Wabi Sabi

Sometimes even the best laid dinner plans go awry. That’s what happened to me this past week. The dinner I planned was out and ready to be cooked, but for some reason it just wasn’t what I wanted. So back in the fridge it went and out the door I headed: off for an impromptu dinner with a friend.

We ended up at Wabi Sabi in Paoli, off of Lancaster Avenue. I had called just before to inquire about a table. They were open, but the hibachi was set to shut down by about 8:30pm. Though we made it with just minutes to spare, my friend and I opted for the Chinese / Sushi side of the menu for this trip.

We were greeted by a friendly server and sat in a spacious booth. There were quite a few tables around us. Not a bad crowd for a Monday night: a large table of businessmen, a family or two and a couple of parties enjoying the show in the separate hibachi room.

We perused the menu, trying to incorporate the large selections into our go-to Chinese food favorites. The menu was split pretty evenly between Chinese and Japanese. With so much to choose from, we joked about needing a pen to mark the menu, but having Chinese out is decidedly more fun than having it at home on the couch.

We decided on an order of Wonton Soup ($2.75), an Egg Roll ($1.95), a Chinese Pizza ($4.50) an order of Kung Pao Chicken ($10.95) and a side of home made spicy mustard from the Chinese options. From the Japanese offerings we chose the Spicy Tuna Maki ($5.50), the King Crab California Maki ($7.95) and the Ten Zaru Soba ($11.50).

While we waited for the first of our choices, we couldn’t help but overhear the group of men harassing our waitress about splitting the bill and how much each should have spent on their corporate cards. I felt bad for her. Luckily the sounds from the hibachi room and the arrival of the first course helped to drown them out.

The Wonton Soup and Chinese Pizza arrived first. I usually gauge a place by its wonton soup. If the broth is good, the rest of the meal will usually follow suit. And in this case, my theory proved correct. The chicken broth was both clear and yellow with sliced scallions and shreds of pork rounding out the comforting flavor. The dumplings were nice, easy to cut and filled with all the yummy unidentifiable meat that a wonton dumpling should have.

The Chinese Pizza, sometimes called a Scallion Pancake, is a fried favorite of mine and has been ever since I was a teenager. Not every Asian restaurant has them, so when I see it on the menu, I can’t resist. They are fried to a golden brown crisp, sliced into wedges and served with a soy dipping sauce. This one was especially tasty and hot.

A gentleman server noticed my dining partner and I struggling with the hot pizza and dripping sauce, eating over the table, and was nice enough to bring us sharing plates.

Our waitress appeared moments later with the Egg Roll, but still no sign of the spicy mustard.

The Egg Roll was nicely fried and crispy. I broke it open and a waft of cabbage hit my nose. We again requested the spicy mustard we had ordered, and once it arrived, a little went a long way. Many Asian restaurants make their own and will sell it / serve it to you upon request. It’s much better and much much than what comes in those little packets.

As we finished up our first round of food, out came the sushi. The Spicy Tuna Maki was delicious: spicy and flavorful. The rolls were nicely formed and the fish was fresh. The King Crab California Maki was good, but a little lacking. Though the avocado was fresh and cucumber was crisp, the king crab was a little skimpy and the only flavor that came through was the sesame in which it was rolled.

Next up were our Kung Pao Chicken and Ten Zaru Soba.

The Kung Pao is a new favorite of mine and just like George, Marilyn likes her Kung Pao spicy. It was a good mix of chicken, peanuts, water chestnuts, peppers, onions and tiny corn cobs, but unlike I’d had it before, the corn cobs were sliced into pieces, matching the rest of the mix. I liked the change of pace. It allowed for the usually sparse corncobs to make it through the entire dish.

I switched over to the Ten Zaru, which was a suggestion of my friend. I’d never had it before and was pleasantly surprised. The dish arrived in pieces: two crispy tempura fried shrimp on one plate, a bowl of sauce, and a plate of cold buckwheat noodles garnished with an orange. The objective here, I learned, was to pick up the noodles, lower them into the bowl of what seamed like a thinner version of duck sauce and then basically slurp them up. The shrimp was almost an afterthought and though it may just be my cultural ignorance, though delicious, they were more of a snack than a legitimate piece of the dish.

When the noodles were set in front of us, there seemed to be an abundance. But after a few bites, and the sudden appearance of water on the plate, my inspection revealed that the cold noodles were actually served atop a plastic bag that had been filled with ice, twisted closed and tucked underneath. It was really unappealing, almost comical and borderline gross.

We sat, picking the peanuts out of our Kung Pao and poking the newly found ice bag with chopsticks. Suddenly, our server appeared. She took away our plates, deciding that we were finished, and left us with the check.

With the exception of the fortune cookies that came with the check, there was apparently no dessert to be had here.

We hadn’t lingered too long, had we? We were still chatting and picking at our food. And there were still other tables in the restaurant….

My friend and I were so startled and almost amused at the extraordinary efficiency with which we had been vacated from our table, that we paid the check and left in a state of stun.

If I ever visit Wabi Sabi again, I’ll be sure to hold onto my dish with both hands and hopefully the waitress won't be so spent.

And with that, I’ll leave you with the words of my fortune cookie.

“Embrace change, don’t battle it.”

Name of Restaurant: Wabi Sabi
Location: 1776 E. Lancaster Ave. Paoli, PA 19301
Phone Number: 610-296-8100
 
Lunch Hours:
Monday – Saturday 11:30am – 2:30pm

Dinner Hours:
Monday – Thursday: 4pm – 10pm 
Friday & Saturday: 4pm – 11pm 
Sunday: 3pm – 10pm

Basic menu pricing: $1 - $30
Do they take credit cards? Yes.
Additional Information: Eat In, Take Out & Private Party Rooms
Website: www.WabiSabiPaoli.com