After several years of cultivation in China or Korea, the root of Asian ginseng is harvested and steamed at standard boiling temperature; the steamed root is called red ginseng.
The food! Really mind-boggling, and there are firm favorites: I love the pan fried bread with fennel greens, baby "shoots" with salted walnuts -- using Tibetan salt -- incredible silky steamed lotus root filled with creamy black rice in a chrysanthemum broth, fern root noodles in a tangy vinegar brine -- I can't even begin to contemplate a fern root noodle in the "what is it" and "how to" world.
Recently, the menu included grilled-cheese sandwiches, French onion soup, slow-roasted root vegetables with steamed zucchini, shells with fresh ricotta and tomatoes and upside-down peach cake made with fresh peaches.
A bag of steamed clams, pork and shiitakes has its roots in Portugal, and beautiful, barely cooked Atlantic scallops are combined with Japanese edamame beans and tiny Italian gnocchi.
Our main course is the steamed Chilean sea bass, served in a ginger and spring onion broth, with fried lotus root and tofu on the side.
Larb Esarn, a northern dish in which the ground pork was replaced by steamed chopped tofu with dried chilies, ground roasted rice, shallots, mint, green onions and coriander root, was just one of 14 spicy salads on the menu.
Diners can choose from a kitchen display of specialties, including various dim sum, turnip cakes, pork-stuffed lotus root, clay-pot stews, wonton soup and, one of my favorite home-style Cantonese dishes, steamed ground pork and water chestnuts topped with a salted duck's egg.
Choose the steamed mussels over the steamed littleneck clams.
The steamed flounder was unremarkable.
Serve over steamed asparagus.
