Sit Back, Relax, and Take it All In

Yes, I will allow you to call me biased. I have come to the point where I have another Asian cuisine to criticize. It’s Japanese this time around. It’s my ultimate favorite. This could work both ways. Either I’ll say everything is good just because I love eating Japanese food, or I’ll be more critical of the flavors that interact with my taste buds. Hopefully, for the sake of the readers, it will be somewhere in the middle.

My first stop is Zen Bistro in what I could consider the classy area of Westchase. I would say that it’s roughly about 5-10 minutes away from Citrus Park Mall. I’ve heard so much praises about this restaurant for the reason that even my friends have urged me to go try it out. I guess this is the perfect time for it.

My best friend and I went here on a Saturday night. It was pretty late, but of course I made sure that they were still open. Luckily for us that day, they close at around 2am and they also had a sweet deal since it was Hospitality Night for people who work in restaurants. Heck, we were hungry, and what best kind of food to satisfy our urges, but Japanese cuisine. My best friend and I have this as a common favorite. That’s one thing that we would never seem to argue about.

From the outside, it looked like a normal restaurant with a dash of flair to it. There were some tables outside. It was cold so I didn’t really expect anyone to be dining out there. The moment my best friend opened the door, all I heard was people chitchatting. I still heard the faint music in the background, but I knew well that it was packed. Stepping inside was a whole different experience. Yeah, it was crowded, and there were only two or three tables, but I felt this weird, but good feeling of serenity. You might be thinking, “What is this girl talking about?” It was a small dimly lit place. It only had limited seating. Probably around around 12 tables, 4 booths, and a number of chairs at the sushi-slash-drinks-bar. I think what struck me was the Zen-ish interior, hence, the name of the restaurant. All I can say is that it had a modern Japanese feel and walking to our table made all the noise in the background just seem to fleet away.





I didn’t mind the business of the place. All I wanted was to eat some good Japanese food in my state of being at ease. Our server came to us for our drinks. She came off a bit bitchy at first. It might have been because she was busy. I didn’t know, or neither did I care. I couldn’t believe it myself. I was like, really? Passing off on a rude server? When did that start happening? Just now, I guess.

Looking over the menu wasn’t a chore as I expected it to be. They didn’t really have a huge selection of food, but it seemed like they added a twist on almost all their items. Even if there was not that much to choose from, it seemed like everything that you could possibly order off of the menu was good. I hoped so.

We started with the Curried Crab Dumplings. I was skeptical at first just because I have never heard of curry being used in Japanese cooking before. But I would say that I’m so thankful that my best friend felt adventurous this time around. It was marvelous. The crispy gyoza skin was fried perfectly, while inside was just oozing with deliciousness. The real crabmeat was paired perfectly with the cream cheese. I actually thought that the latter would overwhelm the previous since that’s what I usually experience in other places. The hint of curry was perfectly blended in this food masterpiece. In addition to that, the chili sauce served with it for dipping was gave it an extra kick. I was so excited for the next dishes. My mouth just had a delightful orgasm.


Curried Crab Dumplings

By this time, I noticed that our server finally got more comfortable. I guess the late-night rush got their food and were stuffing their faces already. With a smile, she asked me what I would like to get. I ordered the Zen Lettuce Wrap. It came with Miso Soup, which was what I tasted first. I was surprised how grainy the broth was. I have never really had it like so. I mean, I’m not really sure if I liked it or not. It was just different, or interesting, for lack of better adjectives. Don’t get me wrong though. The texture was not really what I’m used to, but I would have to say that the taste was really good. It had seaweeds and tofu in it too. I love how Zen doesn’t just go for normal dishes. They make it a point that they put their signature mark on it one way or another.


Miso Soup

Now, about the Lettuce Wrap. I would have to admit that Laura Reiley’s brief review made me want to focus on this menu item. I would have to agree with the Times food critic when she said that this was the way to go if you happen to pass by. Goodness. I don’t even know where to start. There were so many various ingredients that I didn’t know how everything would fit into one leaf, no matter how humongous it may be. Every single one was fresh, with your choice of peanut hoisin, spicy sambal, and sesame aioli sauce on the side. It consisted of Japanese grain that I couldn’t even describe. It tasted good. They had their own take on their Asian guacamole and Asian slaw that I thought were better than their original versions. The dish also had normal bean sprouts and minced chicken. Although my main entrée already seemed so flawlessly appetizing, what made me love it most was the shredded apples, mangoes, and cucumbers. My whole life, I hated cilantro. And for once, I had to say, for the first and last time, that it was what made the whole thing phenomenal. It was just perfectly marinated with cilantro that it gave a whole new meaning to the word delectable.


Zen Lettuce Wraps

Of course, the whole Japanese experience would not be complete without sushi. My best friend decided to try Eternal Bliss. Just how they named it made my mouth water a little bit. It was a roll full of yummy treasures including salmon, yellowtail, cream cheese, cucumber and masago. It’s tempura fried as a whole, and nothing is raw. I know some new sushi-eaters are very picky about that whole uncooked fish thing. Not only that, but their specialty rolls are huge. On Urbanspoon, Sara D. Eater put up a review describing Zen’s sushi rolls as heaven. I would have to agree and disagree with her on this one. She is on point when she described this certain sushi roll as heaven, but in my opinion, the tasty goodness was something I couldn’t really put into words. I would say it definitely lived up to its name, giving me a feeling of eternal bliss the whole time I was eating it. For the second time in the same restaurant, what touched my taste buds was orgasmic.


Eternal Bliss

I don’t know in what other way I could express my delight. Everything did not just make me a satisfied customer, but my expectations were exceeded in more ways than one.
Driving out for dinner: Pricey.
Check for the food: In the budget.
Dining at a classy yet hip restaurant with not just good, but great food: Priceless.
I guess you just have to sit back, relax, and take it all in. That’s what I did.

Zen Bistro
9620 W Linebaugh Ave. Tampa, FL 33626
Phone (813) 792-8665

      Extra Thoughts on Ms. DJ’s WWFF:

          You could try taking one person who understands that you’re working. Old friends or colleagues may let you concentrate and feel
          comfortable about not talking when you need to think. Most important is to choose people who will eat anything, and who will not
          take offense at rabbit in cream sauce, offal or duck’s tongues during dim sum. Make sure they understand that you might ask them
          to order particular dishes, not necessarily the menu items they’d like most, so that you can sample a variety.

      Although I agree with DJ up to a point, a whole lot of her points actually, I cannot accept her overriding assumption that when you
      need to think about something, you
      tend not to talk. I’m not sure, but this doesn’t really work out well for me. I’m very vocal, and I tend to say things on my mind out
      loud. That’s just how I think, I guess. Having my best friend with me, who completely understands that I’m reviewing restaurants, is
      extremely helpful. It’s as if whenever I’m looking for the right word to describe something even if it’s in the tip of my tongue, he
      does the job for me by saying exactly what the word is. We try to give each other a chance to alternate on getting something that we
      really want or something that we really have to try just for the sake of criticizing it. He not only makes reviewing restaurants easier
      for me, it makes it a lot more fun too. I think we got this whole thing down.