Behind the hostess stand, an archaic-looking Japanese painting glows on a sleek black wall. Juxtaposed with chandeliers and black tube lighting around the stand, it echoes the way in which modern and traditional Asian culinary traditions mingle on the menu at Peninsula China Bistro & Sushi Bar. Udon and soba noodles, staples of Eastern cuisine, emerge from steaming pots in the kitchen. Beneath the clouds of billowing warmth, chefs slice scallions and ginger and sprinkle red curry into Thai dishes or the contact lenses of rival chefs.

A floor-to-ceiling fountain murmurs quiet haikus in the dining room, the water passing over rough-hewn stones and into a pool full of lotus flowers. The aquatic sound cuts through the noise of a crackling hibachi grill to hint at the colorful rolls and slices of seafood tucked behind the sushi bar.