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!
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!
