Sushi Zen 18c Japanese & Asian Fusion Restaurant
This restaurant is closed.
What's in a name - a very long name? At Sushi Zen 18C Japanese & Asian Fusion Restaurant in Bethpage, a good bit of market psychology.
The word "Zen" denotes a branch of Buddhism. The phrase "18C" (or 18 degrees Celsius) refers to the optimal temperature for serving sushi. And the term "Asian fusion" means a cuisine drawing on both Asian and non-Asian elements. The implication, then, is that this is a place for divine illumination serving sushi at the right temperature and offering the very latest in Japanese and trendy Euro-Asian dishes.
Since the excellent rainbow roll I had was neither too cold nor too warm, I will grant them the 18C thing. But there was only one Asian fusion item (a tortilla wrap) on the menu and, so far as I could tell, no discernible religious enlightenment.
What I found, however, was a commendable - and very pretty - Japanese restaurant whose Korean staff served a nice sampling of dishes from their native country. Nothing wrong with any of that.
To start, we shared a variety of pristinely fresh nigiri sushi - tuna, salmon, yellowtail and some voluptuous sweet raw scallops - each draped over rice. An Alaska roll (salmon with avocado and cucumber) and an eel and avocado roll were simple and ideal. More elaborate but no less pleasing was a "spicy caterpillar" roll comprised of chili-spiked tuna with avocado crowned with roe. An appetizer of tuna tataki - thin slices of ultra-rare blackened tuna in a ponzu sauce - was light and delicate.
Described on the menu as "spicy juicy" sauce, the topping on the succulent broiled green mussels was actually a spicy mayonnaise. I thought it worked well. Steamed dumplings, stuffed with a meat and vegetable mixture, were plump and savory. Dumpling soup featured the same filled pasta afloat in a clear broth. It made for a nice change from the usual miso soup.
Some dishes sounded Japanese but actually tasted Korean. That was the case with the shrimp yaki soba, a robust and garlicky stir-fry of egg (not soba) noodles, shrimp and vegetables. In comparison, the rather overcooked salmon teriyaki seemed humdrum.
From the section of the menu labeled "wraps," I tried the chicken and mushroom version, a stir-fried mixture rolled into a spinach flour tortilla with rice, vegetables and lettuce. It was a surprisingly spicy and assertive affair. The vibrant Korean dish called stone pot bibimbap arrived sizzling, the crisped rice and vegetables to be mixed with the accompanying hot pepper paste. Now, that's living.
I enjoyed a finale of mochi, a Japanese-American treat made of ice cream and rice cake dough. Unlike tempura fried ice cream, a weighty alternative, it was light, simple and totally appropriate - as this lovely new restaurant's name should be.
Reviewed by Joan Reminick, 1/5/06.
