Fishing has long been popular in the area of Woodland Park. In fact, I learned to fish at nearby Rampart Reservoir as a kid, back when the restaurants in town could be counted on one hand.

I could never have predicted then how much both the fish and the culinary scene would evolve. Thanks to Fusion Japan, the city now boasts better and a wider range of fish than you could ever pull out of local waters.

I actually tried most of them after the Super Boat sushi combo ($52.95) arrived – not by myself, because the massive dish could easily feed three to four with 18 pieces of sashimi, 12 pieces of sushi, a six-piece tuna roll and six-piece California roll. The regular suspects of tuna, salmon and eel were joined by an excellent, fishy (in a good way) mackerel on the deck of an actual boat, or rather, a delightful wooden boat-shaped platter.

Every piece was fresh, the flavors clean and the presentation artful, prepared in full view at the sushi bar in the front of the restaurant. The sushi chef has style and panache, evident, for example, in the Dynamite Rolls, a combination of spicy tuna, salmon and crunch that literally arrives on fire, flames burning in a small bowl of spirits. Drama aside, they’re also downright delicious.

Similarly, the décor of Fusion Asian is, in general, sharp and stylish. In addition to the bar, deep booths line one wall, supplemented by modern black tables. Bamboo paneling and kimono-like server uniforms infuse an Asian element without overdoing it.

In stark contrast, “overdoing it” could the theme of its book of a menu, which runs to five, double-sided pages and, in addition to the sushi offering, represents specialties of Japan, China, Thailand and India. Hence, the word “fusion” in the restaurant’s name.

The menu contains some fantastic dishes, my favorite being the Drunken Noodles ($6.95 lunch, $9.95 dinner). Ginger and oyster sauce are balanced by a lip-burning dose of spice, no additional Sriracha necessary and just as I like it. It’s worth noting, though, that I didn’t order it that way; it arrived super spicy unbidden, which points to poor communication or some lack of kitchen precision.

The house special of Volcano Shrimp ($10.95) also impressed. Served in a crown of broccoli, its deep-fried shrimp are crisp and buttery, perfect for the dish’s spicy red sauce. Deep frying, of course, is usually an easy winner. The Tempura appetizer ($5.95), for example, is solid and includes shrimp and varied veggies. The sweet potato is particularly good.  

Scattered throughout the epic offerings, though, losers and slapdash prep reveal themselves. Salt reigned supreme in the Chicken and Steak Hibachi Combination ($15.50), which included a few shrimp by accident. The side of fresh, tender-crisp sautéed veggies was the best part of the plate. They are juggling so many recipes – five pages, remember! – it’s understandable that some balls get dropped, and quantity overcomes quality.

No customer is likely to fall through the cracks, however. Fusion Japan’s servers are a level above attentive, almost overbearing. Several different servers approached the table to check on us multiple times, and it was unclear if they had assigned tables or we were everybody’s job all at once.

Foibles aside, Fusion Japan has put together an elegant, relatively exotic establishment that provides a quality found in much more metropolitan cities. They’re certainly getting a great response from the community. Fans even took it upon themselves to create a Twitter account (@FusionJapan) to bond over their shared love. Granted, it has one tweet and seven followers, but the effort expended is still impressive.

Even more impressive? A surprising dessert of Deep-Fried Green Tea Ice Cream ($4.25), which looks like whipped cream blooming out of the crisp, spherical crust. With the mild bitterness of the tea versus the sweet cream, and the cold ice cream versus the hot crust, the combinations duel deliciously. It’s an unexpected treat, much like Fusion Japan itself is an unexpected treat to find up the Pass.

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Our dining critic is abroad! Kate Jonuska (@cospringseats or Colorado Springs Eats on Facebook) is in China. Check out those links or Coloradosprings.com to follow her tale of authentic Chinese food.

The Dynamite Rolls at Fusion Japan arrive literally on fire. Photo by Kate Jonuska

In addition to Japanese, Thai, Chinese, sushi and more, Fusion Japan whips up both lunch and dinner platters of hibachi. Photo by Kate Jonuska

Almost 50 pieces of sashimi, sushi and rolls populated the massive Super Boat entrée, easily splittable by three to four people. Photo by Kate Jonuska