Today was a cold, rainy, dreariness - a harbinger of the winter days to come here in Cleveland (and all too soon, I expect). So - how brilliant was our friend Tom that he invited us for lunch to our Cleveland Asiatown favorite - Wonton Gourmet - several days ago! It provided the perfect antidote for the weather.
Instead of starting with soup this time, I suggested a Jook or Congee - rice porridge that is a staple of Chinese breakfast and Dim Sum. I was intrigued by the "Thousand Year Egg Lean Pork" listed on the menu.
Thousand Year Egg Lean Pork Congee
This is a close up of a bit of the "Thousand Year Old Egg," which has a gelatinous, almost puddingy mouthfeel. The congee was richly flavored from the eggs, pork and yellow chives. A drop of soy and a pinch of chili oil yielded a richly comforting and tasty start to our meal.
Chive Potstickers
I wasn't wild about these the last time I had them - but today, they were perfection on a plate! Slightly smoky, supremely fresh - simply wonderful.
Turnip Cake
What can I say about these that I haven't said before - best damn turnip cake I've had anyplace in the world - period.
Roast Duck Over Rice
Another Dim Sum staple - perfectly seasoned and expertly cooked - I finally understand the "BBQ" in this restaurant's name. We inhaled this plate.
Goat Casserole
The English menu description of this dish did not come close to doing it justice. The goat meat was exquisitely tender, and almost beef-like in flavor. Though none of us found the skin very palatable, we appreciated what it rendered into the dish. And the bean curd stick sucked up all of the lovely flavors - the guys joked as we left that instead of picking out the last bits of meat as we prepared to end our meal - they were picking out the tofu!
Wonton Gourmet remains our favorite Cleveland Asiatown spot - and in these tough economic times - the cost of playing with all of this food (which fed four of us, and there was a bit of stew left over) was under $40.
Instead of starting with soup this time, I suggested a Jook or Congee - rice porridge that is a staple of Chinese breakfast and Dim Sum. I was intrigued by the "Thousand Year Egg Lean Pork" listed on the menu.
Thousand Year Egg Lean Pork Congee
This is a close up of a bit of the "Thousand Year Old Egg," which has a gelatinous, almost puddingy mouthfeel. The congee was richly flavored from the eggs, pork and yellow chives. A drop of soy and a pinch of chili oil yielded a richly comforting and tasty start to our meal.
Chive Potstickers
I wasn't wild about these the last time I had them - but today, they were perfection on a plate! Slightly smoky, supremely fresh - simply wonderful.
Turnip Cake
What can I say about these that I haven't said before - best damn turnip cake I've had anyplace in the world - period.
Roast Duck Over Rice
Another Dim Sum staple - perfectly seasoned and expertly cooked - I finally understand the "BBQ" in this restaurant's name. We inhaled this plate.
Goat Casserole
The English menu description of this dish did not come close to doing it justice. The goat meat was exquisitely tender, and almost beef-like in flavor. Though none of us found the skin very palatable, we appreciated what it rendered into the dish. And the bean curd stick sucked up all of the lovely flavors - the guys joked as we left that instead of picking out the last bits of meat as we prepared to end our meal - they were picking out the tofu!
Wonton Gourmet remains our favorite Cleveland Asiatown spot - and in these tough economic times - the cost of playing with all of this food (which fed four of us, and there was a bit of stew left over) was under $40.
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