NEWPORT -- The restaurant H2O in the Harborside Inn is aptly named. It sits on the back side of the inn, with a commanding view of yachts bobbing at the end of the Ann Street Wharf as well as sailing by in Newport Harbor.

If you're talking location, location, location, H2O has it in spades. Fortunately, this is one of those too-rare instances of the food matching the view.

The menu is a wonderful fusion of Asian and American, one that melds contemporary American cooking with the flavors and ingredients of the Far East. So while you can certainly dine on such familiar fare as Maine lobster, filet mignon, New York sirloin and pan-roasted chicken at H2O, you'll also find Cantonese-style whole fish of the day and miso salmon served with a pickled vegetable salad and pressed sushi rice. Sides here include such items as wasabi mashed potatoes, braised bok choy, sticky rice and Chinese broccoli.

Co-owner Jody Whittington said in a followup phone call that it wasn't always that way. When she and husband Tom took over the restaurant in 2005, it was Sabina Doyle's, an Irish pub specializing in burgers and chicken wings.

At the urging of restaurant consultant Marcus Palmer, now a co-owner, they decided to change the concept and the name. They also brought in chef Todd Winer, who had studied under celebrity chef Todd English and had cooked in Japan. Winer, who developed the menu, left shortly after we had dined at H2O but remains as a consultant. Sous chef James Roddy is now executive chef.

We started off with the kind of tropics martinis that your grandpa never knew in his day (nor certainly not the price, either, at $11 each). I settled on the coconut martini -- a heady mix of Skyy vanilla vodka, coconut rum and coconut cream garnished with flaked sweet coconut -- especially after our server, Bridget, recommended it heartily.

My companion went with the passion fruit mojito, a concoction of Malibu passion fruit rum, passion fruit juice, lime juice, mint, club soda and mint sugar on the rim. This was a more straightforward, juicy drink and certainly not anywhere near as sweet as the martini.

With Bridget's encouragement, we settled on the H2O rolls, the restaurant's signature version of the spring roll, and sesame chicken wontons. Both, appropriately enough, were served with chopsticks.

The wontons ($8) had been very lightly fried so they were wonderfully crispy and not greasy at all. They came with a sweet chili dipping sauce -- not at all hot -- that won raves as we eagerly dunked the little treats into the little pot of sauce.

The H2O rolls looked something like a vegetarian sushi and had been prepared the same way as that Japanese favorite. The vegetables -- which included julienned red pepper, carrots, European cucumber, purple onion, alfalfa sprouts and jicama -- had been rolled in a seaweed wrapper, then sliced into a half dozen neat little rolls. It was dressed with a mix of lime yogurt and slices of red grapefruit and avocado. A green ball of wasabi added a final kick.

Despite our decision to go Asian this night, we couldn't resist sharing a bowl of the clam chowder ($6), especially because it was billed as "H2O's version of the Newport classic." It was refreshingly light considering the solid taste of smoky bacon, a prime ingredient.

Bridget persuaded me toward the mahi-mahi ($24), a good choice. The mahi filet had been dipped in coconut batter and fried to a golden (but not oily) turn. The filet was served atop a bed of Indian basmati rice and bok choy, which rested in a pool of red curry beurre blanc. Yum!

The pork tenderloin tempura gai-lon ($24) was a tender slice that had been marinated, then grilled in the Asian manner to give it its red color, then steamed over aromatic herbs and grilled with a pine nut puree. It was served with a lychee citrus vinaigrette that included sweet mandarin orange slices.

Except for the locally made ice cream, all the desserts are made in-house, and the two choices this night were a strawberry cheesecake panacotta and a chocolate and caramel torte ($7 each). Roddy said that on weekends there were more choices, but we agreed we'd choose these two again.

The cheesecake was billed by Bridget as a cross between a cheesecake and gelatin. And so it was. The tall, slim round was airily light and surely couldn't have added more than a few calories to the meal, or so we told ourselves.

The chocolate and caramel torte was another matter entirely. It came as a thin wedge, which might have seemed disappointing at first, but the stick-to-the-spoon chocolate was dense -- more like a fudgy candy bar -- and sitting on a layer of wonderfully gooey caramel atop a crust of chocolate cookie crumbs. Not enough chocolate? It was surrounded by dark chocolate sauce, with dollops of whipped cream, just to add a light touch. It was delicious, and although it looked small at first, I dare you to order more than one.

mjanuson@projo.com / (401) 277-7276

Details, details . . .

H2O, 359 Thames St., Newport, (401) 849-4466; www.H2Onewport.com. Dressy casual. Handicapped accessible. Reservations accepted. AE, MC, V, DIS. Pay parking in lot next door or on street. Lunch Monday to Thursday 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.; to 4 p.m. Friday to Sunday. Dinner Monday to Thursday 5 to 10 p.m.; Friday to Sunday 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. Appetizers $6 to $14. Entrees $18 to $33. Wines are $7 to $13 by the glass; $24 to $120 for a bottle.