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Nothing Raw to Chew On Here
Don’t Go For Sushi at
the New O Asian Grill on Lincoln Road
This is the Kobe beef of America and, while
pricey at $84, we have never tasted more tender buttery beef.
The hip new O Asian Grill has taken over
where Rumi left off.
By Mark Goldberg
We visited O Asian Grill expecting to find a menu filled with sushi
selections. Instead we were pleasantly surprised to find not sushi,
but assorted flame-grilled dishes ranging from sea bass to a
too-good-to-be-true beef tenderloin.
Originally Rumi, the redesigned O Asian Grill is alive with color,
mirrors and a bar that sweeps the length of the downstairs lounge
and where the specialty drinks are served. There is more to Japan’s
alcohol repertoire than sake, and O Asian has found it in shochu.
Unlike brewed sake, shochu is distilled and can have an alcohol
content of up to 42 percent. At O Asian, you can get it in martinis,
on the rocks and in drinks such as Sakyamuni with shiso leaves and
yuzu. Sort of a Japanese mojito.
Upstairs there are three separate dining rooms, including one in
Japanese style with low chairs and a rice-paper door that can close
off the room. A very nice touch is the few balcony tables for two
where you can dine while watching the lounge excitement below.
O Asian’s concept is a fun, sharing atmosphere. Dishes are not huge
family-style platters, but each arrives in its own time and is meant
to be sampled by everyone at the table.
The kitchen is an open affair, where diners can watch the cooks work
with sumi, a Japanese charcoal made from oak and bamboo that burns
at more than 1,000 degrees Celsius.
We enjoyed a Spicy Thai Beef Salad ($11), served at room temperature
and dotted with bell peppers and Boston bibb lettuce. The slices of
beef were grilled perfectly and the spice was rather muted, so as
not to take away from the meat. Thai Spicy Shrimp ($14) was one
example of many dishes with perfect shrimp. These rock shrimp were
prepared with skill that showed through and beyond the light tempura
breading and sweet coconut Thai curry sauce. There were also
delectable rock shrimp with fried zucchini in the Eggplant Boat
($12); a Japanese eggplant scooped out and filled with the lightly
fried vegetable and shrimp, then sweetened with a pine nut miso. The
ingredients in Wild Mushroom Toban ($12) were unique, as well as the
presentation. It included: shimeji, enoko and
eringi mushrooms, as well as the standard “wild” portobello and
shiitake. The dish was cooked in a ceramic-lidded pot and
brought directly from the stove, its steam carrying the heady,
earthy fragrance of the mushrooms.
While there is no sushi, there are sashimi selections. Tuna Tataki
($17) was lightly seared, each slice topped with an onion/garlic
salsa to enhance flavor. A stronger enhancement arrived with the
excellent Spicy Yellowtail ($16) in yuzu soy and topped with a
radish jalapeño salsa that gave the handsome slices a little heat.
The centerpiece of O Asian is the kushiyaki dishes
(translation: grilled and skewered). This is where the special
charcoal used in a bincho grill comes in. From chicken to fish to
cherry tomatoes, nothing escapes the fire. Our Ten Skewers ($40)
included a light and flaky Chilean sea bass and eggplant in miso,
with cherry tomatoes wrapped in an undercooked strip of smoky bacon,
a tender rib eye with teriyaki, two types of moist chicken breast
and a third chicken in meatball form, a rather fishy salmon, sweet
Shishito peppers, sautéed shrimp with roasted tomatoes and even a
selection of Japanese sausages. Along with the skewers come three
dipping sauces: a mixed fruit soy, red Thai curry and ponzu.
Steamed Sea Bass ($24) arrived with sliced black truffles, a poached
quail egg and green tea soba noodles. Our server suggested we mix it
all together for a better taste, but we were hesitant to disturb the
delicate texture of the bass. Even better was the evening special of
an eight-ounce cut of Washu tenderloin filet. This is the Kobe beef
of America and, while pricey at $84, we have never tasted more
tender buttery beef. It was served with truffled mash, fried bok
choy (a relief from the standard steamed) and topped with just a
touch of garlic in mango fruit miso.
Desserts range from a Café Con Leche Cake, a holdover from the Rumi
days, to a Molten Lava Cake and a special Passion Fruit White
Chocolate Mousse.
As you enter O Asian you pass through The Noodle Shop, one answer to
fast food on Lincoln Road. Here you can order hot soup noodles,
stir-fried noodles, chilled noodles – soba, udon, ramen — with or
without toppings, as well as dumplings, chicken wings and salads.
And you won’t even miss the sushi.
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O Asian Grill
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ADDRESS: 330 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach
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PHONE: 305-531-2811
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HOURS: Sunday – Wednesday 6:30 p.m. to midnight;
Thursday – Saturday till 1 a.m.
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FOOD: Asian-style barbecue
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SERVICE: Consistently attentive
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PRICES: Appetizers $5 to $23, entrées $8 to $42.
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WINES: Nice mix of wines and sake
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ATMOSPHERE: Upscale mirrors, music and models
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RESERVATIONS: Suggested
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CREDIT CARDS: All majors except Discover
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