Adversity is something that all restaurants face by nature, sometimes more so than others. Restaurants’ customers can have issues with just about anything, there is a strict health code that needs to be followed at all times, plus the industry is just tough to compete in. That is why excellent customer service at an eatery is a unique accent to a restaurant that helps it stand out in my mind. The rare times that I actually have a problem with my experience at a restaurant, action above and beyond the typical service expectations for a restaurant can quickly make me forgive and forget.

Like the other day.

Café Asia is a restaurant I really like. It’s a place I happily go for lunch or dinner to get sushi, plus I love their Happy Hour. So it was a bit disheartening when there was an issue with the sushi I ordered there recently. It wasn’t really their fault, as it could happen to any fish in any sushi restaurant and maybe it was just a rough day for an otherwise consistent joint, but let’s just say it was a little unsettling. Their reputation was suddenly on the ropes for me.

As I beckoned to the first waiter I saw, I relayed the information to him and he promptly imparted me a stony look of understanding and removed my untouched plate. After some time he came back and apologized, indicating that he had made sure that it was taken care of and was taking over our table. He offered to bring me a new plate of sushi or to bring me a cooked entree and then assured me that this type of thing had not happened before to his knowledge. At this point I wanted sushi and I wanted to complete my investigation, so I asked him for the sushi. He brought it, and it appeared he had brought me the best whitefish and tuna that they had. And upon noticing the sheer size and quality of the sushi, I ate the best plate of nigiri I have ever had at Cafe Asia. Nice bounce back for them.

But it gets better. After apologizing another ten-ish times, comping us the whitefish nigiri, bringing a dessert “on him” and taking another twenty percent off the entire bill, I wasn’t even that upset when I left. I actually felt better about Café Asia.

One of my biggest fears is having a fish-related problem at a restaurant because I love sushi so much. I’ve heard that once you have a bad fish experience, there is no turning back. That is why I tend to only eat sushi at reputable places. To think that Café Asia was heading down that road but used impeccable customer service to even improve my opinion of their restaurant speaks more wonder about their restaurant than any great dish. There will be a next time at Café Asia for me, and I recommend that there be a next time for you too.

Read reviews for this and other restaurants plus my own recipes at my blog, autofoodography.com

It is a rare confluence, especially in an overpriced urban area, to find high quality sushi, expertly made, that is also a good deal. I would go into the reasons for why, but that would certainly bore you. Besides, I’ve discovered DC’s version of that rare confluence, so it does not matter. Just go to Cafe Asia near 17th and Eye streets NW, between 4 and 7:30 PM for their happy hour sushi and drinks.

It’s as simple as you can imagine. During those hours, all Nigiri (pieces) are $1.25. Yes, nigiri. The cleanest and most exquisite form of sushi. The pieces that most places have no problem charging two to three times that price for. And they are delicious at Café Asia. Not too thickly cut, very flavorful (not fishy) and very visually appealing as well. Simply put, it is highly excellent sushi for an obscenely low price. I got 11 pieces of my favorites (tuna, shrimp, white fish) recently for $14. Most places you’d be lucky to get 5 pieces of their choice and a California roll for $20 in the sushi dinner. Here, you make your own sushi dinner – for less. Any nigiri on their menu – tuna, salmon, white fish, yellow tail, eel, octopus, squid, shrimp, mackerel and more – same price, every day during happy hour. And something tells me they probably do a large portion of their dinner service during happy hour by design. It gets me coming there.

So you’re probably thinking by now that Cafe Asia must be some sort of hole in the wall, a little sushi joint that is slightly suspect. Thus the good prices. Well that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Hey it’s not Morton’s, but it is a big, open New York style restaurant, immensely spread across three terrace-like floors. The wait staff is friendly and quick. And the bar and happy hour drink specials ($3 glasses of wine, $2 bottled beers, $2.50 draft Kirin and others) add to its appeal as well.

The bottom line is, Cafe Asia sushi has some of the better sushi I have had in DC. Clean-cut, tasty and fresh. And it’s definitely the cheapest too. So, know when to go – and enjoy exactly how much and what types of sushi you’re in the mood for. Go nuts!

Read this and other reviews and my recipes at www.autofoodography.com

I had a birthday dinner with fifteen people dining over the course of two hours. We had a great time – the drinks were interesting, the food was well-presented and tasty, and the service was acceptable.

The layout is very young and modern. The seating consists of stools at simple, over-sized end tables – different and great for a young crowd, but I know my parents would hate to dine at this restaurant. It did look like table and chairs were available upstairs. During the course of the dinner, people stood and chatted waiting for meals and it had a very club/restaurant feel.

Our waitress was very sweet and prompt. The happy hours specials were great. I had two dirty martinis that were excellent. The food arriving at the table looked great and we all enjoyed sharing food and tasting the variety of asian cuisine. Overall, a great experience.

Great place to take your in-laws — if you hate them. Restaurant looks like a kiddies’ romper room . . . set up in an underground garage. The large room is loud. No, make that LOUD. And by that I mean REALLY LOUD. Itty-bitty stools and itty-bitty tables and not much else to the decor. Search in vain for a chair with a back. Sit underneath the exposed ceiling pipes . . . which drip water. Try to find a menu not mottled with food stains, or one that doesn’t have missing pages. If you’re a large party (as was mine), be sure to sit at the rickety round table in the corner. Laugh as your drinks lurch and spill across the table surface. No one in my group found the food worthy of even perfunctory mention. Or maybe we said something and were too deaf to hear?

so far everything on the menu has been really yummy! Try the japanese fried dumplings for appetizer, pad thai, sushi, or flat noodles for the main course, and coconut mango sticky rice for dessert. Relatively cheap prices. Great modern atmosphere. Bring a date or a friend!

I love the atmosphere of the whole place at night, during the day…not so much. The food si really good though. If you’re going there for the first time, I would order a bunch of the appetizers.