Thursday, July 18, 2013

The Leptologists Eat at Wild Ginger

Paul: Today's restaurant is Wild Ginger in Hilliard.
Candice: We got here fast!  I'm enjoying the dark wood interior and the muted dark colors are lovely, but it's too cold for me in here.
Paul: Well, it is hot outside.
Candice: Uh huh.  And it's cold inside. The menus are well-designed.
Paul: They have gyoza, so we must order those.
Candice: Yes, of course, it's a rule at this point. My questions for the waitress has sent her looking for the owner.
Paul: She has only been on the job for 3 days.  And, here's the owner now.
Candice: The owner counters my suggestion of Tom Yum soup with the Coconut Curry soup. He thinks the Coconut Curry will have a better flavor for me than the sour Tom Yum. He says I can get it with scallops.
Paul: I think you just ordered something not even on the menu.
Candice: I think you're right.
Paul: I get the lunch special, the Sambal Samba Chicken. It comes with Miso Soup and a Spring Roll.

Gyoza
Gyoza
Candice: I like the presentation of the Gyoza.
Paul: They smell wonderful.
Candice: And the taste.... Dare we say it?
Paul: Yes, we must.
Candice: We may have finally found a dumpling to rival our favorite dumpling at Nida's Thai on High.
Paul: This is a damn good dumping.
Candice: It's crunchy and smooth where it needs to be. The sauce is light. We'll need to do a side-by-side compare to be sure.
Paul: Dumpling taste test!
Candice: One day.

Spring Roll
Spring Roll
Paul: My Miso Soup, which we failed to take a picture of, is very bland and tasteless.
Candice: You're right. It's flat. Disappointing. Maybe that's why we didn't even bother to photograph it.
Paul: The Spring Roll however is yummy.
Candice: It is, and I love the sauce. Good stuff.
Paul: And your soup?
Candice: The scallops are thick and meaty. No skimping here. The flavor of the curry is just about perfect.

Coconut Curry Scallop Soup
Coconut Curry Scallop Soup
Paul: My chicken, as well, is excellent. The Sambal Samba spice is an Indonesian spice made from chilis.
Candice: Is it spicy?
Paul: Not overly. It's strong and striking. It's rich with the spices and very flavorful.
Candice: There's a smoky flavor here. Very good.
Paul: I like it a lot.

Chicken Sambal Samba
Chicken Sambal Samba
Candice: That was a good lunch!
Paul: Apart from the forgettable Miso Soup, it was from start to finish excellent.
Candice: And, we've found a Gyoza to rival Nida's.
Paul: And the price was decent.
Candice: Definitely worth the wait, worth the price...
Paul: ... and worth coming back!
Candice: For the dumpling taste test!

Candice   Paul   

Worth the Price?
Worth the Wait?
Worth Coming Back?

Wild Ginger Asian Fusion on Urbanspoon