Family-style sushi at intimate Ajihei

My first reaction to Ajihei, tucked away in a basement location on Chambers Street, was that it was a bit hard to find. But when I stepped inside the restaurant and saw that most of its tables were full, I realized that I had underestimated the Princeton community's initiative to seek out good sushi, sashimi and other Japanese fare.

The restaurant's decor is spare, with hardwood floors and white walls, except for one that is covered with an interesting mural. The kitchen and dining hall are in the same room, separated by a long counter. This arrangement, along with Ajihei's maximum occupancy of about 20 diners, creates the intimate feeling of being a dinner guest in a Japanese home.

Many items on the menu were not translated, so my fellow diners and I relied on our pleasant waitress — who was serving the whole restaurant — to decipher some of the offerings. After ordering, we listened to the sound of sizzling and enjoyed the savory smells of stir-frying food coming from across the counter.

The first food to arrive at our table was a green salad — a nicely presented mix of greens, thinly cut onions and red peppers and chopped, uncooked asparagus. It was accompanied by a delicious dressing with a strong ginger flavor, tempered nicely with undercurrents of miso.

Next, one person at our table received his entree and the miso soup that came with it, both at the same time, while the rest of the table continued to await our food. He was pleased with his beef teriyaki, which came with a smaller version of the green salad, and was simply presented without vegetables or any sort of a garnish. He described it as "not overly sweet, like some teriyakis."

As he was finishing his entree, the rest of our food arrived. We had ordered a variety of sushi and sushi rolls, including a sushi platter with 18 pieces and several a la carte selections, each with six pieces.

As we ate, I learned the important distinctions between sashimi, raw fish served by itself; sushi, raw fish served atop rice; and sushi rolls, sushi that has been wrapped in nori, sheets of toasted seaweed.

Two things are critical for good sushi: perfectly prepared rice and fresh, high quality fish. Ajihei impeccably achieved both of these basics, with soft, sticky rice and some of the most tender, flavorful fish I have ever tasted. Especially memorable was the yellowtail, which had a wonderful buttery, melt-in-your-mouth quality.

Though the sushi platter was supposed to come with a serving of miso soup — as with most of the entrees — the waitress neglected to bring it and I had to remind her at the end of the meal. When the soup arrived, it had an enjoyably mild flavor with cubes of silken tofu and swirling pieces of seaweed suspended in it.

We concluded our meal with green tea ice cream, which is always a refreshing way to end a Japanese meal. In Ajihei's version, the delicate flavor of the tea was somewhat overpowered by the richness of the ice cream and I would have preferred a less creamy version.

Ajihei serves traditional, simply-presented Japanese restaurant fare, and lets the food speak for itself. The staggered arrival of courses was somewhat awkward for our group, however.

But overall, Ajihei evokes the feeling of being a guest in a family dining room — with homestyle food to match in flavor.