September 23-29, 2004

food

Higher Power

LIQUID HEAT: Tom yam koong—Thai hot and sour soup -- zings with shrimp, mushrooms and lime. Photo By: Michael T. Regan

The hilltop Teikoku gives an overview of pan-Asian cuisine.

by Maxine Keyser

If you're driving down West Chester Pike, and you see an authentic Japanese teahouse perched on a hill in Newtown Square, it is not an illusion. Teikoku (Japanese for empire) looks as if it rose full-blown from a street in Kyoto. It's a handsome building, surrounded by a large parking lot, and shimmering with hanging lanterns in the fading summer light. Once within, the illusion continues with a chain and metal waterfall near the doorway, and ahead, beneath the lazily spinning fans, is a vast bar crowded with some of the best-dressed (and under-dressed) hip crowd in the neighborhood. Various dining areas lead off from the nucleus of the bar, and a kimono-clad waitress leads us to our table, where we peruse the pan-Asian menu. Teikoku is owned by the Somboonsong family, who also have the Thai Pepper restaurants in Ardmore and Wayne, and the Mikado in Ardmore. This is clearly the flagship of their growing empire.

Ordering a drink is not only a pleasure, but offers a plethora of choices. Of course, you have the necessary specialty drinks, like a ginger martini or a kama sutra (raspberry vodka, cranberry and prickly pear juice—there must be a hidden meaning here somewhere). Then, there's an impressive list of cold sakes, plus beers that range from Kirin to Chimay Grand Reserve. The wine list is a surprise as well, compartmentalizing the wines as "Crisp and Refreshing," "Spicy and Aromatic" or "Full and Rich." You can choose from a Riesling or a Gavi, a Rioja or a Cabernet Franc. But we have decided to stick with sake for this evening, so we start with a cool Junmai Shu, the simplest form of this wine that is distilled from rice instead of grapes. Some of us are having the omakase selection, and that begins with scrumptious tuna tartare, served on a gyoza crisp and topped with wasabi creme fraiche and American sturgeon caviar. This is nothing so new, but the suave tuna contrasts well with the heat of the wasabi and the salt tang of the caviar. This is not a traditional Japanese omakase menu; it roams all over Asia. We then move on to a Thai-inspired dish of tiger shrimp sauteed with Asian vegetables, where we detect hints of cardomom and star anise. It pairs well with a Kahori Junmai Ginjo Shu, delicate and lightly scented with orange. A petite filet follows, infused with a wonderful port-ginger-teriyaki sauce, so complex that it makes the dish. With that we drink a glorious Tenranzen Junmai Ginjo Shu with an extremely floral flavor. Next comes the 5-piece selection of sushi—velvety toro tuna, tender sweet shrimp, buttery yellowtail, surf clam, and the incomparable briny taste and unctuous texture of sea urchin. Another Tentranzen, Junmai Dai-ginjo shu, slightly aromatic, accompanies the sushi. The omakase winds down with tempura fruit served with chocolate sauce tingling with wasabi, washed down by a mildly sweet Kijoghu sake.

Those of our group who ordered a la carte tried a number of dishes successfully. A salad of green papaya in a spicy lime vinaigrette was sprightly and cool. The notable Thai hot and sour soup, tom yam koong, is rich with shrimp and mushrooms and that welcome burst of fresh-squeezed lime. Thin slices of Kobe beef are cooked tableside on a hot rock, and this is fine way to taste this fabulous beef. First off, you can control the rareness of the meat by cooking it yourself, and secondly, a little of this exceedingly rich beef goes a long way. The Japanese entrees are fairly standard—broiled or teriyaki style--but we do try the sukiyaki, a stew that is often mutilated. Here, it is made with ribeye beef and the vegetables remain crisp in the too-sweet soy broth. We do better with the Thai dishes, like crispy boneless duck, a little on the dry side but flavorful. The green curry of seafood is filled with the requisite sea denizens, plus lots of vegetables, fresh basil and a dash of cognac to blend with the sweetness of the curry. We even go for some shrimp pad thai, a very nice version with plenty of shrimp, egg and peanuts, and noodles that are not too gloppy. One companion longed for some hand rolls, and liked the spider roll (with soft shell crab) but found some of the others too involved and not wrapped as tightly as they should have been.

Photo By: Michael T. Regan

Teikoku, unlike many Asian restaurants, does emphasize desserts, to the point that they even recommend a drink with most of them—i.e. banana bread pudding with Taylor Fladgate Tawny Port, or a green tea creme brulee with a sparkling Moscato. We had already had the fruit tempura with sake, but enjoyed the tastes that we pilfered.

In these days of global cuisine, it seems fairly easy to put together a restaurant that touches a number of different locations. You don't have to know the entire lexicon of Thai dishes to make a pad thai, but you do need a sushi master to run the Japanese side of the menu. Gregory McColgan, late of Morimoto, who takes care of everything but the sushi, handles his dishes with equanimity. They don't need too much embellishment for the true flavor of the dish to come through. Add to this the immensely attractive setting, worthy of seven samurai at least, and the uncommon attention to wine, sake and beers, and Teikoku appears to be a delightful suburban destination.

Teikoku
5492 West Chester Pike, Newtown Square, 610-644-8270
Lunch: Mon.-Sat., 11:30 a.m.- 2:30 p.m.
Dinner: Mon.-Thu., 5-10 p.m.; Fri. and Sat.: 5-10 p.m.; Sun., 4-9:30 p.m.
Appetizers: $2.50-$20 Entrées: $10.95-$29.95

Reservations recommended. Wheelchair accessible. All major credit cards accepted. Smoking is not permitted.