Wesleyan students often wonder what goes on behind the glamorous exterior of Forbidden City Bistro. Like the palace for which it is named, the establishment is more than meets the eye.
Forbidden City, co-founded by Head Chef Eric Leong, is an Asian restaurant whose menu combines traditional Asian flavors with innovative, continental twists.
The ambiance strikes a balance between modern and comfortable, as exemplified by the black leather seats and warm, amber lighting. One wall of the spacious restaurant houses the bar, manned by Mario, who is highly knowledgeable about the restaurant’s drink menu. For those of drinking age, the Drunken Concubine is not to be missed. This lychee-flavored martini is fragrant and sophisticated, though the sharpness of the rum might be too potent for some.
Despite the restaurant’s high acclaim both in Connecticut and at the national level, most Wesleyan students tend to overlook Forbidden City, considering it too expensive for their budgets. But for those who choose to dip into their wallets, Forbidden City does not disappoint.
To expand on its already lengthy menu, the restaurant recently added more than 15 vegetarian and vegan options to its repertoire. A couple of us at WesStuffed were lucky enough to sit down with Leong for a menu tasting.
Though Leong hails from Malaysia, his menu highlights the specialties of several Asian regions. We started our meal with the restaurant’s signature scallion bread, which epitomizes the effort to combine Western and Asian flavors. The loaf was warm and airy with a strong scallion flavor.
We were then served a variety of appetizers. The seaweed and ginger wonton soup featured a light broth, but the ginger gave it a slight kick. The silky seaweed and vegetable wontons added fullness to the concoction, making a traditional Chinese classic both unique and dynamic.
For the next dish, we put our chopsticks to use (some of us more skillfully than others) to try the popular edamame dumplings. Cooked in truffle oil and completely vegetarian, they had the full body of a meat dumpling while still retaining a tantalizing delicacy. Another widely enjoyed appetizer was the potato pillow, which had a light, fluffy consistency and an herby flavor.
Our entrees came next, and we started off with a four-season tofu casserole. Consisting of fresh mustard greens, snow peas, mushrooms, ginger, and tofu, the dish was perfectly balanced with the tang of the marinade and the brine of the pickled mustard greens.
We then tried two additional entrees that embraced the fusion aspect of Forbidden City. The stewed mushroom with sticky brown rice was a hit. This creative take on risotto was dark and creamy with a distinct meatiness from the mushrooms. Similarly, the Beijing cannelloni escaped any sort of ethnic restrictions. The pasta shells were stuffed with cabbage and onions and topped with stewed navy beans and cilantro. It was my personal favorite, both filling and refreshing.
If you save room for dessert, highlights include the pecan pie and the Malaysian crème brûlée. Made with pandan leaf, the crème brûlée offers an aromatic lightness to counter the decadent taste of caramelized sugar. If you’re feeling even more adventurous, try the jalapeño sorbet. Far from the typical dessert item, the sorbet’s jalapeño flavor is fresh and slightly syrupy.
Forbidden City buys many of its ingredients from local sources, and it even has a partnership with a nearby farm that grows traditional Chinese vegetables. Highly conscious of healthy and holistic cooking, Leong hopes to increase the use of organic ingredients in his kitchen by this summer. He also makes frequent trips to New York City to buy fresh and exotic ingredients, as well as to research popular tastes and changes in the culinary world.
Whether you are looking to rebalance your chi or satisfy your taste buds, Forbidden City is a great option for your next splurge on Main Street.