Category: Good eats

Everyone I know has been anxiously awaiting the opening of Choolaah Indian BBQ on Chagrin across from Corky & Lenny’s. Well, it was worth the wait. The place has been mobbed since it opened. We went on a quiet Sunday afternoon. The place was not overly packed, and there were quite a few Indian and Pakistani diners (not including the two with me).

The place bills itself as “Casually Fast Indian Cuisine.” The food came out quick. If only the registers moved a little faster. I expect that may change once people become more familiar with the menu and don’t need as much explanation. The restaurant is bright and cheerful with pops of color and open kitchen and grill areas behind glass.

I ordered the Chicken Tikka Masala plate with a side of Naan bread. This hit the spot. It was a decent size portion and had a nice flavor. I forwent the “Choolaah Heat” sauce and am glad I did, as two of my fellow diners “couldn’t stand the heat.” They were glad they had ordered Mango Lassis, but lamented the size. After I raved about the soda dispenser they followed up with a “Coke product” from the beverage dispenser (more on that in a minute).

The side of naan bread was also fluffy and well seasoned with just a hint of salt. I was also given a side of masala sauce to dip the bread into and to pour over the rice bowl in areas I wanted to add a little more sauce.

I had a bite of my friends’ meals, including the Paneer Biryani and the Paneer Tikka Masala. I loved the grilled paneer in the tikka masala almost more than my grilled chicken, which I thoroughly enjoyed! I would totally order it even though I am not a vegetarian. It was that good.

My Indian friend loved her Paneer Biryani. I was not as enthusiastic about it. I will order this with chicken next time and see if it makes a difference. It didn’t have a lot of heat and tasted somewhat reminiscent of mango. I might have had a non-representative bite though, because there are eight layers of flavor in this topped with naan. In any event, my friend loved the idea of it coming with the bread baked on top like a pot pie.

Another friend loved the Salmon Tikka Masala and the chaat. I might have to try the salmon next. My two Indian friends split a Samosa Chaat. The Samosa were a little softer than I expected due to the addition of the chaat (chickpeas, spices, yogurt and tamarind sauce). They both liked it, and loved the yogurt and cheese atop the chickpea-based chaat.

The Samosa side features three small samosas for $1.99. The samosas were very flavorful and contained potato, onions and peas. They were a nice little side to add to my meal.

My absolutely favorite thing about Choolah though is the Coca Cola freestyle soda dispenser. I had translated a text about this several years ago, so it is nice to see it in action. More and more restaurants are offering this, including the Winking Lizard, Firehouse Subs, Five Guys, etc. Testing of the fountain, which can offer up to 200 different drinks, was launched in several markets in 2009. Coca Cola started rolling out the fountains in 2010, and they are slowly deploying it in various restaurants around the country. Customers choose a base product, which they can supplement with additional flavoring. The machines include flavors not previously available to the American market, including Orange Coke, which was previously sold only in Russia and the Baltics (and briefly in the United Kingdom and Gibraltar). I debated between peach and grape flavoring for my Dasani Sensation and ended up going with grape. The Dasani soda was under 5 calories and was not overly sweet (0 g sugar), so it really hit the spot and was waistline-friendly. I can’t wait to experiment with more flavors in the future. Be sure to check out the above link to see all the available flavors, such as lemon, raspberry, lime, vanilla, cherry, etc., to add to Coke, Dasani, Fanta, Minute Maid Lemonade, Hi-C, Mr. Pibb, Fanta, Mello Yello, Ginger Ale, seltzer, etc.

They also sell chai, mango lassi, beer and have wine available in a WineStation dispenser. I didn’t love the chai, but my Indian friend who tried mine liked it. Then again, I have been ruined forever by her mother’s chai. They always seem less flavorful and somewhat watery in restaurants now.

One pro tip is to order the mango or malai (cardamom) kulfi with your meal so that it is softened by the time you eat it. My friends had a tough time eating it in its frozen-solid state.

Another really nice touch is two reserved spots right by the door for veterans and active military service members. It’s a nice way to honor them and say thanks. I just don’t know how many of them would be willing to take advantage of it. I know many of them are very modest.

Another pro tip is to use the entrance/exit on Orange Place to avoid the congestion on Chagrin. The entrance on Orange Place that it shares with the collision center is right next to the gas station on the corner and is well-marked.

Overall, the selection is small but affordable. It doesn’t have a large variety, but what they do offer is good and designed for the American fast food eater (plates, bowls, sandwiches, wraps, etc.). It was fast, and the portions were reasonable. I was perfectly satiated by my “plate,” which featured an entree and a side.

This is the first location of what the owners hope to turn into a chain of Indian BBQ places. If the crowds are any indication they have a hit on their hands. Open daily Mon-Thurs & Sun 11am-9pm, Fri & Sat 11am-10pm.

Contact info:

Choolaah Indian BBQ
27100 Chagrin Blvd
Orange Village, OH 44122
(800) 459-8860

Some friends and I recently dined at one of Asiatown’s newest (it opened this summer) and most unique restaurant, Han Chinese Kabob & Grill. Han Kabob (as I will call it) is located in the small strip mall on Payne Avenue just west of E. 40th in which Map of Thailand and Koko Bakery are located. It is small, yet turns out consistently good Northern Chinese food. The decor is modern without all the kitschy Chinese trappings. They are appealing to a younger, more modern diner and attract a lot of students in the area and from as far as Kent and Akron. The diners around us were mostly young Asian-born students, which lent it a great vibe. It is also open late, usually until 10:30 or 1:30 PM (note: they are closed on Wednesdays).

They are the only Chinese restaurant in Cleveland to serve grilled meat kabob skewers, such as grilled lamb, chicken, beef, squid, and other choices. Not all of the skewers are served every day, but the signature lamb kabobs are. The lamb kabobs are marinated and garnished with lots of cumin and spice and grilled fresh.

There were eight of us, and we were seated at a comfortable table that allowed us to talk easily amongst ourselves and pass our food around. We are a bunch of sharers, so we were all able to try the numerous dishes.

I started my meal ordering the lamb kabobs for the table and a wonton soup. The wonton soup was quite a large portion that could easily serve two. It featured five or six wontons, lots of fresh bok choy and carrot strips in a flavorful broth. The wonton lover in me savored every dumpling. The wontons had a nice pork filling, and I really liked the addition of the cabbage to the soup.

Ordering an entree was a tough decision, because there were several things that sounded wonderful to me. Luckily someone else planned to order my first choice, the crispy fish in a sweet and sour sauce, so I ordered the pork with garlic sauce. I loved it. It had a nice subtle spicy kick to it. The pork was cut into thin strips and served with some vegetable strips and chilis. The large bowl of rice for the table cut some of the heat.

I have to say that out of all the entrees that the table ordered the whole crispy fish with sweet and sour sauce was my favorite. The sauce was not at all the gloppy orange sweet and sour stuff that is so ubiquitous at Chinese restaurants here. As you can see from the picture it was a brown sauce that was scrumptious. It was delicious and was worth the wait (we aren’t sure if it took that long to prepare or if the waitress forgot to put it in to the kitchen, but it came out after most of us were finished with our meal). The fish was crispy outside and perfectly cooked inside. I particularly loved the bright sauce and the fresh ginger and aromatics served on top of the fish. I can’t wait to go back and order this again for myself.

Some of the other dishes we enjoyed included the Yuxiang Shrimp (which had a sauce that was very similar to my entree’s garlic sauce), a spicy lamb special (which was even better than the kabobs with a nice jalapeno kick to it), a chicken dish, the shredded potato salad (pictured to the right), a crispy squid special, and a pork belly with pickled vegetables that was very similar to sauerkraut and pork.

Several tables of Chinese diners were enjoying a huge boiling pan over a tableside grill. It was the Hot Pot, which was described to me as a kind of Chinese fondue in which various meats and vegetables are boiled in broth.

It is apparently the ultimate test of Chinese spiciness. Choose what you’d like to cook in the soup: ultra-thin beef slices, cabbage leaves, needle mushrooms, potato slices, etc. It’s a secret menu item for the brave souls only – some Chinese people can’t even handle the spicy level!

I was a bit dismayed to note that there were no drinks offered other than water and tea – at least our waitress didn’t offer any to us. But on the bright side I was not tempted to order a cocktail or soft drink, which my diet appreciates. The restaurant was great. The bill was very reasonable. There was not a single dish I disliked. Everything here was delicious, and we all left very happy.

Contact info:

Han Chinese Kabob & Grill
3710 Payne Avenue
Cleveland, OH
(216) 769-8745

Siam Cafe, located at the corner of E. 40th and St. Clair in Cleveland’s Asia Town district, is a favorite of Asian and non-Asians alike. My foodie friends have talked about it so much that I finally decided I needed to check it out. Several of them have MSG sensitivities and enjoy eating here because they don’t have any side effects afterwards. It is housed in what looks like a converted fast food restaurant, but I think that makes it unique and charming. I particularly love the “Year of the…” sculptures around the restaurant.

The extensive menu features Thai, Vietnamese and Chinese dishes under the headings of soup, lobster and crab, seafood, poultry, fish, frog, beef and pork, vegetable and bean curd, casserole, rice and noodle soup. Lots and lots of choices and lots of exotic choices such as jelly fish or eel as well. They have tanks of fish, lobster and frogs that they immediately use in the kitchen. Be sure to ask for the regular menu. They gave me a very limited Americanized menu the first time I went there. You can view an online menu here.

One of my favorite things about this place is that it is open until midnight, which is good to know when you leave an Orchestra performance or movie at the Cinematheque and are hungry when the restaurants in Little Italy have all boarded up for the night. It is open 7 days a week from 11 a.m. to midnight.

They have eight different flavors of bubble tea (including mango, melon, coffee, and coconut), Thai iced tea, iced drip coffee with condensed milk, ginger tea, ginseng tea, fruit juices and soft drinks. If given the choice I will usually order a Thai iced tea, with the iced drip coffee as my second choice. A proper Thai iced tea is a thing of beauty – a deep orange tea with spices and a layer of creamy coconut or condensed milk. In Thailand, condensed milk and sugar are mixed with the tea before it is poured over ice and then topped with evaporated milk. Their version of Thai iced tea does not have layers, but it is still delicious and refreshing.

I started my meal off with an order of the Siam Wings, which are marinated boneless chicken wings stuffed with a “house filling” and and then deep fried. They are known for their wings. The house filling is apparently dumpling innards (a savory mix of pork, veggies and vermicelli). Dipped in a sweet/sour and slightly spicy sauce the wings were a great start and were probably the most unique preparing of wings I have ever eaten. I ate two and took one home.

They also have both summer rolls and spring rolls on the menu. I ordered the crispy spring rolls and got to try a half of the summer roll. Spring rolls have a thinner wrapper than a basic egg roll. Their spring rolls were very nicely fried, and the chicken and vegetable filling was quite delicious. The summer rolls are made with rice paper wrapper and filled with lettuce, shrimp, vermicelli and other fresh fillings. I enjoy making them at home, and this was a good version. The peanut dipping sauce was also really nice. They also serve veggie spring rolls if you are a vegetarian.

I ordered the Pla Red Pik based on an Urbanspoon review. I was in the mood for fish and Stuart Spivack’s photo on Flickr made it look good. Stuart is an Asian food expert, so I know I can trust his judgment. He has amassed a huge collection of photos of Siam Cafe’s food over the years. The Pla Red Pik is listed as a chef specialty and features three generous, very lightly breaded fish filets (I had asked for perch) in a tamarind-pepper sauce. Just a very mild amount of heat from some hot pepper slices. Not too overwhelming for this Americanized palate. I enjoyed it very much.

As for dessert, I see they have green tea ice cream as well as some other flavored ice creams, but was surprised to see they serve Black Forest Cake. That is a German dish and not the easiest one to make well. It just seems like an odd offering at an Asian restaurant. I celebrated my birthday here with friends this year and was served a piece with a candle. It wasn’t bad, but it was a little drier than I like. We all shared it.

We had a large group for my birthday and ordered a mess of food and passed it all around. My particular favorites were the scallops and pea pods. It was delicious. It is in a very light, clear sauce that literally made the pea pods glisten. The scallops were perfectly cooked and paired well with the pea pods. And they were generous with both ingredients. I thoroughly enjoyed the scallops and pea pod leftovers the next day.

The eggplant with minced pork was also a favorite, and the version without the pork was also quite good. The eggplant they use is small Asian eggplant. The sauce is a delicious brown sauce. It is on the right of the plate along with some scallops and pea pods.

The pan-fried noodles with meat and seafood was a HUGE portion. The noodles seem to be some sort of ramen noodle. They were crispy on the edges and deliciously soft where it soaked up the sauce. It also had lots of fresh vegetables. As you can see on the right, we barely made a dent in it.

Several of my vegetarian friends were rather disappointed with the Siam Cafe. They were completely taken aback to see that most of the entrees listed as vegetarian featured minced pork (a most decidedly non-vegetarian item). They had no problem leaving the minced pork out of one of our orders of spicy eggplant. My friends also did not like the consistency of the tofu dishes. The tofu was a bit spongier than they like. Then again, they have been spoiled by Pura Vida’s tofu and now hold all other tofu up to that standard. It’s a hard standard to meet.

In any event, this was a great place to celebrate my birthday on a Friday night. We took up two large round tables (there were 15 of us), and the service could not have been more accommodating. They had no problems with separate checks and took care of every request. I can’t wait to go back and try some other things, like the baked shrimp in shell with spicy salt or the razor clams in black bean sauce. With such an extensive menu I imagine it will take me a while to work through it.

Contact info:

Siam Cafe
3951 Saint Clair Ave NE.
Cleveland, OH 44114
(216) 361-2323

If you are in Woodmere or Beachwood and are craving some decent Vietnamese food, Bowl of Phở is a good choice. It is located in the strip mall where Corky & Lenny’s is, but it is tucked all the way around the corner on the side street off Chagrin. It is a family-run restaurant that opened in 2011. This review is based one two separate visits. I left pleased with the food both times. It isn’t Superior Phở, but it is a good choice for the suburbs.

I met a friend for lunch there the first time. I started with a hot Vietnamese coffee (Café Sữa Nóng), which gave me a strong jolt of caffeine (and to be honest the shakes). The coffee here is not for the faint-hearted. Vietnamese coffee preparation is unusual in that it consists of hot water and a small metal pot. It looks like a hat and sits on the top of a coffee cup. Inside is a chamber for coffee and room for hot water. It is very basic and simple.

The preparation of the hot coffee was a bit awkward, because I didn’t have anywhere to put the metal coffee filter when the water was finished percolating. I ended up balancing it on the coffee saucer with the cup, which was just super awkward and frankly messier than I wanted. A saucer for the filter would be a nice touch. My second visit I went with the iced coffee (Café Sữa Đá), which at least gave me somewhere to stow the filter (back on top of the brewed coffee, but it still dripped on the table a bit).

On my first visit I ordered my usual – a Phở Tái and a banh mi. The phở was a pretty decent phở. The accompanying add-ins included bean sprouts, Thai basil, jalapenos, and lime quarters (!). It contained a lot of noodles and some beef eye round. It wasn’t packed with meat, but it had a lot of noodles and filled me up nicely. The broth was flavorful. I enjoyed it.

The banh mi featured a warm baguette topped with thinly sliced pickled carrots, daikon radish, cucumbers, cilantro, chili peppers, pâté, mayonnaise, grilled pork, ham, and head cheese. I don’t remember it wowing me like the one at Saigon Grille or even Superior Pho. I think it is because of the bread. It was a little firmer and denser than I prefer, but the fillings were really good. It was a decent banh mi for the price.

On my second visit I was in the mood for something light after my 90 minute massage across the street at Massage Envy. I ordered a Bún Tôm, Thịt Nướng, & Chả Giò, which features grilled shrimp, your choice of meat (beef, chicken or pork), and a spring roll with vermicelli. I had ordered something like this before at Minh Ahn and didn’t really have a fond memory of it because I found it too dry. This one blew me away. I loved it. The house lime dressing for the rice noodles, bean sprouts, mint, ground peanuts, and shredded salad and cucumber was delicious. I chose the grilled pork and really enjoyed the flavor. The grilled shrimp and pork were a nice complement to the underlying “salad.” The egg roll was perfectly fried and nice and crispy.

I also ordered the Gỏi Đu Đủ (papaya salad) thinking it would be a smaller salad than it was. It features fresh julienne papaya tossed with basil leaves and crushed peanuts. It comes with your choice of steamed shrimp or pork, but I went with the vegetarian version and got some nicely prepared tofu that soaked up the house lime sauce quite nicely. I was not expecting it to be as big as it was. I was thinking it would be a nice side salad to complement my Bún Tôm. It would have been really nice to share with someone. I ended up taking it home and having to eat it later that night, because I don’t think it would stand up overnight.

In short, I think you can’t go wrong with this restaurant. If you are looking for a restaurant that uses fresh ingredients and blends them together well you are in the right spot. The place is clean, the service is attentive, and it is a bright and cheerful place to eat a meal. They are open from 11 am-9 pm during the week (until 8 pm on Sunday and 10 pm on Friday & Saturday) and are closed on Tuesdays. They also offer take-out for local business people on lunch breaks. Oh, and they have free WiFi.

Contact info:

Bowl of Pho
27339 Chagrin Blvd
Woodmere, Ohio
216-831-1730

Closed on Tuesdays