Apsara of Blue Ash, Ohio

I recently ventured to a fusion restaurant in Blue Ash, Ohio called Apsara. Before I get into the review, I must state that I will usually try anything once (aside from extreme circumstances, like if I were to gag from the mere smell of something). I enjoy all sorts of foods, whether it's frozen pizza rolls to caviar, but there are exceptions. Some choice items at Apsara are the essence of the exceptions.

Sushi. Delicious cuts of fish, rolls, or hand rolls are always a-okay with me. However, when I received the order, I found it relatively disappointing. I've been to Japan and have been subject to some interesting dishes with unquestionable freshness, meaning the fish head was still moving a little when it was served. Therefore, it was strange to eat fish that was obviously frozen from a place that has sushi as one of its main attractions. The fatty tuna, while the texture was close to that of fresh, had no taste. Actually, the only real way I could tell it was fatty tuna was its texture. The pretty pink color had vanished and in its place was a strange whitish slab of fish. Fusion is an interesting concept of cooking, but it is not an excuse to serve fatty tuna on that level. It is also, in my personal opinion, not a reasonable excuse to serve their squid with a generous heap of cilantro...to the point where I couldn't even tell what I was eating because it was so overpowering. The spicy tuna sauce was also a let-down. It tasted more similar to a spicy sauce a small Mexican restaurant served with their burritos than something that should be paired with sushi. The overall taste was sweet. Not sweet as in, "Dude, you're totally sweet" but sweet like sugar. It seemed as though they put a sweet sauce or ingredient in every maki served.

After the sushi, I got hold of the main entree. I had ordered a yellow chicken curry and a side of miso soup. While the miso soup was good, I must admit, though, that for a bowl that I could consume in one tip, upwards of $2.50 is a bit much. The curry arrived and looked good. However, like the sushi, and the tempura I got as an appitizer, the curry was unnaturally sweet. I ate it though, as I was hungry. By the time the temperature of the dish had cooled to a little less than room temperature, which didn't quite take long as it wasn't as hot as I like when it arrived, I couldn't eat it. Besides being too sweet, the only rice that they offered had jasmine flavor already infused into it. I truly wish that they could have offered simple steamed white rice, as the flavors from the spices in the curry were enough.

The food was not quite up to par for the price of it all, but the actual restaurant is beautiful. The interior is mixed with a contemporary American establishment (the building was purchased and redecorated from an American restaurant) with Asian flair. The sushi bar is in front of waterfalls. The design inside makes great use of the natural light that shone through the windows and framed sculptures inside. Though the food may have been sweet for my particular taste, it was interesting to eat inside due to all of the things to look at.