Some chefs overload a menu with information. They point out the source of each ingredient, right down to the farm. They refer to scallops plucked from the sea by hardy divers or fish caught in the wild. They express the virtues of salmon from the Copper River or meat from the pata negra hogs that graze on acorns in Spanish forests.
At Wholly Bowl in Lakeport, Jennifer Allen-Malinowski prefers less verbose approach. For her, the dish itself should do all the talking.
Take, for example, the sesame noodle bowl. The menu mentions a few basics — cold rice noodles, scallions, red bell peppers — which does little to prepare you for the exuberant flavors barely contained within the dish.
Each bite summons the sweet crispness of fresh vegetables, the grassy, peppery flair offered by herbs, the mellow cast of rice noodles and sesame, a burr of spicy heat, the sharp snap of scallion, all from the earthen depth of rich, creamy, biting peanut sauce.
Add a mound of the restaurant’s intense daeji bulgogi-style pork and the dish transforms into something almost narcissistic. The guttural Korean savor hones in on every earthy hint. The natural sweetness in the peanut sauce takes advantage of pork’s affinity for dulcet notes. A drizzle involving Sriracha sparks the ember glows of chili heat buried within the bowl. The sesame noodle combination becomes itself, only more so.
The addition of meat “turns a lighter dish into an indulgence,” Allen-Malinowski said.
Best of all, the sesame noodle bowl is served cool. It is a break from the heat of day, hearty without being heavy.
“It’s a dish I’ve made a lot for family and friends,” Allen-Malinowski pointed out. “It’s a nice summertime dish. The heart of it is the fresh ingredients.”
Indeed, the crunchy slaw and the bright pop of red bell pepper maintain an upbeat tone. Yet she calls upon ginger and garlic and other conniving ingredients to threaten anything cool and innocent that wanders into dark corners.
The sesame noodle bowl is a bit of everything — gritty here, sophisticated there, carrying itself with breezy wit and prickly sarcasm all at once. But you would hardly know that from the menu description.
Simply put, it is one very cool, underpromising, overachieving dish.
Dave Faries can be reached at 900-2016
