Sometimes it takes decades for people’s food tastes to change. What was an everyday eat-out option for West Coasters 30 years ago has finally claimed the hearts (and palates) of Northeasterners. The signs have been accumulating: a proliferation of Asian restaurants on Wickenden Street, not to mention take-home boxes at Shaw’s and Stop & Shop. No doubt about it — sushi has arrived. The spreading enthusiasm for these bite-sized rice snacks may stem from the growing awareness that not all sushi has raw fish or shellfish (actually called sashimi) in it. Many sushi have only vegetables, others have cooked seafood. And all have a clean, fresh taste that keeps you reaching for one more morsel.

That seemed especially true at Haruki East, a new branch of the popular Haruki, in Cranston, when we visited on a recent Sunday evening. Not only were the tables full, so were the stools around the sushi bar and in the lounge. Everywhere, chopsticks nodded their square heads over plates of an amazing variety of sushi.

Haruki East has wisely arranged its listings for sushi (atop a vinegared rice ball) and maki (the nori seaweed roll-ups) into "cooked," "caviar," "vegetable," and "fresh fish" categories. Among the roe are salmon, smelt, codfish, and flying fish. The fresh fish include four kinds of tuna, giant or surf clams, and sea urchin. Eel and octopus, along with monkfish paté, are among the cooked options. Haruki has also aided indecisive diners by organizing its offerings into appetizer possibilities and even entrée plates, with the "sashimi deluxe" capping the dinners at $24. For those with smaller appetites, there are maki roll combos at $12.50 and $12.95. All dinners are served with a choice of miso soup or salad.

Since there were other items tempting us in Haruki East’s menu, we settled for one maki with Japanese plum paste and cucumber inside (ume-shiso at $3.50). Among a list of almost 20 chef’s specials, my eye lit on the toasted rice tofu ($6.50). Though the description mentions "deep-fried," the product tastes anything but. The tofu is dipped in crumbled rice crackers and fried, but then smothered in a delicious sauce of dashi (a broth from fish stock and bonita flakes) and shreds of imported soybean "paper," the term used by our host.

As trite as it may seem, I’m always drawn to the tempura at Japanese restaurants, and this time was no exception. Although my craving could have been stemmed with a crispy tempura shrimp maki or an appetizer portion of tempura, I went for the dinner portion, minus the shrimp. Though the description was seasonal vegetables, and I was thinking along the lines of asparagus or green beans, those chosen were eggplant, zucchini, green peppers, and sweet potatoes. Of course, seasonal is a relative term in this era of veggies shipped from everywhere. They were quite tasty, but I would have appreciated more variety, given that the price ($13) was the same for tempura with shrimp, though the waitress noted that there were extra vegetables.

The miso broth with minced tofu and scallions was a nice palate-cleanser between courses. And if anyone needs that, it’s my Wasabi King. With barely enough wasabi (the hot green mustard served in a dab on the side of sushi plates) to make his eyes water while eating the maki, Bill was compelled to have the Chilean sea bass with wasabi cream sauce ($14.50). (I warned him that sea bass has been severely overfished, but he proceeded, in his own environmentally incorrect fashion, to order it.)

And he loved it of course. The presentation alone was worth it. On a white rectangular plate, a tiny trail of grated beet pointed from two corners toward the mound of brilliant color at its center: varying shades of green in the mesclun, topped by a nest of grated white daikon and then a swirl of vibrant red beet strands. What more could you want? Obviously, if you’re Bill, what you’re after is under the colorful stack: the delicately grilled fish itself, surrounded by a sea of light green sauce — exquisite.

Bill noticed that the wasabi theme is picked up in two soft shades of green on the chair cushions and walls at Haruki East, with an ocean blue on the panels that cover the large windows. Set into the panels are large brass discs, with cut-outs of bamboo that let in light while maintaining privacy from the busy intersection. Large murals pick up the restful motif of fronded bamboo stalks and blue water.

The other soothing aspect of Haruki East’s décor is its curves. Not only does the sushi bar bow out into a crescent, so does the front of the restaurant and thereby the line of tables. More noticeable still are the arched doorways at either end of the dining room, the small circular lamps over the sushi bar and the blue globes over the cocktail bar. Haruki’s hemispheric shapes enclose you in a chic, but comforting world, where subtle sights and tastes compete for attention. And they all win.