While walking to our favorite pasta and pizza place, we noticed that
the "OPEN" sign was lit on the restaurant that has been trying to open
for almost 2 years. Yoko Bistro. We figured upscale non-traditional
sushi.

The menu calls it Novelle Cuisine. There is a sushi bar, and the
woodwork is basswood in the Asian style, but the menu? Novelle
Asian.

After we were seated, the chef brought out a plate of spicy dressed
cabbage. Cabbage chunks, sesame oil and vinegar dressing with just
the right amount of hot pepper. Would this be called an amuse bouche?

We ordered the California roll with pacific slaw appetizer. Really
good wasabi--it had flavor, not just heat--and the slaw reminded me of
"health salad."

A basket of fried chips with duk sauce arrived before we had finished
our appetizer, much to the delight of our daughter. Not at all
greasy, and too good to leave alone.

A platter of Chinese egg rolls with a generous bowl of plum sauce
arrived while we were waiting for our dinners. My daughter told us
they were spicy inside, but I didn't think so. DH burned his tongue.

DD started to get antsy, as our dinners took quite a while. Suddenly,
her vegetable tempura showed up. Another long wait ensued, and we
realized we were getting full.

Finally, our meals arrived, and were well worth the wait. DH ordered
the Peking duck moo shi with foie gras drizzle, grilled pineapple and
hoisin potato. The wrappers were served in a pretty bamboo box, and
the potatoes were yummy. DH was very happy with it.

DD went vegetarian, with the Sweet chili soy tofu, braised in an iron
pot. It was served with rice and mung bean salad dressed with vinegar
and black sesame seed. The veggie tempura we had had earlier. The
fried tofu blocks were wonderful, crisp-chewy on the outside, and
creamy on the inside.

I had the ginger scallion oil poached salmon with Creme Fraiche, stir
fried garden vegetables and sweet and sour wontons. The salmon was
done to perfection, moist and tender and flaky. The vegetables did
not seem to have been fried at all, crisp tender and a clean foil for
all the seasoned foods we had. The wontons were also fried crisp,
sort of shaped like folded napkins.

We were quite stuffed at this point, so when the chef told us that his
pastry chef had tried something new and would like us to try it, we
groaned. Didn't turn it down tho. Dessert was a 3-layer cake with a
chocolate layer in the middle of two yellow cake layers, a very thin
pastry cream filling between each, and an amazing butter cream
frosting that was like a very thick whipped cream. Served with
fortune cookies and green tea so hot that DD burned her tongue.

The chef came out to hear our opinions, and we gave him the accolades
he deserved. We'll definitely be going back there. Prices are in the
moderate range, $12-19 for entrees, $3.50-10 for appetizers, and $3-4
for soup and salad. While we like it's closeness, it surprizes me
being in an area of strip malls and residential. It belongs in trendy
downtown, not out here in the 'burbs.

Yoko Bistro
1460 Oaklawn Avenue
Cranston RI
401.463.3888