|
|
An exquisite mix of cuisines
By Catherine Quillman
Inquirer Suburban Staff
Posted on Sunday April 13th, 2003
|
WILLISTOWN - Where to begin? Teikoku, the new Japanese-Thai restaurant,
has more details than a mixed sashimi platter.
First off, Teikoku (pronounced tie-KOH-koo) completely displaces the former
Bobby's Seafood, an old Route 3 landmark known for its rickety boat that stood
out front like the grounded SS Minnow of Gilligan's Island fame.
The new owners, Win Somboonsong and his wife, Sutida, have transformed the
place with windows - there were none before - and with a beautiful Southeastern
Asian decor.
The Thai influence is strictly played out in the cuisine, which, like the
Japanese offerings, is exquisitely prepared.
With the exception of a few young servers who might be just getting used to
the mastery of details here - they were a tad slow in bringing the
check - everything is top-notch. (Or, perhaps in keeping with its origins,
should I say shipshape?)
The details include serving condiments in tiny handmade ceramic dishes and
giving each place setting a resting "stone" for chopsticks.
It's not beginner's luck. The Somboonsongs, Thailand natives who also own
the Thai Peppers in Ardmore and Wayne and Mikado in Ardmore, have been
catering to local tastes for 13 years.
Judging from the range of food that my party sampled - the dabble approach
works well here, and it helps to order "family style" - the kitchen is skilled
in all the basics, from flash-frying and steaming to marinating even
the simplest of items.
The Thai spring roll made with marinated chicken, for instance, is delicately
flavored, with nothing soaking through its razor-thin, rice-sheet wrapping,
and no telltale hard "edges" that come from frying.
The tempura is equally lightly handled, with items prepared to a delicious
golden crunch.
Win Somboonsong said that the new space, which seats 200, allows them to
serve the best of his Japanese and Thai menus.
Of course, given the details that went into the decor, the Somboonsongs
naturally developed new entrees - the fusion cuisine - putting a spin on what
could be tiresome. Instead of being brashly multicultural, for instance,
the kitchen has a delicate approach, using Thai spice in "spicy" rolls, and
a Japanese light touch with such Thai items as stir-fried "Seafood
Drunken."
(That's seafood including shrimp and squid served with drunken noodles.
The name, by the way, might be one of the few cases in which its likely
origins are actually true. In this case, it's named after the "drunken"
Thai businessmen who slurp noodles after work, Somboonsong said.)
To sum up the decor, a short list of the materials used here might include
bamboo, straw, slate, pebbles, metal, glass and mahogany.
The beauty of it, to use an American expression - it's in keeping with
the authentic decor; you're likely to feel like an expatriate here in
the midst of it - is the multifaceted environment.
According to Win Somboonsong, the place was designed with several dining styles
in mind.
That includes a Japanese tea room, complete with low tables and visually calming,
muted colors.
Beginning with an artistically impressive waterfall near the entrance, the main
dining room evokes the excitement of a courtyard or marketplace, Win Somboonsong
said. This room includes a full bar area and a brightly lit sushi counter where
Japanese workers in chef whites somberly slice and dice.
During one visit, I found we could sit quietly at the sushi bar without being
excessively bothered by the kind of floor show put on by some places. They do
serve "flaming dragon" and perform other dramatic presentations, but still,
refinement reigns here.
In other words, this area might be a marketplace in appearance, but the sushi
is expertly prepared, with no rough edges or sloppy slicing that one might
find in a corner sushi joint.
On another occasion, my party dined in the "West Wing," a lovely room
complete with palm trees and large straw paddles that spun slowly overhead.
There, our meal ended with a green tea mousse and, curiously, a chocolate
"pyramid" - a rational structure to a perfectly logical meal.
As for feeling like an expatriate, that's a good thing.
Teikoku not only offers much dining excitement, but might make you feel
sheltered from the outside world as you settle in, position your "stone," and
remove the paper wrapper from your chopsticks.
|
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contact suburban staff writer Catherine Quillman at 610-701-7629 or
cquillman@phillynews.com.
|
|
