What - Even More Fun Playing with Wonton Gourmet's Food?

At the risk of blogging like a, I don't know, broken record - we lunched again at Wonton Gourmet. Wonton Gourmet (3211 Payne Avenue, 216-875-7000, no website)(each of the last 8 words has a link to a different FPWF WG post). I report it to you because my wonderful dining companions allowed us to try some new things - worthy of yet another blog post about my favorite Cleveland Asiatown restaurant.


Chinese Donut Wrapped With Rice Roll



Simply delicious - sweet, savory, toothy and gloppy all in one bite!


Scallion Pancakes

Expertly prepared and not a bit greasy!


Pork Ramen

Ok, Cleveland Ohio fans of Juzo Itami's movie Tampopo - get ready! Cleveland finally has a bowl of ramen that is worthy of the name! The fragrance of the dish is intoxicating - anise, pork, fish (from the kelp strips) - and the taste simply fabulous. True, they do not make the noodles themselves in house- but this is a dish for the noodle crazed among us to truly savor. And our server had no problem giving us small bowls and our own spoons to share this (as well as the fork shown in the ramen bowl, which made it much easier to portion out the noodles) - even though that is not the way ramen is meant to be eaten.




My "Mini Bowl" of Ramen


Tung Choi with Preserved Bean Cake

This dish wasn't really what we expected - we expected to find bits of tofu mixed with the greens. Instead, it was more of a miso effect:



At first, we felt it lacked profundity - then we added some chili paste. Oh, yes.


Half Roast Duck

What can I say about crispy skinned perfection?




Oysters with Black Bean Sauce

These huge mollusks come from someplace out west - and the taste and texture are fantastic and complemented exquisitely by the black bean sauce (note the whole beans).




Frog Legs with Rice in Casserole Hong Kong Style



Our friend Edsel has been wanting to try a frog leg dish (there are several on the menu) since we first starting visiting Wonton Gourmet a year ago! But there was always someone at the table who made a face - until today!



The frog was pristinely fresh and melted off of the bones (and the dish took about 45 minutes to prepare). To my palate, frog is somewhere between poultry and fish (whereas alligator, to my palate, tasted way too much like chicken). The preparation was relatively simple - black mushroom, scallion, salt and pepper. A slightly sweet, slightly soy "dipping sauce" was presented on the side - again, a very simple concoction, but it worked magic with the frog (which was very tasty on its own, as well).



We left Wonton Gourmet, as we always do, with full bellies, full wallets (our lunches, with tax and tip, were less than $20 pp), leftovers for a lucky diner, and a warm glow from the sincere hospitality of owners Tom and Shirley and their staff. This is the essence of playing with food and having fun - and perhaps, that is why we return so often. Besides - there's lots of menu we haven't sampled yet!

Even More Fun Playing With Authentic Chinese Food at Wonton Gourmet

Ok, I admit it - I'm a Wonton Gourmet whore. I can't get enough of it!

So even though we'd just dined there Sunday 12/28, we could not resist an invitation to lunch there again on New Year's Day. There was a hitch though - the dining companion who issued the invitation has a NYD tradition of eating Chinese food - Americanized Chinese food. Thankfully, though, we didn't have to compromise much of anything to make everybody happy.

We started with soup. What could be more Western than the dish served to tourists throughout China:


Chicken With Corn Soup



I have to say - it had a unique pepper-iness - not from chile, but from the white pepper sprinkled on (and which could also be added from a shaker on the table). Bob would pronounce it his favorite dish of the day.


Turnip Cake. 'Nuff Said.


Three Flavor Shrimp Dumpling

This is normally served in soup, but one of our dining companions recommended that we have it this way. Three different types of house-made shrimp dumplings, served with gai lan (Chinese broccoli).



Unfortunately, I could taste chemical notes in the shrimp - a shame because the dumplings were otherwise delicious.


Roast Pork on Rice

I expected this dish to be the counterpart of this Roast Duck dish, which we'd enjoyed a while ago:



Indeed, I had noticed a plate of crispy-skinned pork on another diners' table when we lunched on the 28th. So, there was a momentary disappointment that the dish wasn't what I thought.



But one bite dispelled any disappointment - rich with Star Anise and fresh flavor, this pork was fabulous.



Trying to respect my companion's desire for traditional American Chinese flavors, I suggested Yangchow Fried Rice.


Yangchow (or Young Chow, as on the Wonton Menu) Fried Rice

Turns out my companions had never before enjoyed authentic Chinese Fried Rice, which never has soy sauce. The plate was cleaned!


Fried Pork Chop With Special Sauce

Another of our dining companions was craving this dish. It was similar to the Fried Pork Chop we'd had 12/28, but the sauce was a great addition to the dish.


Salted Fish, Diced Chicken, Eggplant Claypot

This dish was most certainly NOT Americanized! The salted fish infused the casserole with an intense fish flavor - while a bit, well, fishy for the Western palate, it was not a "bad" fishy taste - just intense. The other components of the dish were perfectly cooked; the eggplant was sublime!




Pea Shoot Sauteed With Garlic

Wonton Gourmet executes this dish flawlessly.

And so, the five of us were stuffed. Bob and I got to take the leftovers home.

The next morning, I got a skillet and some bacon drippings srceaming hot, and added about half of the leftovers. I shirred some eggs in and sprinkled on a dash of soy sauce and some Sichuan Pepper-Salt. Breakfast was served:


Leftovers Transformed into Fried Rice


Nancy's Fried Rice Topped With Home-Made Garden Tabasco Sauce!

The Tabasco was the perfect counterpoint to the fish flavor - and we got two breakfasts out of it.

I think I see another trip to Wonton Gourmet in my near future - how much more fun can we have there? Follow this blog and find out!

More Fun Playing With Chinese Food at Wonton Gourmet

A friend called this morning on a whim, and asked if we wanted to have dinner at Wonton Gourmet & BBQ, 3211 Payne Avenue, Cleveland (no website, (216) 875-7000)). I've blogged about Wonton Gourmet before, but I just can't stop myself from singing their praises.

Five of us enjoyed the feast you are about to see for less than $15pp, before tip.

We started with a few reruns, and one new (for us) dim sum.


Fish Maw & Conpoy (Dried Scallop) Soup



I know it sounds creepy - but it tastes so good!


Fried Rice Roll

Since tonight is the last night of Hanukkah, I wanted to try their Chinese Donut (with or without rice noodle). Our server apologized and explained that this item was only available in the morning. He suggested the pictured item as an alternative. It is the same rice noodle that is more commonly seen wrapped around shrimp or beef, then steamed and served with a light sauce. This version was a crispy delight.




Turnip Cake

The. Best. Ever.


Chive Pot Stickers





Next, the entrees began to arrive at the table.


Fried Porkchop

A very simple dish, similar to the Salt and Pepper Squid we had a while back. Bob felt that it lacked profundity, but I really liked it - especially that the meat was cooked perfectly.


Clams in Black Bean Sauce

The clams were exquisitely fresh. The sauce was very good, with a cascading heat that built slowly. I wasn't wild about the consistency of the sauce, but two of our dining companions, who've had the black bean sauce at Wonton before, said this was not typical.




Pork Belly Braised with Pickles

We haven't had this since our first visit to Wonton last winter - it was time to have it again, and to share it with our dining companions, who'd never had it before.


Fried Soft Japanese Tofu with Fried Fish and Vegetables

This dish was recommended by our server as a "better" alternative, when we tried to order Ma Po Tofu. It was certainly different - I don't know how they got such a crispy finish on soft tofu - but it was crisp on the outside and creamy on the inside. The tofu pieces are the round ones that look like scallops. The fish morsels were very fresh and also had a nice crunch. The sauce was a typical clear sauce, meant as background more than a main flavor. This dish was a perfect choice, especially if eaten after the assertive and spicy black bean sauce.



And now, a request. If anyone reading this blog can read Chinese characters, I would really love a translation of the following "wall menu" items:





Thus concluded another delightful session of playing with authentic Chinese food at Wonton Gourmet!

More Fun Playing with Lunch at Wonton Gourmet

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.