Panda Wok and Woll

I am addicted to Asian food.  I am ashamed to say that I passed this addiction on to my daughters (The Foodie and Princess) while they were in the womb. As hard as I try, I can only go about a week without something with soy sauce on it.  Invariably, almost every weekend--especially when one of the girls are home--a low and strong craving builds until I have to pay a visit to one of my favorites like Asia Bistro or Green Papaya for some General Tso's Chicken with Hot and Sour soup or the like. Sometimes I am so anxious, I don't use the chopsticks.

After going this past Sunday afternoon without Asian food, I thought I would be distracted by the Super Bowl festivities at the Snobatorium with the silly hype about which brother the Harbaugh  parents loved best. I almost made it too.  Then, just before the half-time show and during the E-Trade Baby Commercial (which we all thought was one of the best but did not make the masses' top five) the following picture flashed on the screen for half a second:

Boom!

Well that put me over the edge. I could not sleep that evening without dreaming of egg rolls with duck sauce and waking with my hands trying to work chopsticks.  The next day, while heading out to the bypass, I saw the newly opened Panda Wok next to Nails by Ly (which are owned by the same person) near where our favorite Moody's Hardware used to be (3044 McGehee Road). (Take a trip to one of the big box hardware stores and realize what you are missing).  It is also across from the same sad strip mall  where Indian Palace and Del' Amalia had struggled so valiantly to survive--but failed.  With fond memories of those former Gump restaurants swirling in my head like fried won tons, I decided to give the Panda Wok a try. 

I passed on the Pu Pu Tray (Egg roll, crab Rangoon, fried shrimp, beef cho cho and BBQ Ribs), and went straight for the hot and sour soup, egg roll and the spicy Hong Kong chicken ( $5.75 at lunch).  Was quickly satisfied with the service, cleanliness and taste of the food.  They could have made it a little spicier for my taste because I am a hottie err...I like it hot.  They can make it as hot as you want I am sure.

I was enjoying my fare when on the news came a story about a party at the Kappa Sigma house at Duke where they celebrated (or ridiculed) Asians and new-English speaker's difficulties with pronouncing the letter "L": One email featured the puppet character of former Korean leader Kim Jong-Il from "Team America: World Police" and reads "Herro Nice Duke Peopre" in a misspelling intended to convey an east Asian accent.

Deck the halls with boughs of horrey.....

Some of the students interviewed were outraged while others thought there were more important things to protest.  In any event, those clueless Kappa Sigs have apologized to anyone who did not understand they meant no lasting harm by hosting their "International Affairs" party. But it certainly appears insensitive to make fun of the way new-Americans butcher the accents just like they made fun of me in Venice last September when I tried to say "Per favore" or "Grazie" with a U.S. Southern accent.

Anyway, I was enjoying my lunch and the warm feeling in my stomach as the soy and duck sauce kicked in, thinking about the Panda in the hot tub with the E-Trade Baby and the party at Duke and trying to make sense of it all when the waitress came to me with my check and asked:

"wrill dat be arw?"

I have now learned that hot and sour soup can clean out your sinuses.  However, I do not recommend it.

WokaWoka.

Panda Wok
3044 McGehee Road
Montgomery, AL. 36111
Tel (334) 649-4649.

[Ed. Note: Tuffy is our newest Gumphead and this is her first attempt to amuse us.  Please give her only sensitive comments]

 

Bún 101: Vietnamese Vermicelli at Saigon Bistro

Like many of us do over time, I have branched out from the usual meat and three rut and boy am I glad I have.  Fried chicken, okra and cornbread are fine but as a change of pace I have become especially fond of Asian cuisine. Meals at India Palace, and Green Papaya have taught me there is some mighty fine food out East (and I am not talking about East Montgomery a/k/a West Shorter). Based upon the recommendation of No Grits No Glory, I tried Sushi Cafe and agree that it is a great new place in Z-Red which also serves Asian cuisine.

So, when the Younger and Tiny Dancer suggested we try some Vietnamese food at Saigon Deli I bit. Literally.

As it turns out, the family which ran Saigon Deli moved their act to the former Lone Star Steakhouse next to the Fatback Outback Steakhouse this past October. They have renamed it Saigon Bistro. The Vietnamese restaurant, owned by David Mai, is now located at 1060 East Blvd. It is a little of a pain to get to (you have to turn into Sam's and then turn right into the parking lot behind the restaurant) but worth the inconvenience.

I obviously know very little about Vietnamese cuisine and will not pretend to lecture you here. A frequent patron recommend the Chicken or Beef Curry Vermicelli Bowl which caused me to do a double-take and ask: "Vermicelli? That doesn't sound very Vietnamese?"

"Well, Vietnam was once a French Colony, so they have a French influence," I was told. And, for a second it made sense. But then it hit me, vermicelli is an Italian pasta. It isn't French at all. Is it?

Well, actually it is. The thin noodles are really "long ass rice" used in many Asian dishes and are called Bún in Vietnamese. Vermicelli is just the Italian word for thin noodles. Confused? Just order it. With beef instead of chicken it costs just $6.50 and I bet you that you cannot eat the entire meal. The bowl it comes in is the size of a popcorn bowl. Add some peppers and bean sprouts and you will have more than you can handle especially if you have some fresh spring rolls filled with two shrimp apiece.

Tiny Dancer got some tofu vegetarian dish she liked a lot. The Younger ordered what I did and loaded it down with some of the pepper sauces on the table. When we finished he was breathing fire but very happy with the meal.

Service was fast and friendly with a lot of "Thank you sirs." The inside of the former steakhouse is open and can accommodate a lot of patrons.

I recommend you go try Saigon Bistro and have some Bún! You will find it on the menu page for Vermicelli. Go figure.