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BALLANTYNE | fab fare
Each "Sweet 18" sushi roll come with a fried shrimp and honey glaze.
about eating raw fish, despite the popularity of the international cuisine. It's advised, when trying sushi, that you experiment with different ingredients — crab, shrimp, eel, tuna, scallops and more — until you find the tastes that match your palette. That's where 18 Asian & Sushi Bar comes in. Tucked into the corner of the Blakeney intersection at Rea and Ardrey Kell roads (in the shopping center opposite Best Buy), 18 Asian offers delectable entrees, extensive sushi rolls, a wide selection of noodle and rice bowls, as well as Asian tapas and specialty entrees — all in a casual, contemporary setting.
dishes to patrons' tastes — sometimes right down to the individual guest.
The restaurant goes above and beyond in tailoring
The restaurant caters to savvy sushi consumers as well as newbies to the Asian delicacy. But the restaurant goes above and beyond in tailoring dishes to patrons' tastes — sometimes right down to the individual guest.
Fusion Profusion
"We try to find out what people want, then put it in the dish. Hence, the Asian fusion,"
SECRET OF SUSHI: STICKY RICE
Ingredients in traditional sushi
rolls couldn't be more basic. Seafood options vary from shrimp, crab and tuna to scallops and eel. Those flavors are accompanied by avocado, cucumber, cream cheese, masago (fish roe) and tempura crunch.
The concoction is then wrapped in rice and either a soybean sheet or, for seasoned sushi eaters, a seaweed wrap. So why, then, is it so complicated to make sushi at home? The secret to fine sushi lies in the stickiness of the rice, which is used to bind the sushi roll together in a bite-sized morsel. While ingredients and their quantity change to suit individual tastes, it's the rice that holds everything together.
At 18 Asian, we learned that is short-grain rice that gets slightly sticky when cooked. Long-grain rice, in comparison, is much drier and won't bind the sushi ingredients.
Beyond that, a key to controlling the stickiness of the rice is water. Exactly how much to use, and when, is an 18 Asian secret. You'll have to find a good recipe and experiment at home. Or, you can visit the restaurant,
where the professional chefs maintain the integrity of your sushi. And your kitchen stays clean!
Located at the intersection of Ardrey Kell and Rea roads, 18 Asian offers a contemporary décor. 64 BALLANTYNE MAGAZINE