The pan-Asian explosion in Wilmington
Shed a tear for Jasmine, which had the market to itself for years. Then the trend went crazy: Rasa Sayang...Kooma...Le Shio...and now Takumi (the old Utage) is apparently adding Szechuan to its Japanese menu.
I have never really been a fan of the whole pan-Asian concept (do one cuisine and do it well, I say) but now we are inundated with it. Jasmine was always pretty decent, although I haven't been there for years since I no longer work up on 202. I do like Rasa Sayang very much--best of the bunch in my opinion. I was OK with my one meal so far at Kooma, although it wasn't very ambitious. We got take-out from Le Shio last Saturday night (no sushi, though) and I was completely underwhelmed--the food was very undistinguished.
Other opinions? What is the deal with this tsunami of mix'n'match menus?
By travelmad478
on Mar 17, 2010 09:16 AM
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Yeah, I had read nothing but positive reviews of Le Shio, but I've been twice with other people and we all found the food very bland and overpriced. I hear the sushi is amazing, but I have a problem paying 15 bucks for a specialty roll, no matter how tasty it is! Also, got takeout lunch from Rasa Sayang last week and seemed to have gone downhill as all 3 dishes I got were pretty bland. Fried rice was tasteless, Basil noodles also no flavor...
Also, Szechuan on Kirkwood has a new owner and have read raves, but I didn't like the food I got from there, either. Is it me? I dunno...
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Haven't tried Le Shio but remember seeing a couple of middling reviews. Was at Rasa Sayang a couple of months ago but nothing seemed amiss when we were there - hope they're not being distracted by opening a new place in Hockessin.
As for Szechuan, did you order from the regular menu? It's now run by the folks from the old Shang Hai in Claymont. The food to try is found on their Chinese menu (which is in English). There's no reason to go there for the usual run of the mill Chinese food.
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My husband and I used to go to Jasmine all the time, but we haven't been back in a while (not because of the food - just found other places). We thought Kooma was overpriced for the quality. I had a great lunch at Rasa Sayang - the food was wonderful, and the server helped my friend and I pick a great "beginner" sampler.
My husband and I really liked what we had at Le Shio. The service wasn't great, but they were a bit understaffed as they has just opened. The server was nice enough, but it's hard to wait tables and bartend. We definitely plan to go back.
You're right - there are a TON of these restaurants in the area. I think Chinese food has gone so mainstream, that this sort of cuisine seems "safe" to people.
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Am not a fan of pan-Asian and thought Jasmine was just so-so. I don't want to see sushi offered at a Chinese restaurant. I did like the one meal at Rasa Sayang but felt their menu was quite limited. And now there is this new pan-Asian place that has opened up on 202 near the Fairfax Mall - they say they have a Chinese chef doing some Chinese dishes but yet they offer sushi. These owners must feel that north Wilmington will not support a truly authentic Chinese restaurant. Yi Palace (in the mall on 202 between Silverside and Naaman's Road - can't keep my malls straight) does a decent job at Sichuan dishes and they always have 4-5 specials.
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I think the limited menu is what I like best about Rasa Sayang. I don't really want to eat at any place where there are more than 15 entrees to choose from (this is a corollary of my "do one thing and do it well" axiom). The only kind of restaurant that can get away with this is a Greek-owned diner, IMO. At Rasa Sayang, I just order the Malay stuff and ignore everything else. The coconut chicken soup is my favorite so far.
I'm amused that the Le Shio chef is Chinese. We got all Chinese stuff when we ordered takeout last week and the food was seriously weak.
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I do not know much about Malaysian food but did like their Chicken Curry. I did notice that seem to also offer Thai and Indian dishes as well. Thanks for the tip, next time I will focus in only on the Malay dishes then.
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