 Zuzap
12871 University Ave., Suite
100, Clive, 440-1144 Mon.
- Thurs. 11 a.m. - 2:30
p.m. and 5 p.m. - 9 p.m.;
Fri. - Sat. 11 a.m. - 9
p.m. |
Zuzap
Restaurant genres almost always
develop through imitation rather
than innovation. Whenever a new
type of cuisine becomes successful,
copycat competitors follow. One-hundred
years ago, our Chinese restaurants
were so similar, Des Moines newspapers
called them all “chop suey dens.”
Fifty-years ago most Italian restaurants
in town served pretty much the
same fare. Today, most barbecue,
Mexican and Indian places here
use similar menus. Only the most
self-assured restaurateurs deviate
from established templates. Liam
Anivat is one of those guys, developing
three distinctively different
Thai restaurants in Thai Flavors,
Cool Basil and Zuzap.
The newest, Zuzap, changed little
of the deep red décor in
the former Lemongrass space. I
do miss Lemongrass’ extraordinary
lace place mats, but that’s the
only downgrade. The kitchen is
maintaining the basic Thai repertoire
while introducing Des Moines to
some marvelous new dishes and
new versions of old dishes. Summer
rolls were stuffed with an interesting
brined tofu, instead of the usual
shrimp, and mixed with cellophane
noodles, fresh green onions, fresh
bean sprouts, herbs and greens.
These rolls were topped with fresh
nuts and accompanied by smoky
chile and sweet lemon sauces.
Their deep fried cousins, spring
rolls, were more typical with
minced pork dominating the mix.
More innovative appetizers included
sweet corn cakes consisting of
a breaded, deep fried mixture
of egg, pork and Iowa’s most famous
summer bounty.
Korat (rice balls) defied nature
by employing long grain rice,
instead of stickier short grains,
with herbs and aromatics. A “Bangkok
street trio” played dessert-sweet
music with fried banana (not plantain),
taro and sweet potato — respectively
one of the nature’s sweetest fruits,
roots and tubers — mixed with
grated coconut, palm sugar and
sesame. The star of their appetizer
menu was an “evergreen” dumpling
of leek leaves and tapioca wrapped
in a pot sticker wrappers. It
was considerably more intersecting
than its shrimp dumpling cohort
(khanom jeep todd).
A marvelous seaweed soup (gang
jaud salai) and a pumpkin based
(gang liang) vegetable soup joined
the usual coconut and lemongrass
soups. A rice cake, made with
pork skin and minced chicken,
joined the usual green papaya
and laab-type salads.
Hoi tod is the best new-to-Des
Moines dish I’ve tried all year.
When well executed, it’s capable
of producing a great longing in
those who have tasted it. My serving
included eight large, shelled
mussels fried in tempura and binder.
It was possible to pick the entire
pancake up and munch it like a
pizza. I didn’t do that though
because Zuzap served it with nubile
micro sprouts plus a lemon sauce
that was determined to stain neckties.
I tried several stir-fry and fried
rice dishes including some with
brown fried rice. The best of
these was a Singapore style “chicken
rice,” an icon of international
cuisine that is rarely seen here.
It’s a simple dish that is all
about the stock; Zuzap’s tasted
like bone essence and ginger.
The most innovative curries were
a pumpkin based red and a shellfish-based
yellow. All included fresh tasting
bamboo shoots and fresh basils.
“Angry catfish” was given a different
style with crisped basil, kaffir
lime leaf and red curry paste
replacing the more typical handful
of hot chilies and chopped garlic
cloves.
Service was inconsistent. Once
I suggested that my pumpkin curry
had not been delivered but was
simply told that I had ordered
“pineapple, not pumpkin.” Another
time, questions about the dishes
were curtly answered “the cooks
don’t speak English” and a bill
was presented before a dessert
menu. Maybe that was because Zuzap
was twice out of my first choice
desserts, though green tea ice
cream was served splendidly with
three tropical fruits.
Side dishes
“Cinnie Smiths” (mini cinnamon
rolls with cream cheese frosting),
pineapple on-a-stick (fried in
funnel cake batter) and salad
on-a-stick (kebob-style iceberg
lettuce wedge with dressing) join
the new food line-up at this year’s
state fair. New vendor Louisiana
Cajun Cookin adds crawfish étoufféé
and shrimp on-a-stick. London
Broil sandwiches are new at Butcher
Boys stand. A new “Wine and Prime”
offering pairs a bottle of wine
from the Iowa Wine Garden tent
with two prime rib dinners at
Cattlemen’s Beef Quarters, for
$75 per couple. CV
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