Hunt Valley, Maryland: Jesse Wong's Kitchen

Wednesday, 01 August 2012 22:19

Hunt Valley, Maryland: Jesse Wong's Kitchen

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Chilean Sea Bass at Jesse Wong's Kitchen, Hunt Valley, Maryland MultiCulturalCookingNetwork.com

There is a lot that is surprising about the Hunt Valley restaurant, Jessie Wong’s rsz_255228_10151948347315368_321960170_n Kitchen, not the least of those include the very pleasant and accessible restaurateur, Chef Jesse Wong. During the course of our sit-down conversation, he shared glimpses into his childhood in Malaysia, dreams of owning a restaurant, the challenges of maintaining his three restaurants during the recession (Jesse Wong's Asean Bistro, Jesse Wong's Kitchen, Jesse Wong's Hong Kong), the disappointment and lessons learned from the closing of one of his Columbia restaurants, Jessie Wong’s Hong Kong, and the fact that the people are still not dining out as much as they used to pre-recession.

We also conversed about his life as a husband and father, his adoration for his elders, namely, his six American godparents. He even shared some advice from one of his godparents, Mrs Haim. She told him, “A good chef never dies without sharing his recipes.” That piece of advice came with an instruction and a promise. If he promised to follow this advice, he stood to inherit Mrs. Haim’s catalogue of recipes. So guess who has a killer catalogue of baking recipes these days? Exactly.

Open since 2006, Jesse Wong’s Kitchen is Wong’s dream. He loves the idea of a stadium feel in a restaurant. He likens it to “Kitchen Stadium” on the television show Iron Chef America. One of the other aspects of Jesse Wong’s Kitchen that Wong is very proud of is its transparency. The guests are provided with an all-access view as their meals are prepared in the kitchen. Wong walked me through the kitchen where barbecue pork was being prepared, chicken stock was boiling, and fish was chilling. It’s Jesse Wong’s kitchen, literally and figuratively, and he takes full accountability for it.

The restaurant serves sushi at a very sociable semi-circle sushi bar. Although no one was there during my early afternoon visit, I’m sure it gets quite a bit of action. The menu is a tour of the Asian experience including Chinese, Burmese and Japanese and he even fuses a little French into it for good measure. During my sit-down with Wong, I was able to sample some barbecue pork, which I am told is usually glazed with honey; however, it was served in this way so I could experience the essence of the meat. The pork was tender and faintly sweet, even without the honey glaze--very enjoyable.

The next offering was Chilean Sea Bass, and right off the bat, the presentation was beautiful. Chef Wong urges me to dig in promptly and the fish is flakey, tender and delicious. I was not as wow-ed with the sauce as I was with the pure clean taste of the bass itself.

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As I was enjoying my Chilean Sea bass, the Pinot Grigio Shrimp arrived. Yes, you read it correctly. At a party Wong was asked if he could make a dish out of Pinot Griggio, and like any good chef, he rose to the occasion on the spot. The jumbo shrimp are stir-fried in a Pinot Grigio wine sauce. As the shrimp came to the table, I was coaxed away from the Chilean Sea Bass. Time to see if this is any good. We have lift off. It’s good. It’s a hint on the sweet side, but it has just enough tang to center it.

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My final tasting started off a little rocky as I listened to Wong talk about eggplant. “Should I tell him?” I thought. “It’s only right that I tell him,” after all, it would not be right to get his hopes up for a losing battle. I have tried eggplant in various incarnations and it seems that I just don’t like it. Wong listens respectfully and gives me full attention as I give my reasons. All the while his eyes seem to say, “ You don’t like eggplant yet.” The Supreme Crispy Eggplant dish is brought to the table and what do you know? The eyes were right after all. The tempura method of making the Supreme Crispy Eggplant took all of the wind out of my blanket statement, and has me yearning for another trip to Jesse Wong’s Kitchen.