Taste: In Fact, Not a Small Bowl

f you've ever been to Asia, the "night-market" shopping experience is one that you must not miss. For a little over $3, you can choose from an eclectic selection of T-shirts with misspelled brand names like "PKNY", "Cap", "Channel" and many more. For some strange reason my desire to return to these markets resurfaced as I sat in the Big Bowl Asian Kitchen. The uniforms that the waitresses were wearing - with the words "Big Bowl" directly translated into Chinese characters boldly printed across their back - reminded me of those fake bargain T-shirts. Nontheless, the golden glow from the paper lanterns brought about a warm, albeit kitschy, ambience.

Our appetizer was steamed vegetable wontons with peanuts and Chinese greens stuffing served in a bamboo basket. Typically cooked in soup with shrimp-egg noodles, these wontons are wrapped in a thin piece of dough that resembles ravioli sheets. The zesty flavors of the ginger-plum sauce blended with the herbal and nutty wonton filling, and the abundance of sauce made the appetizer moist and succulent.

For the main course, we dined on blazing "chow fun" with chicken and red and green chilli peppers. "Chow fun" is a flat, thick and pale noodle, interestingly resembles fettucini in appearance, and is primarily composed of rice water. It has a tendency to become sticky when overcooked. The trick is to stir-fry these noodles in intense heat - but not for too long. The bite of the "chow fun" was a little too glutinous, but this misstep was offset with the rarely employed addition of tiny black soybeans. Salty and flavorful, the taste of these beans were infused into the sauce, creating an appetizing aroma.

Next was the coconut curry chicken with snowpeas, green peppers and steamed rice. The chefs concocted a delicate balance between the mild tangy spices and the mellow coconut milk. Basil leaf and lemongrass scents magically highlighted the complexity of sensations on the palate. Serving the dish at a higher temperature would have improved the lumpy consistency of the curry sauce and allowed more steam to be released, and seeing that 90 percent of our taste comes from smell, heat could have potentially enhanced the eating experience.

Topping off the evening, we drank the Golden-Buddha Magarita and Hibiscus iced-tea, which offered nothing more than your regular margarita and raspberry iced tea with a fancy marketing twist. Alternatively, walking over to the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory for a decadent and crunchy caramel apple might bring a better finale to an otherwise delightful meal.