Rama - Big Taste in a Small Place

2919 Perkins Rd.
225-387-5943

by: Chad

Thai food is one cuisine that is still yet to take on a strong foothold in the Baton Rouge area. However, it is very tasty and provides a great alternative to the typical Chinese and Japanese restaurants. In talking to several fellow foodies around town, we were told that the place for Thai was Rama. Having been frequent fans of other Thai establishments, the Cuisine Rouge team had to pay it a visit.

Rama is located in the artsy area of the Perkins Rd overpass. A great spot for experiencing some of the best entertainment the city has to offer. Describing the restaurant as small is almost an understatement. This place is so small in fact that they employ an element often seen in mobile homes to make them look larger, mirrored walls. Despite this cozy interior, once you get past the funhouse atmosphere, you get to really enjoy some great Thai flavors.

We started out with some appetizers, the golden burgers, cold spring rolls, and fried wontons. The golden burgers come in two varieties, the beef and the shrimp. We opted for the shrimp, and quickly learned that this exotic sounding item was a Thai take on the Chinese shrimp toast. That being said, they were good, and better than the often greasy Chinese equivalents. The cold spring rolls were not a very big hit, as they had a strange texture and were rather bland. The fried wontons were standard fare, tasty, but not anything special.

For entrees, we sampled the Pad Thai, Rama Duck, and the Panang Pork. All were very good. The Pad Thai was good, with lots of peanut flavor, and the typical sauce, which had good flavor but was rather light in comparison to others we have tried. While we found this dish to be well done, it didn’t stand out over the other Thai restaurants in town. The Rama Duck was the highlight of our meal, cooked perfectly, and well seasoned; this was a great dish and the first to disappear from its serving platter. The Panang Pork was tasty, with pieces of pork, mushrooms, and green beans swimming in a delicious coconut milk-curry sauce made with fresh chili peppers and basil. Unfortunately, the green beans were clearly frozen, making for a disappointment in an otherwise great dish.

The menu at Rama is large and this is a small sampling of the fare they offer. Friends who have visited have raved about some of the fish dishes, which we weren’t able to try on this visit. If you are a fan of Japanese and Chinese flavors, check out Rama. It’s a great little restaurant that will provide you with an interesting change of pace.


Pad Thai (top) and Panang Pork (bottom)


Rama Duck

Waka House

by Chad

4625 S. Sherwood Forest Blvd.
225-293-4077
http://www.wakahouse.com

We’ve all heard phrases such as ‘food is art’ and ‘we eat with our eyes first’. In the highly competitive world of today’s restaurant scene, presentation is important, and something that can really set a place apart from its competition. In my opinion, there is no other culinary offering like sushi to illustrate this.

Hidden in the corner of a strip mall at the intersection of Sherwood and Coursey lies Waka House, a small establishment offering big sushi flavor. Small is a definite description of this restaurant. There are only a handful of tables inside, seating probably only about thirty or so people total. The restaurant is minimally decorated, sort of giving the impression that it is a work in progress or a temporary situation. Some of the tables feature a glass top, with a smaller shelf underneath housing some decorative items. While this looks cool, it doesn’t fare well for taller guests, making seating somewhat uncomfortable.

The sushi here is quite good. Some of the rolls we sampled on our visit included the Spicy Tuna roll, Eel roll, Salmon Dragon roll, Karadynamite roll, and the Thompson roll. All were very tasty, featuring fresh fish and a nice mix of accompaniments. The spicy tuna was one of the better versions of this roll that I have had. Very fresh tuna mixed with just the right amount of spiciness. Speaking of spicy, the Karadynamite roll is an excellent choice for those who like it hot. It is spicy tuna, fresh salmon, yellowtail, cucumber and avocado, topped with scallions, crunchy batter and a spicy sauce. The Salmon Dragon roll is a must for the salmon lover, loaded with fresh salmon on the inside, wrapped with nori and sushi rice, and topped with more fresh salmon. This is served with two pieces of salmon sashimi on the side and seaweed salad. My personal favorite was the Thompson roll, a tasty combo of fresh tuna, avocado and cream cheese, topped with crunchy batter and snow crab.

The non-sushi items were hit and miss. The seaweed salad was reported as tasty with a sweet vinegar taste. The pork dumplings are tasty, very light with a good flavor, served with a flavorful sauce that had hints of soy, ginger, and cilantro. Perhaps the biggest disappointment in the food was the teriyaki chicken. Ordering it ‘as is’ on the menu presents you with a mixture of chicken pieces, all dark meat and somewhat off-putting in texture. The waiter informed us that a white meat chicken version was available, but had to be requested. That information really should be presented to the customer up front, and placed on the menu for clarification. Offerings for kids are slim here, but the crunchy batter coated chicken strips seemed to be a hit with our little eater.

In summary, Waka House has great potential with its sushi items. They offer some interesting rolls with real potential. Very fresh fish and a huge variety should please most sushi enthusiasts. Some refinements could make this place great, like better quality on the non-sushi items and a better and more spacious environment, but overall this place deserves a try.


Salmon Dragon Roll


Thompson Roll

Pinoy – The Philippines comes to Baton Rouge

By: Mark

http://www.pinoybr.com

Tucked away in a strip mall on the corner of Coursey Boulevard and Sherwood Forest Boulevard lies Pinoy; Baton Rouge’s first Filipino restaurant. In fact, it is only the second Filipino restaurant in the entire state. The cuisine of the Philippines is influenced heavily by its history of Spanish rule, which is exhibited by some of the dishes on the menu and the official beer of the Philippines. The Cuisine Rouge team assembled and dined at Pinoy on a Thursday night.

We began our meal with a cold San Miguel beer. This beer was cool and clean and had a light taste. It was the perfect way to start our meal. As we enjoyed our beer we took note of the layout of the interior. The restaurant was painted with light green walls and painted glass that depicted scenes of the Philippines. An area for karaoke was located in the front, and another area containing a TV and the game Rock Band was set up in the back for children to play while their parents dined. What was also noticeable was that many Filipino and Asian locals dine here. In fact, such a large party was present, that they nearly took up the entire restaurant.

After we finished our beers, we ordered a few appetizers. We tried the Sisig ($6.99) which was finely diced pork, hot sauce, onions, and lemon served on a sizzling skillet. The pork had a nice sweet and spicy flavor and the bottom was caramelized by the hot skillet, giving the dish a crispy bottom. We ate the sisig accompanied with jufran (a banana flavored sauce with the look and consistency of ketchup). We also ordered the Lumpia ($7.99) which were miniature egg rolls stuffed with pork and vegetables. They were fried perfectly and were not greasy, served with a sweet and spicy chili sauce. These were a great start to our meal.

For our entrees we decided to order three dishes that really represent the style of cooking that Pinoy is trying to showcase. We ordered the Lechon Kawali ($8.99) which is slow roasted pork belly that is then fried. The dish is absolutely delicious as the tender meat marries with the creamy fat for a truly extraordinary bite. The meal was served with sweet, vinegary pickled papaya and spicy sautéed bean sprouts. Our next entrée was the Palabok ($6.99). This is a noodle dish which contains shrimp, ground pork, pork cracklins, boiled eggs, and green onions. The dish is then topped with a palabok sauce which resembles an etoufee. This dish was extremely disappointing as we discovered it contained no flavor. I could taste the blandness of the noodles but that was it. Even with the addition of lemon, salt, and pepper I still felt I was eating salty, peppery, lemony noodles. I sampled the sauce on its own but still could not find a trace of flavor. This dish left us not only perplexed but very let down. Our third entrée arrived and we quickly forgot about the palabok as our waitress set down the Crispy Pata ($17.50). It is a bit pricey but this is Pinoy’s signature item. Deep crossing slices are made into a pork leg that has been marinated in garlic and soy sauce. The entire leg is deep fried to perfection. The result is heaven on a plate. The meat is perfectly juicy and delicious and the skin is fried to a perfect, crackling brown. A jazzed up soy sauce that had hints of ginger, chili, and cilantro was served to accompany it. The leg was served with rice and corn. The only downside to the meal was the side of corn was bland and cold, almost an afterthought. In all, the entrees at Pinoy are very good and any pork lover will be in heaven.

We saved just enough room for dessert and we were treated to Leche Flan ($2.50) and Halo-Halo ($4.99). The flan was some of the best I have had. It was firmer and creamier than a traditional Mexican flan and it was topped with a nice caramel sauce. The halo-halo is one of the most interesting desserts I have ever come across. It is a mixture of shaved ice and milk, containing rice crispies, boiled sweet beans and fruit, which is then topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. What is produced is a sweet dessert with plenty of interesting textures and flavors. This is a must try for anyone.

Baton Rouge is becoming quite the place for ethnic dining. The addition of Pinoy introduces an entire new cuisine to the city. If you are a lover of pork, or just a lover of interesting food, I highly recommend Pinoy. With its friendly owner and beautiful wait staff, hopefully this restaurant will become a fixture of the growing ethnic Baton Rouge scene.

Pros:
- Great pork dishes
- Service was excellent
- Fun atmosphere enjoyed by locals

Cons:
- Not many places to sit – large party almost took up entire restaurant
- Very bland noodle dish and corn
- Restaurant temperature was very warm



Crispy Pata


Sisig


Lechon Kawali


Halo-Halo

Freaky Foods of Baton Rouge - Pho

Many places in Baton Rouge make good pho. My favorite is at Pho Quynh, but other notables are Little Saigon, Tasty Casian, and Drunken Fish. This Vietnamese favorite can be ordered innocently enough with just thin-sliced, rare beef; but I like to go the extra mile. I ask for everything in my pho! Fatty brisket, which is literally the fat from the brisket, adds a rich flavor and the fat has a silky texture. The beef tendon offers little flavor but it does present a strange gelatinous texture. The book tripe, stomach lining from a cow, offers a nice crunch to the soup. However my favorite strange meat to add is the mystery meatballs. Full of gristle and organ meat, these balls are rich in flavor and have a chewy texture. For a flavorful and textural treat, order your pho fully loaded!

Hello Sushi

3930 Burbank Dr., Ste. A&B
18291 Highland Rd. Ste. 100-103

http://www.hellosushi.com

By:  Chad

Of all the cuisines available to enjoy in our area, the one that currently has my attention is sushi.  Like most, I started out some time back with the safest of offerings, and only briefly glancing with raised eyebrow at the more exotic fare.  As time passed and my sushi eating became more frequent, I became more daring and now enjoy many of the raw items, and have found them to be delicious.

At last count, there were about twenty different places in and around the city offering sushi.  I have visited most, and many are quite good, but my favorite remains Hello Sushi.  They have two locations, one near LSU, and the other on the opposite end of the city, at Highland Rd and I-10.

You get a pretty good idea of what to expect there by visiting their website.  The ultra-modern, innovative look and feel of the site is carried throughout the restaurant itself in its stylish appearance.  This is also carried out in the menu offerings, which consist of much more than just sushi.  Tasty appetizers like edamame and the gyoza dumplings are fairly standard and done well here, but it’s the more innovative dishes like the Japanese twist on jalapeno poppers called Hellopeno  Poppers that steal the show.  This dish takes the jalapeno pepper and stuffs it with snow crab and cream cheese, then breads it with panko (Japanese bread crumbs) and fries it to a delicious golden brown.  It is served with wasabi ranch sauce for dipping.  Another innovative dish is the sushi pizza.  Snow crab, crawfish, and spicy shrimp are baked in a savory sauce, then placed atop a fried rice patty and topped with smelt roe and green onions.  It makes for an exciting way to enjoy Japanese food.

Of course the star of the show is the sushi.  All of the raw items I have sampled have been very fresh, and full of flavor.  Most of the traditional rolls that can be found at any sushi house are present here, and all are done well.  Of these, one of the most popular is the crunchy roll.  Second to only the California in its popularity, this roll can be found in different forms depending on where you are.  Here it consists of a tender snow crab mixture and tempura batter, and it is delicious.  I’m practically convinced that they add an addictive substance to the mixture because it’s that good.  More exciting and innovative offerings feature Louisiana ingredients, like the Orleans roll, combining a spicy crawfish mixture with asparagus, and the Johnny roll, which is loaded with crawfish, spicy tuna, spicy shrimp, and crab then fried in tempura batter.  My two favorites though are the Evangeline roll and the Paradise roll.  Both rolls feature shrimp as the main ingredient, and accentuate it with great flavors.  The Evangeline features delicious pecan crusted shrimp and avocado, topped with a savory scallop mousse.   The Paradise roll could practically be considered a dessert offering, featuring sweet coconut shrimp and creamy avocado topped with thinly sliced mango.  I find the sweetness of this roll combined with the spiciness of my heavily wasabi laden soy sauce make for an explosion of flavor and taste.

For the non-sushi eaters, they offer some great alternatives, like teriyaki steak, chicken or salmon, chicken katsu, and others.  If the sushi wasn’t so good, I might have actually tried one of these at some point myself.  Friends I have dined with have had favorable reviews of the teriyaki offerings and enjoyed them very much.

Although you can see that I’m more geared toward the modern sushi offerings, Hello Sushi delivers great tasting sushi of every kind, in a fun and vibrant atmosphere that will leave you wanting to return.

Famous Sushi

Sushi seems to be the hot item in Baton Rouge area cuisine at the moment.  At last count, I think I counted about 14 places where one can find this tasty Japanese delight.  Famous Sushi in Prairieville just opened last week, and is located in the Ultima Plaza shopping center, very close to the Ascension/EBR parish line.  This spot was the former location of China Chef II, but was never opened.

The interior is quite small, but nicely decorated with what you would expect to find at a Japanese restaurant.  At the rear of the restaurant is a small sushi bar with a few chairs and two smiling sushi chefs.  The staff all seemed very friendly and accommodating.  I sat at the sushi bar and looked over the suprisingly full menu.  They offer a variety of appetizers, Japanese staples, hand rolls, maki rolls, and specialty rolls.  I sampled the Gyoza pork dumplings, which were quite tasty.  Nothing out of the ordinary, but well cooked and flavored, with the typical accompaning sauce.  I admit that I'm not the most hardcore when it comes to sushi, so I tried my typical two safe choices.  The Philadelphia roll was very good, salmon was very fresh, and the toasted sesame seeds sprinkled on the pieces gave a nice flavor.  The softshell crab roll was also quite good, the crab was fried perfectly and was not oily at all.

Obviously there are many more items that I am yet to sample, but this quick first visit proved to be a promising one.  Another positive about this place is the hours.  Open seven days a week, until 10PM every night, except until 11PM on Friday and Saturday nights.  While it isn't yet my favorite Red Stick place for sushi, it is a good spot for quickly satisfying that late night sushi craving.