We are doing a Table of 4 at the local mall, off Del Mar Heights. It’s called Zen Modern Asian. And when we first come in, it’s nice and quiet. I will say the earlier you go, the better.
Who attends?
It’s Anna who comes all the way from Temecula, Laurie, Ana Maria (one of our founding members) and me. We decide that this is the night we are going to skip alcohol. I’d like to see how much less meals are when we don’t drink.
We order my favorite ‘test’ dishes, testing to see if they come close to the flavor profiles I grew up with in New York. This is the second Chinese Restaurant I have reviewed in a week. And I must say that Zen absolutely measures up!
How do we measure?
We start with BBQ Spareribs. That’s the one of two choices I judge a Chinese Restaurant by. The are yummy, yummy bbq pork ribs. Laurie says: “The ribs are delicious”.
Like me, Laurie is from NY and we certainly know our pork ribs at Chinese Restaurants! Not too fatty, lots of meat and great seasoning, great flavor. And yes, everyone at the table loves the ribs.
Then we move to Shrimp with Lobster Sauce. That’s always my second ‘test’ dish. I must say that out of the two restaurants I reviewed this week, this Shrimp with Lobster Sauce wins! The sauce is perfect and the shrimps are plump and juicy. We polish that off, quickly. That’s why there’s no picture…. and that speaks volumes!
We enjoy the double pan fried noodle with lots of proteins and vegetables. Not sure if she’s talking about the pan fried noodles with shrimp and other proteins or the shrimp lobster sauce when Anna comments: “I don’t even like shrimp, but the shrimp so far is my favorite”.
Is the food spicy?
Not everyone eats spicy food. Our two people with similar names, Anna and Ana Maria order some spicy sauce and they both like it. I taste it and even 
though I don’t like spicy hot, this sauce is really balanced. Anna mentions: “And it keeps coming back so it’s not an all in one shot sauce”. And I think that’s the key. Spicy then it lightens, then just when you think that’s it done, you get another less spicy kick with lots of flavor. So good.
Our last dish we share is Peking Duck. For those of you who like Duck (Stacy) I will say this is a duck done right. And you only need a half a duck for 4 people. Beautifully, thinly sliced and that makes all the difference in the enjoyment of this dish. The thin wraps made from just flour are the right size and consistency. Ana Maria says: “These are delicious and quite elegant”.
We end our meal with a most settling hot Green Tea. Ana says: “I feel like I’m in a little cocoon. My tummy is happy and you are all good company”.
I love that this is my local Chinese Restaurant!
Congratulations to Chef Ethans Dad for creating such authentic choices with great flavor profiles! Now that makes 3 restaurants in the Sky Deck created by their beautiful family! How lucky can you get?
With garlic, gusto and gratitude,
Chef Marian🥂
📧 ChefMarianKitchenConfident@gmail.com
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