Fuji Ya - Uptown

Rating:

For true gastronomic thrill-seekers, the new Golden Pond Hong Kong Seafood Restaurant in St. Paul is a must-eat experience.

There are lots of different kinds of foodies, from gourmets, who seek the ultimate in gastronomic pleasure, to gourmands, who like really big portions. But gastronomic thrill-seekers are a breed apart. For them -- I should say, for us -- the joy of eating is in discovery. It's being the first to discover a new Liberian restaurant, or a place that serves fried ants or authentic Uzbek lamb pilaf. If you're a gastronomic thrill-seeker, trying new dishes or new cuisines is like collecting stamps in your passport.

Golden Pond doesn't have much in the way of ambience or decor, but it does have precisely the kinds of dishes that gastronomic thrill-seekers live for: duck tongue with spicy peppered salt ($10.95); deep-fried pork intestines ($9.95), and stewed tofu with scallops in XO sauce (a spicy condiment made with dried shrimp, dried scallops, garlic and chili peppers, $8.95).

There are also a couple of traditional Chinese steamed chicken soups that are supposed to enhance health and vigor, made with ginseng (for men, $3.95) and Chinese herbs (for women, $4.25).

And it has a talented chef-owner, Kwok Sum Wong, who previously cooked at Hong Kong's prestigious Miramar Hotel.

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