Friday, April 29, 2011

Fish Noodles At Grace Garden

My favorite restaurant dishes are the ones that I know that I could never make myself.

The fish noodles at Grace Garden in Odenton are one of my absolute favorites.  Mild fish somehow pureed and then reformed as rough noodles.  I love the texture, which is firm and light, and the fish is almost sweet.  Mushrooms provide an earthy flavor, and pork slivers give the plate a salty bite.

Grace Garden is one of the best restaurants around because it excels at little things like the mushrooms.  Mrs. HowChow couldn't get over how they tasted like mushrooms.  These weren't bland, reconstituted filler.  They were an equal part of the meal, holding their own against even meal.

All of the cooked vegetables have the nicest crunch.  They're not soggy or limp.  The sichuan pork belly comes out full of garlic and crispy with an unctuous, warm flavor of oil that I'd never put in my weeknight dinners, but no greasiness.

We hadn't been to Grace Garden in months, and our most-recent dinner shows that it hasn't lost a step.  There are only seven tables and minimal decor, but you don't want to miss the XO seafood if you like scallops and squid tossed with a rich sauce.  The squid was cooked perfectly -- tender enough to cut with a fork, still holding that perfect spot that is toothsome but not chewy.

4 comments:

Laura said...

These fish noodles sound incredible! I definitely agree that the best dishes (or at least the ones I'm most willing to spend my hard earned money on) are the ones I know I could never recreate. This seems like the kind of thing you couldn't eat anywhere else. I can't wait to try out Grace Garden soon! Thanks for the recommendation!

Gabrielle said...

This sounds amazing! Thanks for the recommendation - will definitely have to try this!

perrik said...

A good reminder that it's time to return to Grace Garden! Those fish noodles are outstanding, but then again, so is everything else there.

I'm not much of a tofu or eggplant fan, but am addicted to GG's tofu pockets (in both spicy and non-spicy versions, I don't care, just hand it over!), pang-ka braised tofu, and the crispy eggplant. Oh, that crispy eggplant - it simply melts when you bite into it. We wiped out the entire plate in about three minutes. Did I mention I don't even like eggplant?

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