by Assunta Ng
Northwest Asia Weekly
What can you do to make up for the loss of three years of confinement without eating too much at restaurants?
In the name of family reunion, I’ve ventured into nine incredible meals at six different restaurants over the past few weeks. What are the best restaurants to entertain relatives from afar to avoid the usual ginger free range chicken, walnut shrimp and stir fry?
“Alaskan king crab!” my husband said.
“Great idea. I’ll tell the restaurant to order it,” I replied. “But the news says red king crabs are hard to find.”
Live king crab in Uwashimaya (Photo by Assunta Ng)
“I don’t know if we’ll be able to find it, because the pandemic has shut down most of the Alaskan fishermen’s businesses. Then the Ukraine war sanctioned Russian exports to the U.S.,” said Ho Ho restaurant owner.
“Take it,” I said firmly with a smile. “We want our relatives to have an unforgettable meal.”
I didn’t know war was a factor. I should have known that red king crabs are found between the Bering Sea and the Gulf of Alaska. Cancers can grow up to 5 feet long and weigh up to 28 pounds. It is the largest of the king crabs.
Never mind what the news says. When we arrived, Ho Ho Restaurant showed us a live red crab with its claws sticking out ready to attack the holder. I also found one at Uwashimaya the other day.
we are very happy. I haven’t eaten that crab in four years. Big crab was too much for three people. But our family reunion had big diners in attendance.
We had a little debate about how to cook the real thing. In the end, we decided that the crabs would be big enough to cook three separate entrees. It was so huge it was enough to feed eight people, including five hungry men (my nephew, son and husband).
Steamed Crab with Garlic Noodles at Ho Ho Seafood Restaurant (Photo by Assunta Ng)
The first course was the steamed crab with garlic and noodles under the crab meat. The noodles soaked up all the juices from the crab and the juices were perfect for my palate. The second is the crab meat cream sauce and the third is the crab fried rice. Crab fried rice is very popular.
Ho Ho’s Crab Cream Sauce (Photo by Assunta Ng)
Surprisingly, my nephews refused to eat crab. The 4-year-old looked puzzled at the crabs on the table. When the crab meat was picked with chopsticks from the shell on his plate, he shook his head: “I don’t want it.” The 2-year-old followed his brother’s example. Their junk food, mini cookies, is considered tastier. When will they find out what they missed that night? I would like to know.
Ho Ho’s King Crab Fried Rice (Photo by Assunta Ng)
Then my brother and sister-in-law from Texas came to see me two weeks ago. No matter how many times he’s been to Seattle, how many restaurants I’ve taken him to, he can’t remember anything but one. He loves Mike’s Noodle House so much that he won’t leave Seattle without going there.
“The wonton noodle shop next to your office, the noodles taste good,” he said.
Vivian’s Bistro
My son John suggested the family try a new restaurant on Mercer Island. He chose Vivienne’s Bistro. It’s not that new. It has been open for nine months. But I cherish restaurants that create unique cuisine from the East and the West.
Peking Duck at Vivienne’s Bistro (Photo by Assunta Ng)
The first impression is its introduction. Every dish is art. We ordered duck, brisket, tapioca chicken and two other dishes for a family of five. All are large. The duck looked like Peking duck buns and tasted just as good.
Squid Ink Baked Rice at Vivienne’s Bistro (Photo by Assunta Ng)
Tacos at Vivienne’s Bistro (photo by Assunta Ng)
Vivienne’s is definitely not your typical Chinese restaurant. It tastes delicious and not greasy. this is important to me. If the dish is served with a layer of oil on it, it will ruin my appetite. Its seasoning is meticulous when it comes to mixing the various spices. The chef did her research and through her research and experiments proved the best use of various ingredients.
Dough section and Fuji sushi
Q-bao at Dough Zone (Photo by Assunta Ng)
Visited by our niece from New Jersey. Are there any delicacies that she rarely gets a chance to eat?
When she came last week, it was cold. We think spicy things like steamed dumplings and spicy wontons will warm the stomach. That would be the Dough District restaurant in Chinatown. Dan Dan noodles, Q buns and onion pancakes are also great. We found the right place because she said, “I don’t have a restaurant near my house.” She loved them all and even sent her in-laws in Hong Kong selfies of lunch and dinner.
Q-bao at Dough Zone (Photo by Assunta Ng)
In the evening we took her and her nephew son to Fuji Sushi for Japanese food. Immediately, our young relatives noticed that the sashimi roll was not the typical sashimi of other Japanese restaurants. The fish on top was huge and the rice under the roll was tiny. This is the way he wants. Hey, this is what I want too. White rice has too many carbs and is very filling.
A plate of Fuji sushi (photo by Assunta Ng)
lamb chops
My friend Caroline gave us a gift certificate to order food to celebrate our first family reunion with our son Jason since the pandemic. We picked a downtown restaurant, Daniel’s Broiler. The waiter brought us lamb chops, filet mignon strips, crab clam chowder, crab legs and free fried artichokes on time.
All were delicious. I made an apple, black bean, avocado and nut salad to go with the food. I haven’t eaten so much meat in a long time. Thankfully, I still have fond memories of that meal our family had together.
Datong
This is not part of my family reunion meal. However, it is worth mentioning. In mid-October, I took a Chinatown-International District (CID) tour to my fellow Rotarians and shared CID’s recent struggles with Sound Transit and the proposed Sodo homeless shelter.
After the tour, we went to Dadong for dinner. Before the trip, I told the owner Harry Chen that I like onions and pan-fried steak. I prefer to eat beef with the bone in it rather than just a regular piece of beef.
“If you don’t have spare ribs, I can get them for you,” I suggested. I did it.
The beef dishes were good, but the Peking duck was excellent. Too much food for 14 people. I want to take home some leftover ducks. But I was wrong. Before I did that, a friend at my table scooped everything into a takeaway box, including every piece of duck, which was my favorite dish of the night. I’m glad I moved slowly and tried to be gracious, otherwise my friend would be disappointed that he didn’t clear all the dishes.
“It was a great dinner,” he said. I’m the owner of putting together the menu and it’s amazing.
Assunta can reach assunta@nwasianweekly.com.
