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Sushi Republic is in the UNCG neighborhood. The ambience fits the location. White walls separate a black floor and ceiling. A spray of bamboo along with abstract art lines the entry hall. Framed photographs decorate the walls in the main dining area. It's a lean, rather austere look, completed by black chairs flanking white tables. A large enclosed and covered patio facilitates al fresco dining.

I would suggest starting a meal with Edamame ($3.55) - boiled and salted soybeans. They are healthful and they taste good, and getting any other vegetable constitutes a chancy proposition.

As the name indicates, this is primarily a sushi restaurant, and members of my parties consistently enjoyed those selections. Pork Gyoza ($5.50), dumplings served on a papaya leaf, looked very attractive, exuding a gentle pork flavor. Shrimp Shumai ($5.50), steamed shrimp dumplings, come with thinly shredded carrot. Both these exhibited a slightly garlicky flavor that we found endearing.

Tempura Vegetables ($6.50) featured zucchini, asparagus, onion, sweet potato, and a white potato, in an appropriately light and crisp batter, accented by a soy-based sauce. These were stacked around shredded cabbage, undressed. What a dull treatment, not to mention a waste of decent cabbage!

Tate Street ($7.95) combines salmon, red snapper, asparagus, avocado, cucumber, and what appeared to be a small amount of imitation crab. This is katsu fried - rolled in bread crumbs, producing an exceptional, crisp texture, a real winner. Sushi Republic ($7.50) also showed a skilled tempura treatment of tuna and asparagus, the plate swirled with an aioli (akin to a spicy Thousand Island dressing) and a sweetish soy based sauce. Finely shredded beet and daikon, alongside, lent color as well as flavor. The Hurricane ($11.95) contains a small amount of what I perceived to be imitation crab, plus asparagus and cucumber, tempura fried, topped with baked spicy scallop, covered with crisp fried noodles. Maui ($9.95) combines smoked salmon, mango, cream cheese, and avocado. The mild, smoky flavor of the salmon matched up well with the cream cheese.

A small house salad costs $2.50.

From the conventional entrée section of the menu, my wife ordered Shrimp and Scallops ($14.95), hibachi griddled. The main ingredients arrived tender and hot, accompanied by fiery wasabi mashed potatoes, sauteed asparagus, and sliced shiitake mushrooms. Yakisoba Noodles with Chicken ($9.95) uses fresh breast meat, julienned zucchini and carrot, sliced green onions, and sliced white onion, tossed in a sweetish soy-based sauce scattered with white sesame seeds. Most of the flavor came from the sauce.

Chilean Seabass ($15.95) looked attractive, with sauteed asparagus stacked over wasabi mashed potatoes. But further inquiry yielded disappointment. Two thin slices of fish had been flavored from a soy-based marinade that obscured the flavor of the fish and interfered with assessment of quality and freshness. These were joined by a couple of sliced shiitake mushrooms. There was just not much fish in this dish.

One of my visits included a couple of sweetly-inclined guests, so we tried a couple of desserts.

Green Tea Ice Cream ($3.50) with whipped cream is served in a giant martini glass. I found the flavor unusual and pleasant. A Strawberry Bomb ($5.50) uses a crisp cake shell to enclose strawberry ice cream cut into quarters, laced with chocolate.

I would go back to Sushi Republic anytime I was in the mood for sushi. But I would probably choose someplace else for more conventional entrees.

John Batchelor is a freelance contributor who has been reviewing restaurants for more than 20 years. You can reach him at P.O. Box 20848, Greensboro, NC 27420 or send e-mail to jbatchelor@excite.com.