By Mark Goldberg

This summer, the most welcome addition to South Beach is a truly cool approach to Asian dining: Breez, in the newly-finished, posh upper end of Ocean Drive. The creation of Ephraim Kadish ­ the genial mind behind all of China Grill’s culinary successes, and his chef Ira Gallon, the modern Asian restaurant with its inventive cuisine is the forerunner of what may become this Fall’s hottest attraction; Billboard Live’s multi-level, multi-restaurant, mega-nightclub, place-to-be-seen.

Decorated in tones of green, with blond wood ceiling, warm dark wood tables, comfortable low-backed chairs and high-accent jade cushions and pillars, the elegant yet unassuming Jeffrey Beer-designed dining room and bar, with bright touches coming from the colorful tableware and the gleaming steel of the open kitchen, looks like someone’s home. Outdoor tables are perfect for balmy days and evenings when the breeze blows in from the ocean.

Gorgeous, tasty delicacies
In contrast to the muted surroundings, food by Billboard’s chef and Executive Vice President Ephraim Kadish is complex and intensely flavorful.

Even sushi is reinvented. Forget about raw fish atop sticky rice. An assortment of “The Stuffed & Folded” includes such delicacies as lobster in a sack ($13). Fresh Maine lobster meat blended with sushi rice, shiitake mushrooms, asparagus, and lemongrass is enclosed in a purse made of sweet egg crêpe tied with a nori band, and set over a mirror of creamy lobster brandy, garnished with a shelled lobster claw. A dish as strikingly beautiful as it is tasty.

Chopped tuna stogie ($8) is a cigar-like presentation of high-quality tuna, spiked with scallion and togarashi, wrapped in a thick unsweetened crepe sealed with a nori band. The ceviche-like grilled scallops ($8) are exquisite; a perfect marriage of delicately flavored, diced diver scallops marinated with tamaki, fresh mango, cilantro and tobiko, grilled, then folded into a sweet egg crepe for a delightful contrast in flavors.

Lightly marinated is Kadish’s take on sashimi: carpaccio-style slices of fish are served each in its own marinade. The tasting plate ($19) features four marinated selections. Ours included hamachi with extra virgin olive oil, capers and a bit of sea salt; tuna flavored with citrus, coconut and topped with cilantro and shreds of roasted coconut; snapper with sage, fennel and chiffonnade basil; and tako ­ tender baby octopus ­ spiked with lemon juice, lemon zest, siracha and a touch of sea salt.

Sushi reinvented
Even “regular” sushi is more fun. Sure, you can order individual pieces of rolls and sashimi ($3.50-$15), but imagine making your own! Mr. Kadish calls it “Roll Your Own Sushi” ($28 for 2/$42 for 4): an impressive platter of sushi salmon, hamachi, shrimp, tuna, three types of caviar, wakame, pencil asparagus, cucumber, avocado, shiitake and daikon, seasoned sushi rice, and plates of nori, along with wasabi-infused soy sauce, and bowls of ponzu, spicy mayo and eel sauces ­ all delicious. Take a sheet of nori, hold it in your hand, place some rice on it, layer in whatever strikes your fancy, and fold it over. You have rolled your own!

If you aren’t a sushi aficionado, you can choose appetizers from the right side of the menu. Lobster bisque ($15) is exquisite, thick and rich, filled with chunks of fresh Maine lobster, and heightened with a splash of sherry. Crab cakes ($15) are all crab meat flavored with red onion, red pepper and Japanese mayo, and fried with with a light Panko breading. Sharing the dish is a small Savoy cabbage slaw spiked with cider vinaigrette and balsamic reduction.

Superior entrees

Although you could live forever on the light fare, and while Mr. Kadish has declared Breez a seafood restaurant, the short entree menu still includes a 10 oz. New York strip ($24) with rosemary potato galette; roasted half-chicken ($14) with aromatic vegetables and roasted garlic, and pasta.

Our favorite main course, lobster fettuccine ($19), is a stunning play of textures, colors and flavors, even aromas, showing that a seemingly simple dish of homemade noodles brimming with large chunks of Maine lobster in a brandy lobster cream sauce, can be a superior delight.

More Mediterranean-style than Asian, the magnificent aromatic tuna ($19), seasoned with pungent cumin, celery seed, coriander and white pepper, is flash pan-seared, sliced into thick, tender wedges, and served with kalamata olives, fresh tomatoes, olive oil.

Next to the outstanding tuna and its beguiling contrasts of flavors, whole red snapper ($25) paled. Deboned and deep-fried the fish was enlivened by a plain citrus mayo, and accompanied with an endive salad. Fried monkfish ($13), a whimsical upscale take on fish and chips, shares the plate with small scallops, breaded and fried, and a fresh endive salad perked with masago and chives.

Rich desserts

Desserts ($6 each) are seriously good, even if the exquisite and exotic cuisine calls for something more sophisticated to end the meal. Cheesecake is luscious, made with real vanilla beans ­ no extract here ­ for a more intense flavor. Fudge brownie, deeply chocolaty, is topped with two scoops of vanilla ice cream. The summery, intensely fragrant strawberry shortcake is prepared with a flaky shortbread rather than sponge cake. The banana split, a rich affair, begins with caramelized bananas, then goes on with vanilla ice cream, hot fudge, fresh berries, nuts and white chocolate shavings.

Breez is an impressive start for what Billboard Live and Mr. Kadish have in store for their corner of South Beach.

Mark Goldberg is a dining critic and a freelance copywriter.