The Red Leaf Nashua: Japanese, Chinese, and a Delicious Surprise!

I've never tried sushi, other than the simple California roll I can pick up at the grocery store, so a friend encouraged me to try the Red Leaf in Nashua. She had been for the ample lunch buffet, which offers all you can eat sushi for a reasonable price. My husband and I decided to give it a try on a Saturday night date night.
When arriving, we thought we had the wrong address, as from the outside, the Red Leaf looks like it might be a little take out joint, but don't let that fool you. Inside the front door, our first sight was of two sushi chefs, in all white, rolling fresh fish and other goodies into all sorts of yummy looking sushi rolls. The restaurant is quiet, tastefully decorated, and clean, with Asian inspired decor in pleasing neutral tones, with soft lighting and comfortable booths.

The waitress greeted us with a smile and asked if we wanted to try the raw oysters as an appetizer. We did, and were met with two oysters on a bed of shredded white carrots, with a fresh crisp dressing-maybe lemon and ginger? We also ordered two of the Red Leaf's specialty drinks. My husband ordered a Mai Tai, and for me, a Mandarin Martini. My husband gave his Mai Tai a definite thumbs up, and my mandarin martini was crisp and sweet, and came with an artfully crafted orange garnish, with the rind carved like the wings of a little bird.

The menu at the Red Leaf is quite extensive, and it took us some time to decide on a dish. Choices include a full Chinese menu with all the usual items, pu pu platters, moo shi, and the like, and also a full Japanese menu with sushi and sashimi. When I asked the waitress about the difference between sushi and sashimi, sushi has fish, or vegetable, a seaweed wrapper, and rice, while sashimi is the rice-free version. Sushi is also available in raw or cooked fish so even the faint of heart can give it a try!

My husband ordered a Chinese dish with shrimp and Chinese noodles. I ordered a sampler of sushi, and we both feasted on a delicious appetizer of crispy tempura shrimp. My sushi sampler included California roll (cooked) salmon (raw) and eel and avocado roll (cooked). As an amateur sushi eater, I enjoyed the California roll and salmon best. The eel had a very distinct fish flavor that my husband polished off for me-he loved it!

To top it all off, we received a little bowl of fresh pineapple and a reasonable bill at the end of the meal. We were both thrilled to find a restaurant with great variety, comfortable atmosphere, reasonable prices and delicious food. We will be returning to the Red Leaf soon, we've got a lot more of the menu left to try!