Galvanic charge to taste buds
A.R. Wodell
Sun
Green Papaya owner Janet Tran presents lobster salad rolls and sesame ahi tuna with ginger mustard curry sauce. Photograph by : Peter Battistoni, Vancouver Sun
A touch of melancholy hangs over the beach in the depths of a West Coast winter, but even on a dark Saturday evening, White Rock’s Marine Drive restaurant strip invariably has its fair share of customers.
The Green Papaya, near the eastern edge of the action, bills itself as offering “a fusion of Vietnamese and West Coast cuisine” — an intriguing pairing that demands sampling.
Decor is not the establishment’s strong suit: Its unpretentious interior is more redolent of a faux Mediterranean or Mexican restaurant, and the kitchen, far removed from the entrance, denied us that welcoming puff of spicy steam that characterizes more traditional Vietnamese eateries.
Things looked up once we were handed our menus and had a chance to peruse chef Tony Tran’s promised blending of east and west. Though the multi-section menu offers pastas and steaks, it’s the selection of Vietnamese-accented tapas — from spring rolls to bruschetta on chimmichurry toasts and grilled greenback mussels with a tamarind barbeque sauce — that really get the fusion message across loud and clear.
There’s an entire page devoted to pho, offering several variations on the standard Indo-Chinese beef noodle soup, plus a guide to the recommended DIY garnishing technique.
From the tapas menu we elected to split an appetizer order of stuffed “betle” leaves (also known as betel), which arrived promptly, glistening blackly on skewers like postmodern lollipops. Leaves filled with minced beef had been drizzled in a thick balsamic reduction sauce, steamed and dusted with ground peanuts; we weren’t able to detect much taste or texture from the betle leaves themselves, but the combination was delicious with a pleasantly spicy aftertaste.
We ordered the lemon grass and coconut chicken breast and the tropical fruit steamed halibut as entrees. Both delivered a galvanic charge to the taste buds — suddenly we were ravenous. Presentation was contemporary and surprisingly formal, creatively stacked inside wide, white soup plates. Portions were generous, and every bite disappeared. The chicken dish created an appealing balance between the unctuous sweetness of coconut and the fresh tang of lemon grass, with a final hot and spicy kick; it was garnished with mango and papaya dice and leaves of raw baby spinach. The pan-Asian tropical fruit salsa and ginger gastrique was deliriously tart and sour, yet never to the point of overpowering either the perfectly cooked halibut or its delicate jasmine rice base speared with carrots and asparagus stalks.
Dessert seemed superfluous, but the mention of a melon sponge was too interesting to pass up. The flavour was delicate yet intense, enhanced by a splatter of bittersweet chocolate and a touch of fresh fruit.
The Green Papaya appears committed to finding its own way of doing things, somewhere between the casual tradition of family-style Asian eateries and the grander conventions of an upmarket bistro.
Tran is enthusiastic about bringing Vietnamese cuisine to White Rock, and hopes to make the Green Papaya not quite as casual as most traditional Vietnamese restaurants. He says his goal is introduce his patrons to new tastes and “to take Vietnamese food to a new level.”
As a local favourite offering friendly service, reasonable prices and experimental yet satisfying flavours, the Green Papaya has considerable potential. We hope to return to sample the pho menu or, when an afternoon walk on the beach seems a bit less bracing, such lunch specials as a papaya clubhouse and a panko-crusted halibut burger with wasabi mayonnaise.
A.R. Wodell is a Vancouver freelance writer and editor.
– – –
IN THE SUBURBS
The Green Papaya
100 – 15057 Marine Dr., White Rock
604-536-9811. Open daily 11 a.m to 10 p.m
© The Vancouver Sun 2007
