Asian bistro offers classy, varied fare

Typhoon opened this summer at the newly developed Hingham Shipyard, next to the Patriot Cinemas movie house and across from Paul Wahlberg’s restaurant, Alma Nove. (As a good neighbor, Typhoon made several hundred pieces of sushi for the party Wahlberg threw two weeks ago for the premiere of his brother Mark’s movie, “The Other Guy,’’ at the shipyard theater.)

Typhoon — which has a sister restaurant on Boylston Street in Boston — hadn’t received its promised liquor license when we were there, so we were able to focus on the food. And there’s a lot to focus on: The menu lists pages and pages of choices.

We settled on three appetizers: tuna tataki ($14), fresh rolls with peanut sauce ($8), and Vietnamese pancake ($12).

The rolls, soft rice paper stuffed with shrimp, shredded cucumber, mint and vermicelli, were a little bland. But the tuna dish was spectacular. Served in a cocktail glass, it combined “torched’’ tuna dusted with chili salt and topped with shredded white radish, thin red and white curls of radish, and a citrusy ponzu sauce.

The pancake was large enough for a meal and scrumptious — a steaming hot mixture of shrimp, pork, onions, scallions and bean sprouts pan-fried with rice powder.

We picked two entrées from the “classic’’ section of the menu, which also includes steaks and chops, noodles, seafood, and scores of sushi combinations.

Crisp curry duck ($22) was crisp, as promised, but also moist and tender, with a nice jolt of heat. Typhoon spicy chicken ($18) — the restaurant’s version of General Gau’s chicken — was equally successful with a robust flavor and lots of tender white meat.

The “volcano’’ ($22) from the sushi bar arrived late — problems with a paper jam in the ordering system, the waiter said apologetically — but was worth the wait. A heaping pile of squid, scallops, crabmeat and mushrooms in a warm, creamy sauce topped California maki rolls, the whole sprinkled with tempura flakes, spicy salt and fish roe, or tobiko.

To make up for the delay, the restaurant gave us a free dessert: sautéed bananas with coconut ice cream. We couldn’t resist ordering fried vanilla ice cream, as well.

Our waiters were solicitous, without smothering us. And there’s enough room in the 5,900 square feet of space that the tables — about 145 inside and another 50 on the patio — are far enough apart that conversations can’t be overheard.

But we couldn’t help noticing a nearby table kept erupting in flames, to the delight of the well-behaved children sitting there. Typhoon features numerous “flamed’’ dishes. We plan on trying the blazing fish salad ($11), or maybe the blazing salmon ($22), the next time.

And we will be back.

Johanna Seltz