From the 101 it looks like any other strip mall eatery, probably
filled with hardened plastic booths, greasy food and weary
shoppers.
But step inside the Ginger Cafe and expectations dissipate
quickly.
From the 101 it looks like any other strip mall eatery, probably filled with hardened plastic booths, greasy food and weary shoppers.
But step inside the Ginger Cafe and expectations dissipate quickly. Purple silk lamps illuminate a small lounge and the lavender bar shines against the black lacquer finish of tables and chairs.
Here the sleek lines of polished metal and contemporary style meet artistry, with Chinese statues, scrolls, baskets and screens interspersed in the cavernous dining space.
This theme of unexpected pleasures works its way into the restaurant’s cuisine, a pan-Asian blend of tamarind, coconut, curry and Thai basil.
The cafe’s owner, Tuyen Chung, is a second-generation restaurateur, following on his mother’s heels and creating his own repertoire of Chinese dishes influenced by his travels throughout Asia.
When his mother opened her first restaurant in San Jose 15 years ago, Chung helped out by washing dishes and acting as a kitchen assistant.
He later opened his own noodle factory, selling mostly to Asian restaurants in Silicon Valley, but he never forgot his love for cuisine.
“I learned the Chinese cooking from my mom, and I love to eat,” said Chung, whose slender frame does little to expose his tastes. “I was always eating out and I adopted the Asian fusion cooking into my own Chinese style. After a while, I felt I was more into the restaurant business than the noodles, so I sold the noodle company and started a restaurant.”
The Ginger Cafe is Chung’s third venture in the business. He sold his original San Jose eatery in 1996 and opened the Fukee Restaurant just west of 101 at Bernal, but the Ginger Cafe represents the apex of his culinary career.
While Fukee offers pared-down, ready-to-eat fusion, the Ginger Cafe serves up taste with class and presentation.
Main chef Tony Li carves intricate garnishes for nearly every plate, from flowers made of radishes and carrots to geometric designs of cucumber and artistic displays of shallots and herbs.
To keep himself on the forefront of fusion Chung makes a point of traveling within Asia at least once every two years, forever in search of the latest trends. His pineapple fried rice holds a strong accent of lemongrass and his traditional Chinese foods have been adapted to make the most of local, seasonal ingredients.
Customers, many of whom are business-people on lunch, should be on the look-out for even more creative dishes as fusion goes even further, said Chung.
“The food in Asia is more sophisticated than it used to be,” said Chung. “Now they tend to use a lot of different ingredients that you didn’t see 10 or 20 years ago – butter, cream cheese, Australian lobster and king crab. Now Asia is just like the U.S. It’s a melting pot. It’s borderless.”
Many of the same trends could soon be making their way to Gilroy, but incorporating new ideas into his cooking is a carefully calculated strategy for Chung, not simply an intuitive process. He keeps track of the cafe’s menu through computer software. If a dish doesn’t sell, it goes.
“I always pay attention to what the customers eat,” said Chung. “Surprisingly enough, the most popular thing in Gilroy is orange chicken. I thought it would be a specialty. The Peking duck I thought wouldn’t sell, but I wanted to give it a chance. It moved slowly for the first month, but now it’s one of our top items.”
First-time visitors should sample the duck, which is succulently soft and served with a thick plum sauce that defies gravity on a spoon and description on paper.
For sea-food lovers, try the oysters with ginger and scallions (steamed to perfection and served on the half shell) or the tamarind jumbo prawns – spicy, sweet, moist and amazing.
To accompany the meal, the modest wine list does include Clos du Bois and several selections from Chateau Ste. Michelle, and a well-stocked bar offers up a good selections of tequilas and martinis. And for the more adventurous, Thai iced teas with slices of tropical jelly are available.
The Ginger Cafe is located at 8657 San Ysidro Ave. in Gilroy, just off 101 at Leavsley. For more information or to place a reservation, call (408) 847-2625.
Chung’s Tamarind Prawns
7 large prawns
cornstarch (for coating)
vegetable oil (for deep frying)
garlic
1 t. chili paste
1 c. chicken broth
1/2 c. tamarind juice (see recipe)
4 t. sugar
pinch of salt
chopped scallions (for garnish)
Step 1: Coat prawns in cornstarch and deep fry in vegetable oil for two minutes. Remove from fryer and lay at center of service plate.
Step 2: Heat a pan with a small base of garlic and vegetable oil, then add chili paste, chicken broth, tamarind juice, sugar and salt. Bring to boil and pour sauce over prawns.
Step 3: Garnish with chopped scallions.
Tamarind Juice
5 oz. seedless tamarind
Step 1: In one quart of water, bring tamarind pods to boil.
Step 2: Reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes.
Step 3: Strained and refrigerated juice will last for one week.
