This weekend, P and I landed up at Green Ginger for a late lunch. It was well past the lunch hour and the restaurant was nearly deserted. Asian restaurants typically have a good assortment of vegetarian-friendly options, as P says. Green Ginger is no different.
I skimmed through the menu, and ordered a Thai iced tea. Totally untypical for me, I know! But it was a warm day, and I thought I’d treat myself. Sigh, it turned out to be too sweet. And it filled me up before lunch arrived. Silly things I do, in full knowledge and understanding… Lesson learned. As for the overly sweet tea, I waited patiently until the ice melted, so it wasn’t as sweet and tasted a lot nicer.
Green Ginger has a ‘Build your own Noodle Bowl’ section that caught my eye. First, you pick a broth. The selections include Mushroom and Ginger, Red Curry and Coconut Milk, Coconut Soup and some others. The Coconut Soup is flavored with lemongrass. Yum, I thought. But it turned out that it contains chicken stock (thankfully, I remembered to ask our server before ordering), so I skipped it and went ahead with the Red Curry and Coconut Milk. Next, you pick a noodle. Options include Flat Rice Noodle, Udon, Ramen, etc. I asked for the Thin Rice Noodle (Thai version of vermicelli). Then you pick the veggies. I went for Roasted Eggplant, Zucchini, Asparagus and Carrots.
Noodle Bowl
The noodle bowl arrived in a burnished round bowl, wide and large, with a handle. The lid was fitted in with the handle snugly. Cute presentation, a huge bowl of noodles!
This is a serving that could easily suffice for two. Or so it seemed to me (maybe the Thai iced tea had something to do with my judgment!). The curry was a little too sweet (seems like it was a day of extra-sweetness!) but it had a nice little spicy kick to it without being too intense. I was looking forward to the roasted eggplant but it was a letdown. Didn’t taste remotely roasted!
P ordered Pad Si Ewe. It came with a nice glaze of soy sauce and brown sugar, broccoli, snap peas, broccoli and red pepper. The noodles felt too chewy, al dente gone too far. Actually, that was the case with my noodle bowl as well… too-tough rice noodles.
I couldn’t finish my bowl and P was too stuffed with his own entree to help me either. Had to let it go… Hate to waste food.
Not sure if I’d stop by at Green Ginger any time soon (we don’t live in Decatur) but for a vegetarian in the area looking for decent lunch options, this one is a good recommendation.
Green Ginger Asian Fusion
265 Ponce De Leon Place
Decatur GA 30030
www.greengingerdecatur.com
