Hello Sushi Bar and Thai Cuisine is a charming restaurant with two dining areas, cheery service and reasonable prices. The Rogers Park joint at Devon and Clark offers a comforting mix of quality noodle dishes, sushi, soups and curries.

Lit lanterns and low-hanging lights fill the dining rooms, which have exposed brick walls and walls painted in a warm, uplifting red hue. High ceilings and tiled floors also accent the clean sushi and Thai dining spot.

Start out with a cucumber salad ($3.50). Then savor lard nar with chicken ($7.50), a mix of soft, chewy wide rice noodles in a flavorful, gooey sauce mixed with fresh Chinese broccoli and tender chicken chunks.

Other dishes include gyoza dumplings and traditional Thai food such as pad thai, pad see-ew and panang curry, or curry paste and peanut butter mixed with chicken, beef or tofu.

Sushi offerings include tuna rolls, avocado rolls, eel avocado rolls and California rolls (with crab meat and avocado and cucumber).

End the meal on a good note with warm, delicious Thai custard ($2.95), a creamy delight accompanied by a flower-shaped carrot. Or save room for the sticky rice stuffed with banana.

Average cost: <$10

Centerstage Reviewer: Mary Susan Littlepage