Fusion of Asian dishes provides mixed appeal

Melding Chinese, Thai, and Japanese dishes on one menu is an interesting approach to Asian food, and that's what the appropriately named Fusion Cuisine has done -- with mixed results.

The restaurant, which has been open since January, has an expansive menu, from Chinese appetizer favorites like boneless spare ribs and Peking ravioli to quintessential Thai dishes like Pad Thai, as well as a broad variety of cooked and raw sushi. On two recent occasions, we found the presentations to be colorful and impressive and the portions offered good value for the money. But while some of the dishes were palate-pleasing, others disappointed.

The scallion pancakes ($4) were as good as any around, crispy and flavorful. The same could be said of the Peking ravioli ($6) and shrimp in a blanket ($7). We thoroughly enjoyed the Thai Tom-Yum ($5), a slightly spicy lemongrass and lime soup with mushrooms and scallions and a choice of either chicken or shrimp; and a wonton soup that went above and beyond the typical by including pea pods and carrots. Both servings were so large they could easily have been a meal in themselves. However, the Thai Yum-Nua salad ($9), beef mixed with lettuce, cucumber, tomato, and onion in a lime-chili dressing, didn't fare as well. Despite its colorful appearance and generous size, we found the amount of spice overwhelming and the beef slightly undercooked.

Unfortunately, pretty much all of our dishes were heavy on sauce and breading. For instance, the Hong Kong-style steak filets ($10) -- marinated with thinly sliced onions -- had a sweet-and-sour sauce that overpowered the meat.

One of the chef's Thai specialties, Tamarind duck ($14), a half-crispy, boneless roasted duck, deep-fried and topped with vegetables and tamarind sauce, was better, but the heavy breading didn't do it justice. And a little lighter touch on the sauce would have made the classic General Gao's chicken ($9) more appealing as well.

We did have an excellent Pad Thai ($9), chicken and shrimp stir-fried with scallions, bean sprouts, egg, crushed peanuts, and thin flat noodles. It was a hands-down favorite on both visits. A self-professed fanatic about Szechuan spicy chicken in our group found Fusion Cuisine's version of the dish ($8), which comes with chunks of chicken, celery, and peanuts, to be good if not memorable.

The restaurant also offers a nice selection of sushi. We tried the maguro (tuna) ($4) and the spider maki, with soft-shell crab, avocado, cucumber, tobiko and spicy mayo. Both were enjoyable, although, again, the crab was overly breaded The ginger served with both was particularly fresh.

Desserts were a big hit, especially with our group's younger members. The fried vanilla ice cream ($5) was large enough to split three ways, and the red bean ice cream ($3) was a nice change of pace from your run-of-the-mill flavor. We also savored coconut and cappuccino mochis ($2 each), which are powder-covered ice cream balls made from rice.

Fusion is on the Ashland/Framingham line on the site of the former Empire Gourmet Chinese restaurant (and for those who go way back, the old Marconi's Italian restaurant).

We liked its funky decor with a dark red motif, high banquette booths, muted lighting, and private rooms for parties of eight or more. If you go, be sure to visit the bathrooms.

ESTHER SHEIN