Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner
By Amy Fisher |
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Breakfast
Lee Garden
2685 Federated Blvd.
(614) 764-1525
Photo: Christopher Atwood
A few friends and I met at Lee Garden for a lazy Sunday brunch. We sipped tea and watched the servers circle the dining room with heated metal carts holding unknown treasures. No menus are offered at Dim Sum, a traditional Cantonese mid morning meal. The servers would show us what treats lay in wait, then stamp a bingo-like card to indicate which dishes we ordered. We had to loosen our belts as the card filled with holes. The common translation for Dim Sum is 'to touch the heart,' and the Lee Garden delivers with a fun, social meal.
Our first arrival was a turnip cake, containing no turnip, but made from mashed daikon radish and crispy little pork bits. We were hooked on the savory, soft griddlecake. The earthy richness of soft Chinese eggplant made for a sweet, shrimp-stuffed dumpling pop. We ate many steamed dumplings - a table favorite was the pork and scallion with a carrot and rice wrapper. Pork and shrimp, though ubiquitous, varied in taste and texture making each dish new.
Full of bliss and vinegar, we sampled the Garden's duck feet - a dish many dislike for its texture. My love of all things duck allowed me to ignore my American palate's hang-ups. The BBQ pork bun, charsiu bao, was a standout, the bun a textural combination of yeast bread and marshmallow. My favorite dish was the taro root dumpling, with its trio of contrast: a crispy fried exterior, a dense layer of mashed taro, and a creamy pork and mushroom interior. The dumplings were exotic but had a familiar biscuits-and-gravy quality.
Lunch
Japanese Oriental
2283 N High St.
(614) 299-6544
www.japaneseoriental.com
Photo: Christopher Atwood
I can't tell you if Japanese Oriental has good Japanese food. I hear they have great sushi, but I am in a committed relationship with their Korean food and just can't stray. The pan-fried seafood pancakes are sprinkled with small sea creatures and scallions and served with a spicy soy vinegar sauce. Nothing like what most people round these parts call pancakes, they resemble a hybrid between a crepe and an omelet. The Kimchi Tofu Bokkum is a dish that includes silky tofu with a fiery Kimchi sauce and a mound of stir-fried mushrooms, pork, and rice flour dumplings. The Calamari Stew arrives to the table sizzling hot. The briny broth has just the right amount of spice to compliment (but not overpower) the firm vegetables, tofu, squid, and clams. Both dishes are an example of characteristic Korean implementation of tofu as an ingredient and not a meat substitute. All Korean meals are served with banchan - a collection of side dishes that always includes Kimchi, chili-laden fermented vegetables, like radish or cabbage. If you are looking for something less intense, try a lunch bento, a box deal that includes a nice spread at a good price. As always, chili-filled foods should not be paired with capsaicin activating water. Instead, try a new beer like Sapporo or Rouge Morimoto; both are sure to ease the burn.
Dinner
Nida's Thai on High
976 N High St.
(614) 299-9199
Photo: Christopher Atwood
Nida's Thai on High strikes a nice balance between traditional Thai food and an approachable menu for the inexperienced diner. The standard Thai salad is a generous portion of meat with a few obligatory greens. The Larb is delicious in spite of its awkward nomenclature, with ground chicken and the brightness of cilantro and onion rounding out the chili finish. The Tom Kha, a pungent, spicy Thai soup, had a bit more coconut milk than usual, resulting in a rich and velvety broth. The diner is kept in control: you are given the options of meat, sauce, and noodle choices, and desired heat level. The creamy and fiery green curry with eggplant and peas would easily compliment any of the offered meats. If you like your food Thai hot, not the milder American hot, you will have to beg and persuade a bit; for those of us that can't get enough heat there is always Sriracha cock-sauce.
Originally Published: May 1, 2009
