Dojo Asian Inspired Cuisine and Lounge

The stretch of 300 South between 300 and 500 West boasts some of my favorite SLC eating spots, including Tony Caputo's, Carlucci's Bakery, and Bruges Waffles and Frites. A relatively new addition to that list is Dojo Asian Inspired Cuisine and Lounge, a sleek, chic space named on of Salt Lake City's best new restaurants for 2011 by City Weekly.

Dojo is open for both lunch and dinner and is quickly developing a reputation for fresh, top-quality sushi, killer ramen, and creative Asian appetizers, salads and entrees. I'm a bit of a sushi traditionalist and not a huge fan of fancy rolls, but at Dojo I've found that risk has its rewards, and that their specialty rolls offer tasteful and well balanced flavor combinations. On a recent visit, some friends and I especially enjoyed the Kawabunga P.D. Roll, featuring waygu beef and spicy peppers, and the Moto Roll, featuring soft shell crab, lemon and cucumber.

The biggest hit at the table was the rich and spicy duck gyoza appetizer, fried dumplings available seasonally, filled with duck that has been marinated in cumin, cinnamon and garlic, then slowly cooked in olive oil. We also enjoyed the torched goat cheese tuna tataki, a fresh combination of lightly seared tuna, thin sliced fuji apple and torched goat cheese, dressed with ponzu butter.

Dojo's Japanese ramen - tender noodles in a light broth with pork shoulder or pork belly, boiled egg, green onion, fish cake and seaweed, is one of their most popular dishes, with each component contributing to a satisfying, comforting dish. The broth is especially delicious, not too salty or overpowering. Another tempting offering is the pork belly sliders, palm-sized buns filled with pork belly, green onion, pickled carrot and daikon, served with red chili sauce.

We finished our meal with Dojo's light and sweet Bananas Foster, sauteed bananas caramel and chocolate sauces and vanilla ice cream. Dojo also serves a variety of wines, beers, sake and cocktails.

Dojo's interior is chic and sleek, with dark wood and stone, and flat screen TVs running sports or martial arts movies. Noise tends to echo off the high ceilings, so if quiet conversation is your thing, ask for one of the private booths.

Dojo Asian Inspired Cuisine and Lounge
423 W. 300 S., Ste 150
801-328-3333

Appetizers $3-$9
Salads $14-$15
Lunch Entrees about $10
Dinner Entrees about $10-$15 Sushi about $5-$45