RESTAURANT REVIEW:

It’s loud, it’s hip, and it’s overpriced, but the less negative characteristics of Sushi on Fire should not stop you from visiting; just know what you are getting into before you walk through the doors.

The sushi place is on Main Street in downtown Huntington, so it’s no surprise that it was loud. Pulsating music competes with beautiful people throwing back sake and trying to impress one another. I actually heard a heated debate about an episode of “The Hills” and found myself getting more stupid the more I listened.

This restaurant caters to the younger crowd. I believe I was the only one there older than 40, with most of the people 30 and younger.

The décor of the restaurant is interesting. There is an industrial, loft-style feel with the high, exposed ceiling, but I was a little shocked that the acoustics were as bad as they were. Conversation is difficult here and it seems like sounds bounce of the walls like super balls, and with dishes rattling and music playing, it was a cacophony.

My friend and I fled to the outside patio, and I found it a bit ironic that it was quieter outside along a heavy foot- and car-traffic street. The heaters outside helped with the cool fall evening.

I had heard rumors of poor service, but experienced a nice, pleasant and helpful waitress. She answered my questions about the rolls and even made a suggestion for an appetizer.

My guest had hot tea that was constantly refilled, and I opted for an Asahi, one of the 11 beers served.

We started with the waitress’ recommendation, the crispy tofu, and it was quite good. The five tofu mini-bricks were naturally a little bland when eaten by themselves, but we cut them in half and let them soak in the sauce that came with it. The sweet-and-sour sauce gave it a nice taste, mixed with the light batter. The slices of avocado were a nice addition to the dish.

I enjoyed the variety of the appetizer menu. The usual items, like gyoza, edamame and tempura, were represented, but dishes like deep-fried spicy albacore and Japanese peppers were also there. One to try next time would be the baked green mussel with mayonnaise sauce or soft-shell crab.

My favorite dish of the night was the Next California Roll. It was a California roll with real crab. It was so refreshing to have the roll the way it was intended. The real crab was fresh and improved the roll greatly.

What I really liked was the rice that was wrapped around many of the rolls and sushi. It is the traditional white rice, but it wasn’t as thick as usual and had sesame seeds on it.

Most of the sushi and sashimi was good.

The salmon, tuna and fatty tuna were fresh and well-sized.

The veggie tempura roll my guest ordered was a nice mix of several vegetables including Japanese squash, onion, zucchini, Japanese pumpkin and sweet potato. The Philadelphia roll we got also was fresh, and the cream cheese tasted like it was better than standard cream cheese.

The last item we had was the Hello Kitty hand roll. It was a riceless roll with tuna, yellowtail, salmon, crab salad, masago, green and red onions, and shrimp tempura.

It was bound by soy paper and was very well done. The different types of fish didn’t confuse, which I would have thought otherwise. It was a nice combination.

There were about six other items that jumped out at me on the extensive menu.

There are 32 traditional hand and cut rolls, 29 types of sushi, 16 specials and 44 special rolls. There are also full dinners available.

It is a big menu and though many of the items are priced more than other comparable places, it should be experienced.

Just avoid the weekend nights if you don’t want to hassle with the crowds.

SUSHI ON FIRE

ADDRESS: 301 Main St., Huntington Beach

PHONE: (714) 374-8885

CUISINE: Japanese

SPECIALTY DISH: Sushi and Sashimi combination

ALCOHOL SERVED: beer, wine and sake

ENTRÉE PRICE RANGE: $3.50 to $32.95

FAMILY FRIENDLY: three-item children’s menu served with vanilla ice cream

CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED: American Express, MasterCard and Visa

RATING: ***

JOHN REGER reviews restaurants for the Independent.