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Min Ghung Asian Bistro39 New London Tpke. Glen Lochen Mall Glastonbury 06033 860-659-2568 By MICHAEL GANNON Hartford Courant Published: 5/9/2004 At long last, I've found my favorite restaurant in the Hartford area. Min Ghung Asian Bistro has everything dead on: food, service and, best of all, scene. I'll try not to gush. It would embarrass you, me and perhaps even the folks at Min Ghung, although they didn't seem easily embarrassed. Everyone we met there was confident, charming, and well versed in everything on the menu. Jeein Ha, the young woman who co-owns the bistro with her parents, is a particularly rare treat. I have a feeling she is largely responsible for Min Ghung's fairly recent SoHo makeover, complete with hot red walls, to-die-for dishware and an Asian fusion menu that is modern, playful and obscenely delicious. Jeein's finest touch is the sake menu, for which she serves as a sharp and accessible sommelier. I was at first intimidated by the neon-lit wall of 56 bottles, many of which seem like works of art. I got over that quickly as I tried my first glass. Their sake is served cool, like white wine, as the whole "warming'' concept is really a method to disguise the taste of inferior sake. Min Ghung's sake is premium, meaning its prices can run steep. It's worth it, as each sip contains some of the most compelling flavors that may ever hit your palate. With a little help, figure out which sake is right for you and order your dishes -- as many as you can. I swear by the salsa dancin' octopus ... a quintet of baby red octopi playing Ring Around the Rosie on your plate. These sweet, saucy morsels, plucked from the dish with a bit of Maui onion salsa, have achieved what may be the perfect texture, tender within yet firm enough to pop in your mouth. The octopus was finished far too quickly, but the procession of delights that followed was equally exquisite. Try the fresh, fragrant soft-shelled crab with its exceptionally light tempura. Try the decadent salmon tartare, minced with a splash of garlic, wasabi and soy and garnished with caviar and paper-thin flakes of edible gold. I even recommend the negimayaki, oftentimes chewy beef rolled around fibrous scallions, and therefore seldom my dish of choice at Japanese restaurants. Min Ghung's variation strays from the norm with its soft, high-quality rib-eye, which it douses in an inky sauce in a jet-black dish. It's the kind of starter Elvira might order. I loved every bite. Entrees vary in origin, but lean toward Korean favorites prepared perfectly and presented with flair. You can't leave without trying the rainbow trout. The description on the menu sounds good enough, slow cooked with a light ganjang (Korean soy sauce). But it doesn't give credit to the absolutely phenomenal flavor, which is sweet, boisterous and sneakily spicy. The meat peels off the whole trout with ease, making it simple to eat the entire side of the fish, bones remaining perfectly attached, then flip the fishie over for round two of rainbow bliss. Among my other favorites: the gal bi, short ribs simmered in soy, honey, garlic, scallion, sesame oil, black pepper and ground pear that taste as great as they sound; the bul go gi, a similar recipe but with tender curlicues of shaved beef; and the spicy pork, thinly sliced with a red pepper sauce and a hint of apple. All entrees come with several baan chan (sides), which seem to vary by night. You may have peppery kimchi, crisp pickles or a refreshing seaweed salad ... or you may have (as we once did) something completely unidentifiable but beautiful and great to eat. With such an array of wonders, it took me a few minutes to realize that the sushi I sampled (specifically, the special rolls) were not staggeringly delicious. Thankfully, they made up for this by creativity in appearance. The Ping Ping girl roll is tuna, salmon, avocado and masago in pink seaweed, the Hello Kitty of Japanese cuisine. The Super Fashion roll is more like a Betsey Johnson show, with a runway of Ping Ping girls (essentially the same ingredients), but wrapped this time in tight dresses of brightly colored tobiko roe. "Super Fashion'' is written in spicy mustard along the edge of the plate, a quirky touch that set me into a fit of cackling. Trust Min Ghung to make you laugh when you least expect it. My biggest hope would be for Min Ghung to sass up their desserts. They're better than most Asian restaurants, but the chocolate lava cake and coconut-pineapple ice cream were fairly expected, and the chocolate fondue and marshmallow hibachi, while unique, were more gimmicky than flavorful. Min Ghung can (and I know will) do better. In the meantime, consider finishing with a plum sake on the rocks, which Min Ghung sprinkles with cinnamon for that trademark perfect touch. An even more perfect touch hit the table a few minutes later. For food of this quality and care, I expected a sizeable tab. Instead, I found one more reason to put Min Ghung at the top of my list: I'll be able to afford it, even when it's not my night to wine and dine on The Courant's dime. What? I only said I'd try not to gush. Hours: Lunch Mon.-Fri., 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Sat., noon-3 p.m. Dinner Mon.-Sat., 5 p.m.-10:30 p.m. Sun. 1 p.m.-9 p.m. Map | Printer-Friendly Page | Email to a Friend
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