Fun Playing With Asian Food at Nobu Tei, Solon Ohio

Our newest Solon favorite for playing with food is Nobu Tei, a lovely Asian eatery sandwiched between franchises Zoup and DiBella's Subs at 30050 Aurora Rd Solon OH 44139, not far from the Harper Road exit of US 422. They are open for lunch and dinner seven days a week.

The menu ambitiously transports you from Sushi, Japanese Noodles and Tempura, to Hibachi, to Thai selections. For this report, we visited twice with friends, and took out one order. Our first visit and part of the take out focused on the Japanese cuisine (we'll skip the Hibachi, though), for the second visit and part of the take out, we "Thai'd one on" so to speak. Actually, while we couldn't actually "tie one on" during our April 2015 visits because the liquor permit was pending, the website of the Ohio Department of Liquor Control indicates they got their permits in late May - full bar, seven days a week. The bar area looks like a fun place to socialize. We settled for tea on our two visits. 

For our first adventure, each couple ordered the Sushi Combo For Two (Chef's Choice). According to the menu, the sushi plate should have been preceded by Miso Soup, but it never appeared, and our server didn't seem to think it was included (and we didn't feel like arguing). Also missing was the traditional warm towel to cleanse the face and hands before handling Japanese food.

Overall, this wasn't a bad plate of sushi, though the hamachi (second pair from the right, front) definitely smelled and tasted fishy. And the tamago (egg sushi) third row right, lacked profundity as well; it was stiff and watery and might have been a frozen product. The only other criticism is that this is presented as a dish to feed two diners. When I asked the server why there was only one piece each of tamago, octopus, and crab stick, she explained that it was a 15 piece order (which is stated in the menu, yes). Oh.

On the positive side, the Kimono Roll (4th row), which contained both real crab and kani, had a great combination of crunch and savory and, most important, it tasted fresh and good. The other items ranged from very good to a slightly chewy octopus (hard to share!), but other than the old-tasting hamachi, I'd try sushi there again. Our dining companions ordered two rolls in addition to their Sushi for Two: Eel Cucumber and Spicy Tuna. I enjoyed the piece of Spicy Tuna roll I tasted. Our companions liked the Eel Cucumber enough to order another on our next visit, the following week.

The next week, Bob and I started with Crispy Calamari, Thai Style. $6.75 bought us four large rings of squid and a squirt of spicy dipping sauce. And we liked it, so long as we didn't focus on the cost per ring. Fried to a crispy crunch, with a nice coating that stayed on as the ring was eaten, this was a pleasant dish. I would have liked some tentacles, or at least enough pieces to really share.

This next choice turned out a little strange - the menu says, "Avocado Salad. Sliced avocado, lettuce served with special sauce." As I adore all things avocado:

It was exactly as the menu described it: leaves of Iceberg Lettuce topped with slices of avocado and drizzled with a tingly-tasty sauce. Any avocado lover would like this, but it just seemed like an odd, sparse salad. Yes, I took the leftovers home and yes, I ate them.

Our Thai entrees were all preceded by a standard iceberg lettuce salad topped with a peanutty dressing and served right from the cooler:

So far, most of the food had been rather mundane. Not wanting to be negative, but want to tell the complete story.

But here is where Nobu Tei turned into a blissful experience; they won us over with the next four Thai dishes:

Yellow Curry with Chicken

Drunken Noodles

Swimming Crispy Duck in Red Curry

Massaman Curry w/Tofu

The three curries were each served with a bowl of rice. 

Each of these dishes jumped off the plate and danced on our palates with sophisticated spicing and respectable heat. The complexity of the sauces did not overwhelm the proteins; both tofu dishes were expertly prepared and featured crisped tofu the likes of which I haven't tasted in an NEO Ohio Thai restaurant anytime lately. The Drunken Noodles married fresh rice noodles with egg, onion, scallions, bell pepper, basil and choice of protein (tofu here), topped with a spicy, savory Thai Brown Sauce that made me wish I'd ordered the dish for myself. My Massaman Curry, however, also delighted the palate with complex flavors and assertive but not overwhelming spices. 

But the most exquisite of the dishes was the duck - fried to a perfectly crispy finish, swimming in a delightful red curry sauce with vegetables and cilantro.

The take-out started out similarly to how our last Nobu Tei meal had ended - with their other fried duck entree special: Spice Duck. 

Notwithstanding the rigors of packing and carrying, this duck was crisp and savory, with a slightly different spice profile from the Swimming Duck. The accompanying sauce was not a curry, but redolent of soy, fish sauce and a touch of sweet.

For take out, the sauce came on the side, together with the  peas, bell pepper, red onion, carrot, and basil leaves to accompany the dish. Here is how it looked together on the plate:

My entree came from the Japanese side of the menu: Yakisoba stir fried noodles with red onion, carrot and asparagus and more of that nicely fried tofu (my choice of protein). Though it paled a little next to the wonderfully complex and savory duck dish, it was most enjoyable.

We also shared an order of Chicken & Vegetable Tempura: 

Chicken strips, onion, broccoli, carrot, and mushroom were served with a mild dipping sauce (we actually liked the sauce for the duck with it better). Some of the foam container had melted, a tribute to the initial heat from freshly fried tempura. 

Overall, despite a few growing pains, Nobu Tei is a fun addition to Solon and the East Side Suburbs. While the sushi needed a little work, it was mostly very good and the complexity, depth and freshness of the Thai sauces and curries will win you over also. During our second visit, a group engaged one of the Hibachi tables nearby; it certainly sounded like they were having a good time. And despite the AWOL miso soup on our first visit, service is generally energetic and pleasant. So, based on our first three experiences, I look forward to playing with more food at Nobu Tei. 

Nobu Tei

(440) 318-1714

30050 Aurora Rd Solon OH 44139

No website, unofficial Facebook page here.

More Fun With Japanese-Style Food

Inspired partly by the film Jiro Dreams of Sushi and our fabulous Japanese repast at Cleveland's Ginko (recounted here), partly by an excess of rapidly aging eggs left over from our Passover festivities, and finally by a timely post by my favorite Japanese food blogger, Hiroyuki, on several eggy subjects, including Ougon Chahan (Golden Fried Rice)/黄金炒飯（チャーハン）- we recently had fun playing with food in a few variations on these themes.

First, the "Golden Fried Rice." This is a little misnamed (in English, anyway) because it isn't fried rice at all in the way we usually think of it - pre-cooked rice that is fried with solids, then accented with liquid. Here, the precooked rice is soaked in egg before it is pan-cooked, yielding a completely different type of dish.

We began with a package of smoked Pacific salmon and our fabulous Breychak Farm bacon.

Render the bacon fat, then scoop out the bacon bits and saute some chopped veggies in the fat:

In the meantime, some previously cooked rice soaks up Miller Farm eggs:

First the rice is added to the pan and stirred until the eggs just begin to set, then the salmon, then the bacon bits are added back to the pan, together with a bit of soy sauce and sesame oil:

Top with chopped scallions and serve with your choice of hot sauce (we used Sriracha):

Our second round of play inverted this recipe into the more familiar Omurice, or rice omelet, depicted in the film Tampopo.  In an eggy double-dip, we used the leftover Ougon Chahan as the filling:

After the omelet is folded over in the pan, it is slid onto the plate such that the seam is on the bottom. After slicing a line through the top of the eggs, a fine line of ketchup is applied in a zig-zag.

Oops - ketchup squeeze bottle fail. But you get the idea. And yes, it was delicious!

And speaking of the Passover leftovers - the very last one was a quart of chicken soup. Here, it is re-purposed Tampopo-style with fresh vegetables, together with pork dumplings I made for a dinner club meeting in February and packaged Chinese noodles from the freezer:

Fun playing with Asian-style food - a perfect warm up for the Cleveland Asian Festival which will occur this weekend in Cleveland's Asiatown! More on that will follow shortly.

Fun Playing with Sushi and Malay Cuisine at Pacific East Solon, OH

In his book Kitchen Confidential, Anthony Bourdain wrote about restaurant locations that would become almost jinxed by housing repeated failures, such that any new restaurant moving into the space would be doomed before it started. This analysis certainly applied to the building located at 33003 Aurora Road, Solon, Ohio - a short drive down the road from my home. When I first moved to Solon 14 years ago, it held a red-tablecloth, red-sauce Italian restaurant that we may have patronized once. It then held a series of Asian themed restaurants, each with a declining quality of food, and ending with a somewhat bizarre marriage between Chinese and Cajun themes. When word came that the owners were closing it down for good, I was not surprised - the Avis Rental Car location that had opened in the building during its last renovation seemed to be doing a better business than any of the last ten years' worth of restaurants. 

And then, a small sign went up on the property, which brought joy to my heart, and hope that perhaps, on this occasion, Mr. Bourdain might just be wrong. "Coming soon: Pacific East." The same folks who own Pacific East in Coventry and at Eton would soon be bringing their pristine fish and fiery Malaysian menus to Solon!

The problem I've always had with dining at Pacific East Coventry was deciding between the two cuisines; Pacific East Eton is a much smaller restaurant and does not offer the Malaysian temptation. But Pacific East Solon offers not only both Japanese and Malaysian cuisines but also a full beer, wine and liquor selection. I couldn't wait to try it!

Our first visit was dinner with a dear friend. I was delighted to see bubble tea among the offerings.


Taro Bubble Tea

This is my preferred flavor, and Pacific East did a good job with it. My favorite bubble tea in town, however, remains at Koko Bakery  in Cleveland's Asiatown. 

Also a first for us at any Pacific East - we were offered an amuse:






Baked Mussels Bechemel

I am not a huge fan of mussels, but this one was very tasty. The treatment is one seen sometimes at Dim Sum, applied to scallops in the shell - very luxurious on the palate. We placed our dinner orders with great anticipation.


Miso Soup

All Japanese entrees are served with a cup of  miso soup and salad (and salad came with the Malaysian entrees, also). This miso had rich flavor, which bounced sprightly off of the tofu cubes. The salad, which I didn't photograph, was your basic food service mix. But it was crisp and topped with a tasty peanut dressing.


Tom Yam Seafood Clay Pot

Bob opted for the Malaysian side of the menu, which brought him this Thai spicy soup w. shrimp, squid scallop, fish cake, clams, straw mushrooms, onion tomato and lemongrass. Although the flavors of the soup fulfilled their exotic promise, the quality of the seafood reflected its price point. All of the casseroles were priced between $11-15 and no item on the Malaysian menu is more than $16. On the Japanese side of the menu, entrees containing fish or seafood start around $16 and go up into the low $20s. So, you get what you pay for and there is a difference. The Malaysian seafood items all seemed to me to be food service pack quality, treated with sodium polytriphosphate and frozen. Now - this did not stop Bob from enjoying or cleaning his plate, but I wouldn't have enjoyed it as much.

Golden Pepper & Salt Shrimp

Betsy ordered this dish. The shrimps were marinated, "golden fried," and tossed with pepper, salt, scallions and chili. The shrimp plate was accompanied by a small bowl of steamed rice. The preparation of the shrimp was perfect, but I could not get past it's chemically smell. As I am especially fussy about my seafood, recognzie that your mileage may vary - if you often eat shrimp at restaurants, you will find this product similar to what you are used to and you will probably enjoy it very much - Betsy did.

I had been unable to resist the siren call of sushi, so my introduction to the Malaysian side of the menu was limited to tastes of my dining companions' meals.


Maki Dinner, 3 rolls: tuna, spicy salmon and hamachi


First - I adored the presentation, and the edible flower decoration, made from wasabi and two shades of chili paste. As at the other Pacific East locations, the pickled ginger is not stained with dye, and has clean flavor. The rice is skillfully prepared and perfectly textured, and the nori is noticeably fresh. And finally, the most important part:



Tuna

The fish! Pristine, sweet, and tender.

 
Spicy Salmon


Hamachi (Yellowtail)

Hamachi tends to be the most hit-or-miss in quality of these three varieties, but on this night, it actually reigned supreme in freshness and flavor.




Dinner (and the lunch to follow) were both served with enthusiasm and care. We regretted being too full for dessert.

To sink my teeth into the Malaysian menu, I met my friend Edsel for lunch at Pacific East Solon on a Monday. We were greeted and seated, and decided to imbibe in the green tea, the only hot tea they have. I'm not a big fan of green tea, but the beverage I was served at Pacific East was lip-smacking good - I wonder if the green tea was blended with another variety; because I thought I tasted some malt or gain flavor in there.

We began our lunch by splitting the Satay sampler:




Beef, lamb and chicken were skewered, marinated and grilled. Different colored skewers were employed so everyone would know which meat was which. The plate was decorated with tasty pineapple and cucumber . . . that Edsel enjoyed.



And this fabulous peanut dipping sauce.


Meat Close-Up

For the entrees, Edsel and I decided to be totally boring and order the same thing. It just looked so good as described in the menu!



Nasi Lemak (Coconut Rice) w. Cloves & Screwpine Leaves, served w.Chili Sambal Anchovy, Chicken Rendang, Cucumber, Pan Fried Peanut & Hard Boiled Egg 

Wow - talk about a ploughman's lunch! The plate held a lot of food, in an array of textures and tastes.



The coconut rice was perfectly prepared - scented with coconut and offering coconut flavors without being  overpowered by it.



The two cold accompinaments at the top of this photo tasted incredibly fresh, with  intense flavors - on the left, a peanutty sauce that had a fruity component (tamarind?), and to the right, chili sambal with bits of anchovy and caramelized onions. Oh, and I guess the cucumbers added yet another taste/textural contrast, but none of those for me, thank you!



The chicken rendang, towards the bottom, benefitted greatly from the use of dark meat chicken, which has the fat content to stand up to the stew pot. It was creamy and tender, with just the right amount of chili kick. The sambal would add additional kick, for anyone so desiring.  The eggs added additional texture, and a cooling flavor. Finally, the warm peanuts drew it all together - a delicious lunch (actually, two lunches for me; half left in a take-out box) priced at $8 (plus the Satay combo we split, which was $9 for six skewers).

Pacific East Solon, like its siblings, is highly recomended, with the following caveat: if you love pristine, fresh fish and seafood, stick with the sushi bar items. They cost more, but you get what you pay for. If the "usual" shrimp and seafood from your favorite Chinese restaurant please your palate, you may venture happily into the seafood portions of the cooked Japanese and Malaysian menus, otherwise, stay with the meats and vegetables for the best flavors. We had fun playing with the many flavors and textures offered by Pacific East Solon, and we intend to return for more!

Fun Playing with my last meal . . .

. . . before shoulder surgery. I wanted something healthy, hearty, tasty and close to home - so Bob and I met up with Edsel and Tom for sushi at Pacific East Eton in Woodmere, an East Side suburb near Beachwood. I had lunched at Pacific East on my birthday in July, and had been wanting to get back and try more.

We decided to "go for it," and ordered the "King & Queen" Nigiri Sushi & Sashimi Combo, described on the menu as a "Wonderful combination of nigiri sushi, sashimi & roll. Served with Miso Soup, Salad." I have skipped the photos of the soup and salad, which are in my previous post.

When they say they are going to bring you a "sushi boat" - they are not kidding!

According to the menu, our boat contained 28 pcs nigiri, 44 pcs sashimi, three rolls & three hand rolls. In addition, the website boasts that our dinner included "natural white pickle ginger. Not artificial pink color" and "gold & silver grade nori (seaweed)." My takes on these aspects of the food were most favorable during my one lunch - I looked forward to seeing what my dining companions thought. Edsel has eaten sushi all over the world, and was the most knowledgeable person at the table.

My first task was to try to photograph this monster! I worked forward from the stern.

You can see the mackerel sashimi on the right (the silver-colored fish). It was the only variety that three of us passed on (Edsel ate his - brave trouper!). Mackerel is just too strong on its own like that!

Yup - no sign of pink dye on this tasty ginger!

I wasn't crazy about the tiny shrimp - there was nothing wrong with it - just lacked profundity.

This sashimi was presented most artfully, draped over the shotglass and sprinkled with roe. It was almost too pretty to eat. But we did. And we liked it!

This Daikon "vermicelli" was another lovely and refreshing garnish.

This is where I hope Edsel jumps in and fills in the gaps in my knowledge/memory. The Unagi (Fresh Water Eel) was delicious - I had stopped ordering eel, especially in Cleveland, because it always tasted old. Not this time! The handrolls behind the eel contained rice topped with a type of roe. Again, roe usually tastes like pebbles to me - but this was fresh and welcomed by my tastebuds!

So, we began to eat, working our way back from bow to stern! There was one piece of each item for each of us.

This very tasty roll was, I believe, crab stick mixed in the most delightfully spicy sauce. Had I not read it on the menu, I wouldn't have guessed it was crab stick!

This fish was lightly seared.

Definitely a tuna varietal.

Sweet, clean salmon.

This fish was a little stronger, but delicious.

A little stronger yet. Still yummy.

I really wanted to taste this appetizing squid roll with the cucumber intact - but my nose got the better of me and I poked it out. Fortunately (for me), all of the cucumber came out of the rolls very neatly.

California Roll.

Another type of tuna, this time as nigiri.

Edsel - help!

Ditto.

It all tasted good, even though I don't know my Hamachi from my Escolar.

The eel, as mentioned above, was superb.

This roll surprised me - I took the piece in the next photo, because I thought it had a big mushroom in it and it would be easy to pick out. Silly me!

Ichiban Roll (I think)

Smoked salmon, eel (this was the thing that looked like mushroom at first), cucumber, avocado & fish roe.

Our last roll, as you may recall, looked like this (rear left right in front of Tom's hand):




Closer inspection revealed tempura shrimp as the featured filling (and a yummy sauce):



This feast left us absolutely sated. My mouth wasn't burning from saltiness and my tummy wasn't too full - a perfect last playtime before who-knows-how-long shoulder rehab. But Pacific East Eaton is definitely on my "go to" list once I am back in the saddle again! Oh - and if raw fish isn't your thing - Pacific East has a lovely noodle and cooked food menu also - so don't let the "sushi thing" deter you from playing with your food here - quality is high, food and service are wonderful, prices are reasonable - what more could you ask for when playing with your food?