When Joe first mentioned that he wanted to go to Suzy Wong’s House of Yum for our Christmas dinner, at first I thought … “What? … Really?!” But the more I thought about the idea, the more it grew on me. We were already planning a dinner party with friends for the Friday before Christmas Eve and yet another something for New Year’s Day. Maybe the cook and his sous chef needed a break? Plus, Joe and I love to sample lots of little bites of goodness. Suzy Wong’s, like ChaChah, another of Arnold Myint’s ventures, is the perfect place to do just that.
I made a reservation at OpenTable.com and was glad I did, because when we arrived, Suzy’s was turning folks away. Apparently there are a lot of folks like Joe (family far away) and me (no family just lovely friends and handsome boyfriend) that do not want to be stuck in the kitchen on a holiday. In spite of the fact that the lovely Suzy staff were working on a serious holiday, they were great and when we left, in appropriate Joe style, they were all rewarded accordingly. Merry Christmas!
We ordered some libations and then perused the menu which had a few new things since our last visit. We ordered one of our favorites …
the Coconut Fried Rice Bowl and then some other stuff, some of it new to the menu …
Vegetable Tempura with Ponzu – my experience with tempura period is that restaurants love to use broccoli (because it is tasty and cheap) but the batter usually gets globby (is that a word?) and what is supposed to be a light, crunchy batter becomes a gross, doughy mess. Not this and the asparagus and the spears of peppers … loved, loved, loved it.
Coconut Thai Chicken Wings … lovely, super yum, just enough heat!
Hibachi Five Spiced Strip Steak … okay, I love Suzy’s Yakatori Skewers, but this was a new dish and I liked it too … not quite as much, but it was really good.
Last the Vegetable Summer Rolls. There is only one thing not to like about these … there is no way to pretend they weren’t cooked in a vat of grease. They are tasty as all get out but they are definitely a Santa diet item … a belly like a bowl full of jelly good!
I really think that Nashville is lucky to have Arnold and fortunate that he is sharing his interpretation of Suzy Wong. The décor of the restaurant is fun and I love the dragon that wraps around the ceiling. If you haven’t been, you should definitely go. The pricing is mid-range, but there is definitely a nice show of imagination on the menu for the price. For your first time, the Asian Wonton Nachos are a must. The service can sometimes be iffy, but the restaurant is well located … on Church to the west of I-40, and the parking can be a little challenging.
In 2012, if you haven’t gone to Suzy Wong’s … you need to make it one of your resolutions. Just say it … “I resolve to go to Suzy Wong’s and let myself feel the yum.” You will be so glad you did!
