/ Reviews / Korean
Chow Down
by Tom Lee
on Friday, April 01, 2011 12:00 AM
Cultural diversity: it surrounds us, closes in on us and then clouts us over the head with its multifarious ways. These are dangerous times we live in, when innocent diners seeking respite from a rumbling stomach are led astray by the sheer internationality of the city.
For instance, if one entered a restaurant called Chowhaus, it would not be moronic to expect some form of hearty German eating house, filled with massive sausages, sauerkraut and big vats of beer. That, however, would be gross presumption, as the dishes at Chowhaus may sometimes be European in name but are always distinctly Asian in flavor.
Chowhaus describes itself as a café, a lounge and a restaurant, creating three different ambiances across the large, one-floor establishment. The muted brown interiors are polished and modern, indistinguishable from eateries around the world - except for the motif of horns and trumpets that occasionally decorates a wall or adorns a bathroom stall.
Appetizers and main courses are largely differentiated by their nature, not by their genorosity. For instance, the Chowhaus Chicken Wings (RMB38) is clearly a platter more designed for idly picking at over a cocktail; on the other hand, the chili-filled Seafood Black Ink Tagliatelle (RMB58) with its mélange of clams, prawns, squid and salmon is more an individual meal; there is little to separate the two in terms of the modest portion size.
Cooked to a good consistency and bolstered by the black ink, the tagliatelle has much more to recommend it to the palate than the bland Pork Wraps with Kimchi (RMB48), which utilizes none of the brined vegetable's spice, despite looking very spick and span.
Presentation is delicate throughout but rarely matched in innovation, apart from in the Korean Style Pancakes (RMB48). Completely alien to its traditional cousin, this dish deconstructs the pancake into its constituents, creating three different tastes. The chunks of green and red pepper are heavy on pork mince, while the zucchini pieces stick to their natural marrow flavors and the kimchi cubes have - thank the kitchen gods - a healthy kick, complemented by melted cheese.
Though it blends many Western dishes with Asian techniques, Chowhaus never gets tangled up in its web of fusion. Not all of the mixes hit the mark but none of them are completely wide of the target.
The Bottom Line: A melting pot of Asian spices and herbs that tentatively experiments with fusion and innovation.
