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The interior of Xia Asian Fusion looks quite striking. Rich red walls flank a black tile wall behind the bar, which features a copper-clad waterfall, a black marble countertop over gray tile and a taupe tile floor. Cloth menus scroll out from a bamboo cylinder.

My reaction to the food was not as uniformly positive. In fact, such widely varying impressions are unusual, to say the least.

Perusing the sushi menu, I noted that one of the ingredients is tai, which is tilapia. I am not fond of this fish anywhere because it is farm-raised, usually in Asia or South America, and has little or no flavor of its own. I certainly would not eat it raw; so I would suggest careful attention when ordering.

A Seven Deadly Sins ($18) roll provided samples of several ingredients ---- tuna, eel, fried tilapia and shrimp, plus fish eggs, cream cheese and avocado, wrapped in soy paper. This is quite striking visually, but I detected hardly any flavor from the seafoods.

I usually enjoy watching sushi creations and conversing with sushi chefs about ingredients. My inquiry about "eel sauce," however, merely produced a shrug and an "I buy it" response. While I was watching, the preparer walked over to the television, picked up the remote control, changed channels and returned to her work with raw fish and rice without washing her hands.

That observation was enough to make me doubly leery of ordering sushi here.

I rated three first-course selections from the menu in the * range. Shumai ($5) ---- firm ground pork dumplings in steamed wontons ---- produced a slightly garlicky flavor in a sweetish soy-based sauce. Weak sesame and peanut flavors emerged from Thai Peanut Noodles ($5) with sesame seeds and clipped green onions ---- very sweet, overall. Crispy Spring Rolls ($3.50/two, shrimp or vegetable) were served crisp, as the menu promised, and contained finely shredded cabbage and carrot and tender shrimp, with a sweetish sauce for dipping.

Two other starters earned higher marks. Edamame ($4) ---- steamed soy beans served in their shells ---- were tender, hot and lightly salted. The iceberg leaves in Chicken Lettuce Wraps ($7) had been nicely chilled, joined by rice noodles plus chopped chicken, along with water chestnuts for crunch, in a generous portion that was easily shared.

But three entrees were merely acceptable. Asparagus Sate Shrimp ($13.50) used medium-size shrimp, deveined, but with tails intact, which produced little flavor of their own. Sliced white onion, fresh asparagus, plus mushrooms, baby corn and carrots swam in a thin, brown, sweetish broth. Most of the taste in this dish came from the onions and mushrooms.

In Kung Pao Scallops ($14.50), tender, medium-size scallops had been sliced, which gives the appearance of a larger quantity, but the tough feet had not been removed. These were combined with lots of peanuts, plus crinkle-cut carrots, baby corn, bamboo shoots, celery and green peppers. Whole, hot Asian peppers, intact, had been dropped into the light, sweet, brown broth. If you see something that looks like a green bean, sample a small slice before you eat it. Eating a whole one by accident could create an incendiary experience.

Most of the flavor, and the best flavor, came from the peanuts.

Double Pan-Fried Noodles ($11/single, $13/combo) are egg noodles with a choice of beef, shrimp, chicken or pork. I chose a combination. The beef consisted of thin, firm, very lean slices, producing mild, mediocre flavor; the pork appeared to be some kind of a product, tending toward gelatinous in texture, weak-flavored. These were scattered among lots of fresh broccoli and mushrooms, crinkle-cut carrots, baby corn and crisp noodles in a dark brown, sweetish sauce, which tasted soy-based.

Lemon Grass Chicken ($11.50) left better impressions. This entrée used real breast meat, thinly sliced, with green beans, baby corn, asparagus, crinkle-cut carrots and mushrooms in a fairly spicy-hot preparation, the lemon grass flavor evident in the sauce. Steamed Sea Bass ($22.95) was an outright winner ---- tender and hot with fresh flavor in a dark brown mushroom-ginger sauce over noodles. A flower-carved radish, dyed red, added to the visual impact of the presentation.

Brown rice (white is also available) left a caramel aftertaste.

Table servers were attentive, very friendly and enthusiastic.

I concluded that judicious ordering and perhaps more exploration could produce good meals at Xia Asian Fusion. But I was not inclined to try any more than I already had, and I doubt that I would return.

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 john.e.batchelor@gmail.com.