Aug. 09, 2006 - Issue #564: K’naan
Hey, babe: taste a walk on the Wild side
When I complained about the portion, taste and price, our waiter looked distastefully at us. “Have you ever been to this type of restaurant before?” he asked. I shook my head dumbly and he sighed, “I’ll take an entrée off the bill since this is your first time here. Do you care for any dessert?”
Um, no. That evening, we happily decided that we were not GAP commercial material. In the future, we would avoid such chic establishments.
One marriage and one child later, my husband and I still avoid suave-looking restaurants. That is, until I sampled some phenomenal red curry sauce at the downtown Farmers Market. The vendor proudly announced that I could have this curry as well as other eclectic food at Wild Tangerine.
We approached Wild Tangerine a little skeptically, without our toddler in tow. The lime green and fluorescent orange sign glowed contentedly among the black storm clouds. Rushing in, we collided with a Zen-like atmosphere. Soft jazz music combined with the chocolate and beige décor to whisper, “Serenity.”
As our server showed us to our table, I noticed the details: bamboo canisters filled with chopsticks, retro lighting, and ceramic black and white tiling. Nervously fishing for my note-taking pen, I pulled out my toddler’s dolly (whose hair was stuck to a well-loved lollipop). Our server didn’t seem to notice the faux pas; she warmly handed us our menus and filled up our water glasses.
The menu was rather small. Six pages were devoted to drinks while four others were given to food. There were only 11 main course items, so choosing our dinner wasn’t a daunting challenge.
We were famished, and began with the Shrimp Lollipops ($7). Our server helpfully suggested that we should order an extra skewer ($2.50) so we each could have two. My dehydrated husband skipped his usual Coke and stuck with water, while I went with a café Orientale ($4).
For the main course, I decided on the Siao Hseng bison short ribs ($22), while my sweetness went with a simpler lemon chicken breast stuffed with red dates, ricotta and spinach ($16). Our appetizer arrived in record time, along with our drinks. Four skewers stuck up from a cup like little balls of spun wool. The crispy coating that my husband jokingly guessed was shredded wheat turned out to be angel-hair phyllo pastry. Juicy jumbo shrimp lay in crunchy noodle cocoons. The creamy, light green wasabi dipping sauce held a slight kick that lingered in my mouth. The combination of succulent, crispy and rich danced on my tongue like a tango. We were happy that we ordered an extra skewer, for blood would have been drawn for the last one.
I was so enthralled with my skewers that I completely ignored my first love: coffee. The iced drink was a delicate combination of espresso, ginger, chili and cream. For only four dollars, Starbucks has nothing on this beverage. The ginger and chili made it surprisingly refreshing: instead of feeling the usual overwhelming caffeine buzz, I felt like I just drank a super-healthy wheat-grass beverage.
Just as we finished our last few bites, our server joyfully served our meals. Two stark white dishes displayed our entrées like they were the crown jewels. My ribs were delicately laid upon white sushi rice, and dripped in a dark wine sauce. My husband’s golden chicken breast was nestled in a bed of green Chinese broccoli. Though we savoured the aroma, I could hardly claim that we appreciated the artistic quality. We dug into them like they were our last meals.
My husband obligatorily gave me a sample of his chicken. This dish came a long way from the glazed lemon chicken from a typical Chinese restaurant. A crispy, battered chicken breast was glazed with a spicy lemon and black basil seed sauce. The stuffing was slightly sweet and velvety—a subtle marriage formed between it and the moist chicken.
He was slightly disappointed that the entrée did not come with any carbohydrates. A vegetable-eater would be pleased with the quantity of greens: my husband was not. I happily split my meat and rice with him, in exchange for some Chinese broccoli steamed until tender.
My husband was lucky that I was in such a generous mood. My short ribs were astonishing: I could have easily devoured them myself. The meat fell off the bones with a graze of my fork, and one bite revealed a full-bodied flavour that only comes with slow roasting. Unexpectedly, bison ribs seemed to have a lot more meat on them than their beef counterparts. I found myself a lot fuller than I thought I would be.
After hearing the dessert menu, I decided I wasn’t that full. Wild Tangerine had many innovative twists on sweets, including the sticky-rice bomb ($5). As interesting as that sounded, I couldn’t resist the warm gingerbread pudding with banana ice cream ($6).
Although on the small side for sharing, the decadence of the dessert was perfect for a rainy day and a great finish to the meal. The dense, ginger-infused pudding complemented the sweet, mellow flavour of the ice cream. Even the mint garnish vanished when we were done with the dish.
For $60, not including tax and tip, Wild Tangerine revamped my ideas about trendiness. We sampled an innovative and diverse menu yet still felt comfortable and welcome. And we didn’t even have to wear GAP jeans. V
Mon - Thu to 10 pm, Fri - Sat to11:30 pm
Wild Tangerine
Cucina Domestica
10383 - 112 Street
429.3131
More info about Wild Tangerine →
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