I know phrases like "best kept secret" and "hidden gem" have become overused and trite, but when referring to the Zandale Center's Mandarin Oriental CafÈ and Sushi Bar these old adages still apply.
Nestled between I Can't Believe It's Not Yogurt! and Plato's Closet, don't be fooled or turned away by Mandarin's unassuming faÁade - it doesn't lend itself to the comfortable and inviting atmosphere that awaits guests when they enter. While eating, I saw a number of customers coming in to pick up carry-out orders, and I couldn't help but think that they were missing out on the Mandarin experience.
Mandarin's menu (not including the sushi menu) has an impressive selection of Chinese meals, traditional and chef's choices, and includes a section with about half a dozen items dubbed Chinese comfort food - staples such as lo mein, chow mein and egg foo young. There is also an assortment of tofu and vegetable meals. Also available are a quick culinary survey of rice or noodle bowls from other parts of Asia, such as Bangkok, Hong Kong, Seoul and Osaka. All meals are reasonably priced between $7.95 and $13.95.
The appetizer selection is extensive (over 35 items) and diverse (dumplings, dim sum, egg rolls, soup, satay and, of course, chicken wings). Items here range from under $2 to $5.95 for the out-of-place Havanna lime shrimp. I had more trouble deciding what I wanted for appetizers than I did with choosing my main entrÈe.
The sushi menu has a wide variety of over 35 different rolls using all the ingredients you've come to associate with sushi (crab, fish, avocado, tempera, seaweed, rice) priced from $4.50 (tuna roll) to $14.99 (red dragon roll). My guest and I had heard rumor that Mandarin's Red Devil Roll ($12) was just shy of gastronomic nirvana, and this gargantuan, eight-piece mÈlange of red snapper tempura and shredded crab was a delectable meal in itself.
Along with the sushi, we had, after much deliberation, the chicken dim sum for an appetizer ($4.35). Wrapped in veil-thin, rice-flour skins and served in a steamer basket, the six nuggets were small, but tasty, morsels.
For our entrees, I ordered the mu shu pork ($10.15) with fried rice and my guest ordered the home-style tofu with white rice ($8.50). The mu shu (sometimes spelled moo shu) comes with bamboo shoots, wood-ear mushrooms, egg, bean sprouts and a heaping portion of cabbage. It is accompanied with hoisin sauce, a sweet dipping sauce, and, to my surprise, mu shoo pancakes (tortilla-like flour wrappers), which you use to eat the meal like soft tacos. After trying one wrap, I stuck with the fried rice - it just didn't seem natural.
A true test of any restaurant is how they treat the staples, and braised tofu with white rice is about as standard as you can get in a Chinese eatery. So many times, especially in my own kitchen, tofu either turns out burnt or mushy - Mandarin's cook was able to find that sublime middle ground with the tofu preparation, offering a firm, crisp surface with a soft inside to escort the veggies.
The real treat, definitely in today's economy, came with the bill. Try as we might, we just couldn't rack it up. After two entrees, one appetizer, a sushi roll and a large carafe of hot sake, our total was only $41.50, prior to the tip. With enough chow to take home for lunch the following day, an outing to Mandarin is a tough-times deal waiting to happen.