Susanna Foo
Chinese Cuisine
1512 Walnut Street
(215) 545-8800
Let me engage you in a glorious tale of aromatic bliss, indulgent satiation and aesthetic splendor. This, my friends, is the tale of a three-hour feast at Susanna Foo. Gluttonous? Perhaps. A tad decadent? Absolutely. Life altering? Well, that might be going a bit too far. But memorable, note-worthy and scrumptious all properly describe my experience at this Asian fusion classic.
From start to finish, I had the pleasure of basking under an ornate Chinese paper lantern as I sat at an inviting yet lavish table for two with my date. Our waiter, David (and all other members of the wait staff) treated my date and me with the same level of courtesy and attentiveness given to the rest of the over-30 crowd. Furthermore, the food was a delight to explore and consume. Before we could even order, the chef sent us each a bowl of squash soup with lobster foam atop. Not only was this small treat delicious, but the gesture from the restaurant was greatly appreciated.
We started with a dumpling sampler and they were kind enough to accommodate my vegetarian tendencies by replacing certain dumplings with meatless alternatives. My date claimed the wild mushroom and chicken dumplings to be solid gold and pointed to a touch of Parmesan cheese as the winning factor. We followed this with an ahi tuna sampler which was not only visually pleasing, but gourmet, fresh and inventive. Our entrees were no different. We found their flavor and presentation to be exceptional. The diver scallops were immersed in truffle puree and accompanied by bok choy. My date's whole sea bass was lightly fried and decked in a savory hot sauce that complimented its crisp texture. The wait staff accommodated our demands once again and removed the head and fins from his sea bass upon asking.
As for the rest of the meal, our eyes were perhaps a tad bigger than our stomachs. The sides we requested, a sweet eggplant medley and beef lo mein, were decent, but nothing compared to the entrees. As the doggy bags piled up (we brought home five separate boxes), our dessert was delicately presented. The banana chocolate torte was superb, but the real treat was the small scoop of banana ice cream topping off the dish. And upon inquiring, we discovered that the pastry chef makes all of the desserts and ice creams from scratch.
The slow and steady pace of the meal was right up our alley; we were able to make a night of the meal and enjoyed every second of the experience. Overly stuffed, we each carried our bag of leftovers out of the restaurant and discussed the privilege of having been able to enjoy such a lovely evening.
