Tuesday, September 8, 2009
First Bite Preview to a Kill-Suzy Wong's House of Yum
Posted by Chris Chamberlain on Tue, Sep 8, 2009 at 1:49 PM
If you were to wander over to www.suzywongsnashville.com, you'd find that they are now taking reservations for dinner starting tonight on OpenTable.com. The restaurant staff has spent the past week getting ready for your patronage and a brief visit to a preview on Monday night proved that it might just be worth a trip down Church Street to share a few plates with Suzy.
Nashville restaurateur Arnold Myint, owner of PM and ChaChah, has teamed up with the folks from Zeus Enterprises, the team behind Tribe and Play to introduce a dining concept that combines the Zeus tradition of nightlife entertainment with Myint's culinary vision. Occupying the space which previously housed Red, the plan is to serve lunch and dinner, with takeout available and a late-night menu until 4 a.m for your post-raving craving.
The restaurant, located at 1515 Church St., has been given an attractive makeover with bright fuchsia accents, a dragon kite motif ceiling treatment, a long wall of banquettes, a cozy but vibrant bar, and a much improved patio area including individual cabanas for a little privacy. The space is very hip without feeling too uncomfortable if you're not absolutely fabulous.
The wine list is populated with approachable, affordable wines that emphasize clever names over complexity. Most are available by the glass at reasonable prices to allow you to pair different wines with different small plates as appropriate. This makes a lot of sense because although the menu is completely Asian-themed, it doesn't mean that there aren't a wide variety of flavors offered over the course of a full meal that might require very different wine choices to complement them.
Similar to the Myint's Cha Chah concept, the emphasis is on tapas-like small plates and sharing. With appetizer sizes priced between $3.00 and $8.00 and only a few items on the menu topping $10.00, you'll probably want to order 2-3 plates per person. The menu is still being finalized, but here's hoping that the savory Green Curry Coconut Steamed Mussels and the BBQ Pork and Edamame Cilantro Pico Nachos make the final cut!
Some of the more traditional dishes like Tempura Vegetables and Gyoza were solid if not spectacular. But for a quick drink and a dish before a show downtown or as a sobering stop on the way home from a night partying in the Church Street Corridor, Suzy Wong's House of Yum could prove to be welcome addition to the dining landscape.
If you get there soon and progress farther down the menu than we were able to in a single sitting, please be sure to report back here at Bites.
Comments (12)
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I'm jealous that you had the green curry mussels! I wanted to try those but my husband isn't a fan, so we went with other options on this visit. I loved the Peanut Sauce Chicken Salad - a cross between a salad and lettuce wraps. Ditto your comment on the pork nachos.
The Thai Curry Steak Sandwich with cilantro yogurt, charred onions and asian slaw also sounded pretty delish, but since I ate steak twice over the weekend I thought that might be a bit of a bovine overdose.
Thanks for the support guys!!......will be there to test out late night tomorrow!....
I've seen the mussels on the menu at PM but have never tried them. I can't speak as to if they are the same.
I would expect some plates to be mirrored at both locations, but would expect PM to maintain the pinchos/dips theme and Suzy Wong to feature Asian explorations.
Grab a chair at the bar before dinner and order Lolita's Kiss ~loved it!While at the bar Peter and I ordered the crab wontons with bacon and the coriander smashed avocado to enjoy with our cocktails...the first yum! Many more were to come~With dinner we ordered the Oakley 5 Red and had Crispy rice paper shrimp cocktail...loved the presentation in a takeout box...great pop of color...then had green curry coconut steamed mussels...second big yum...sesame tuna tartare..third yum...and vegetable gyoza pot stickers...yummy!!! Suzy Wong's is definitely my new favorite restaurant and will be fun to take out of town guests to~the decor is Suzy Wong Fabulous and so are the waitstaff.You want to reserve the red banquet when you make a reservation...it is definitely the hot spot..seats 6. Arnold Mynt's, Suzy Wongs House of Yum is the new see and be seen scene in Nashville! Crazy good!
I went there recently and wrote a review on my blog, Nashvegan. There are a TON of vegan options, and it was some of the best vegan food I've ever had in the city.
http://nashvegan.wordpress.com/2009/09/24/suzy-wongs-house-of-yum/
Had high hopes and I was sadly disappointed. We chose this place to celebrate a friends birthday, how embarrassing.
The service was terrible, had to ask for simple things such as silverware, side plate, water etc.
My mushroom and bean sprout teriyaki was too salty and drenched in soy sauce. The vegetable tempura was extremely bland, a pinch of salt would have done the trick. One of the girls wanted to minus the tofu on one of the bowls and it could not be done. Another girl wanted to add tofu and that couldnt be done either. You were told "We are not allowed, the Chef will rip me a new one". I have NEVER EVER heard of any restaurant anywhere that would not take such request!
Needless to say, our table remained uncleared and cluttered throughout the night. We asked another server who was extremely sweet and kind, obviously she seemed to be the only one that understood the word "SERVICE".
We/I will never return or recommend any of our friends or business clients.
Had high hopes and I was sadly disappointed. We chose this place to celebrate a friends birthday, how embarrassing.
The service was terrible, had to ask for simple things such as silverware, side plate, water etc.
My mushroom and bean sprout teriyaki was too salty and drenched in soy sauce. The vegetable tempura was extremely bland, a pinch of salt would have done the trick. One of the girls wanted to minus the tofu on one of the bowls and it could not be done. Another girl wanted to add tofu and that couldnt be done either. You were told "We are not allowed, the Chef will rip me a new one". I have NEVER EVER heard of any restaurant anywhere that would not take such request!
Needless to say, our table remained uncleared and cluttered throughout the night. We asked another server who was extremely sweet and kind, obviously she seemed to be the only one that understood the word "SERVICE".
We/I will never return or recommend any of our friends or business clients.
I have been with friends 3-4 times and it's hit or miss on the food. The sushi rolls have been good but the other dishes have been awful. One of the times I went (not by my choice) the shrimp dish I ordered was rancid. The customer service is always awful. If you want eye candy from guys flaunting around, then go. If you want good food and service, go someplace else. The chef WILL NOT change a dish for you if you can't eat a particular food. The lady bartender (brunette) has very bad manners and has run off customers by telling them a particular beverage is not available so she doesn't have to serve you. I witnessed this and it really bothered me. Very unprofessional staff and hit or miss food. DON'T DINE HERE FOLKS!
