The sushi bar presents a chic dining experience. (Kate Harper photos) ASIAN BREEZE 1328 Hooksett Road, Hooksett 621-9298 or 606-3757; fax: 666-3660 asianbreezenh.com Serving: Sunday-Thursday 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Free delivery. Accommodations: Handicapped accessible. Cuisine: Asian fusion. Prices: $ Price guide: $ Inexpensive - up to $15/person $$ Moderate - $16 to $30 $$$ Expensive - $31 and up Rating: * * * Ratings guide: * acceptable * * good * * * worth a detour * * * * worth a journey Visit the Dining section of NewHampshire.com to read previous Our Gourmet reviews listed by town.

When it comes to Chinese food, every restaurant affords a slightly different experience, but in the end, there’s a sameness about most places.

The same with Japanese food. If you’ve seen one sushi bar, you’ve seen if not all, then an awful lot of them.

And trying to get people to agree on which to go to? Forget about it.

So we were somewhat wary when it was recommended to us by a reader that we try out Asian Breeze, which opened recently in Hooksett. But then two more readers recommended it, so we decided we had better try it out.

First of all Asian Breeze is a bit different. It serves what it calls “Asian fusion” — the menu has Chinese AND Japanese food, with some Korean cuisine thrown in for good measure. There’s something from everyone here — so much so that the menu is quite dizzying. There is a large menu with Chinese specialties and a smaller, special, menu with a mix of Asian offerings as well as an extensive sushi list.

When we first arrived on a recent Saturday night, it was early and we were among the first parties in the very large dining room, which has the typical vinyl-covered seats in booths to both sides and a sushi bar at the far end. The establishment has an eclectic mix of artwork on the walls and everything seemed neat and clean. We were welcomed upon entering with a bright and cheery greeting and seated right away.

There is a drink menu that has the obligatory Mai-Tai et al, but I decided to try the sake martini, ice cold, clean tasting and served with julienned cucumber. It was excellent and a very good sign of things to come.

As I said, the menu is voluminous and it’s quite easy to get lost in it. We were momentarily perplexed. Do we go with the traditional appetizers of crab rangoon ($4.50), wonton soup ($1.75) or a pu pu platter for two ($15.95)? Or do we go to the special menu for a grilled smoked salmon salad ($8.95) or salt and pepper calamari ($9.95)? Or how about the Japanese menu with its sushi appetizer ($7.25) or edamame steamed soy bean pods ($3.95)?

Asian Breeze is in the WalMart-Shaw's plaza in Hooksett.

Two out of three isn’t bad — my dining companion ordered the seared black pepper tuna tataki ($8.95) from the special menu. It was flavorful, enrobed with black pepper and cooked to perfection — that is, seared and barely cooked. The spicy pepper and the mild tuna worked wonderfully together.

I headed for the Japanese menu and started with the tempura ($6.95). The shrimp and vegetables were coated in a light tempura batter — perhaps not quite as light as it could be, but much lighter than one often finds. The shrimp were fresh and large, making a good-sized appetizer.

After some discussion, we bypassed the Chinese offerings, lingering on the offerings on the special menu. Some notable dishes are the Korean spicy stew ($12.95) with mushroom, clams, scallops and fish cakes in a spicy broth; Chinese hot pot ($12.95); and calamari with celery ($10.95) to name a few. All sounded worth trying, but in the end we decided on sushi, as the quality of the sushi is a pretty good test of a restaurant.

Sushi Chef John Wu prepares an Asian Breeze specialty.

Asian Breeze passed the test with flying colors. The sushi was fresh and well prepared. We ordered the Unagi Avocado Maki: eel and avocado rolled inside rice ($4.50); the Spider Roll: soft shell crab rolled up in rice and seaweed ($8.95); the Alligator Roll: shrimp tempura rolled in rice and topped with eel and avocado ($12.95); and the Spicy Tuna Maki: tuna and avocado roll with a spicy sauce ($4.75). As they were rolls, there were half-a-dozen pieces in each order, so needless to say, we had plenty to eat. And all were excellent. The Spicy Tuna Maki was our favorite, the tuna fresh and the sauce just spicy enough to make one notice.

The service was very efficient and attentive. Coupled with our excellent food and the pleasant atmosphere, we were very happy with the whole experience. As we watched the dining room quickly fill up during the course of our dinner, we realized that other people obviously had been, too.

Thanks to Tim Giotas, Linda Bonney and Don Shapiro for their review suggestion of Asian Breeze. Each will receive a free cookbook with our thanks. Is there a restaurant you’d like Our Gourmet to review? E-mail gourmet@unionleader.com. If Our Gourmet reviews it, you’ll get a free cookbook, too!