BY ERIC NOLAND >STAFF WRITER

There wasn't a crunchy roll in sight. Or an inside-out roll. Or stuffed eggplant. Or a dish prepared with Cajun spices or duck risotto or mozzarella.

Sushi Yuzu, which opened recently on Riverside Drive in Toluca Lake, seems to be the rare sushi bar in Los Angeles that hasn't grown bored with the concept. Rather than trick things up with fusion ingredients and off-the-wall preparations, it keeps things pretty simple. But while these chefs stick to the basics, they do them exceedingly well.

The hands-down highlight of our dinner was a spicy Chilean sea bass hand roll ($6) from the daily specials menu. A piece of grilled filet was combined with a couple of fresh, crunchy-cooked spears of asparagus. They were wrapped in a cone of thin soy paper studded with sesame seeds, with just the right snap of spice. The ingredients weren't smushed together in the wrap; each flavor and texture was distinct.

Be sure to take a long look at that specials menu, an array of 21 items - hot and cold appetizers, sushi, rolls - that is printed daily. Clearly, the kitchen devotes a lot of effort to this lineup.

Another favorite from this sheet was a spicy popper roll ($10.50), for which popcorn shrimp was cooked tempura-style and sprinkled over the top of two rows of spicy tuna roll rounds. They don't skimp on the shrimp, and its contrast with the rich, red tuna worked well.

Yuzu provides a lot of choices at dinner. It has a standard menu with both cold and hot appetizers, an order sheet of all the conventional sushi, plus the specials menu. But if you just have to have a conventional dinner, they've got teriyaki preparations and broiled fish and steak, all including miso soup, salad and rice. Noodles and kushiyaki? Oh, sure.

We tried something from each of three printed menus and weren't disappointed with anything. The albacore special sashimi ($11) from the cold appetizer selections was enhanced by thin chips of fried garlic and some razor-thin slices of jalapeno - just enough to give the fish a little bang. In the center of the dish was a small pile of micro greens and slivers of vegetables and onions, all of it market-fresh. The ponzu garlic oil was laid on a little too heavily for my taste, but it seems that many of the sushi restaurants have taken to being liberal with the sauces.

A hot appetizer of shrimp and vegetable tempura ($8) was nearly a meal in itself, the three lightly fried shrimp resting atop a generous portion of vegetables: broccoli, sweet potato, onions, zucchini, asparagus, squash.

We concluded with yellowtail sushi from the self-order sheet, and exulted in its fresh, buttery consistency.

Service is outstanding at Yuzu. Nothing is rushed - nobody descending on you for the next order the instant you take a final bite of something. In fact, I noticed that our waitress stood a discreet distance off throughout dinner, and waited for eye contact to return to the table. She was also helpful in our navigation of the menu, noting, for example, that the Chilean sea bass hand roll was just one portion and wasn't really designed for sharing.

How we wish we'd taken her advice and ordered another of that divine creation.

At its best: Sushi basics done well, with excellent service.

Could be better: Yuzu doesn't have a Web site yet, but owner Gen Kimura says he hopes to have it up soon.

Eric Noland, (818) 713-3681

eric.noland@dailynews.com

review>

SUSHI YUZU

>Details: 10118 Riverside Drive, Toluca Lake. Open for dinner Monday through Friday from 5:30 to 10:15 p.m., Saturday from 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. Open for lunch Monday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. (818) 763-8355.

>Cost: Sashimi and cold appetizers $5 to $13.50, hot appetizers $5 to $11, sushi $4.50 to market, rolls $4 to $17.50, soup and noodles $2 to $6, kushiyaki $3.80 to $6, main courses $11 to $23, desserts $2.95 to $6.50.

>Noteworthy: Yuzu occupies a light, airy space with big windows facing onto Riverside Drive. The minimalist decor is stylish, with tall ceilings and tile floor. It's a comfortable, well-lit, neighborhood-y kind of place. There is an eight-seat sushi bar at the back. The menu is reasonably priced for this part of town.