving its center of decent tuna, yellowtail, avocado and tobiko scattered on the plate.
The plain raw fish needed something to bring up their flavor. And more dishes could have used the lively touches that enhanced the excellent truffle white tuna (five gossamer cuts of fish dressed in citric yuzu mixed with fragrant truffle oil) or the Japanese crudo, a diner’s choice of fish lightly marinated in sweet-sour rice vinegar.
 Appetizers like hamachi kama were also successful. The flesh on this roasted jaw bone of a small yellowtail was sparse but delicious. And the fillings for steamed duck dumplings and pan-fried pork dumplings were still chunky and distinct, not overly processed. Only tough minced chicken in a mixture cupped in lettuce leaves lacked flavor.
But my biggest disappointment was the nabeyaki udon. In this frosty post-holiday season, a simmering nabeyaki udon suits the weather, my diet and my wallet. Here this one-pot noodle soup was poorly stocked and carelessly layered: the lukewarm, weak broth was too cool to poach the egg, which seemed to have been cooked separately, and two stiff, heavy shrimp tempura — usually at the top of the layers along with the egg — came served on the side.
Over my three visits, the very best of the entrees was a dish of grilled and succulent lemongrass shrimp set on a bed of steamed bok choy. Almost as satisfying was mildly spicy Sambal Delight, a pastry bowl overflowing with fresh al dente vegetables, pieces of chicken, huge scallops and shrimp. But sesame-crusted salmon was practically crisp from overcooking, sea bass took its flavor from the accompanying gingery sauce, and the pancakes for duck fajitas, a riff on Peking duck, were tough.
Prices are a tad high, not necessarily for the quality of the ingredients but for the lack of finesse at the sushi counter and in the kitchen. In an area thick with pan-Asian and real Asian fusion restaurants, Oishii should pay more attention to details, like seasonings. And the market price for blackboard items should be posted in full view. Ordering carefully, one can eat well here. Right now, Oishii’s biggest advantage is its location, conveniently across the road from a Target.
Oishii Asian Fusion
176 Norh Bedford Road
Mt Kisco, N.Y. 10549
P.914.666.2348
P. 914.218.8995
F. 914.666.2738
http://oishiiasianfusion.com/
Posted on December 30, 2010 by M. H. REED in The New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/02/nyregion/02dinewe.html
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