Variety and Atmosphere at ZEN, Northampton

Zen makes the perfect destination if you find the menus at the Thai, Japanese, and Chinese restaurants in Northampton too limiting. It’s the ideal one-stop shop for noodles, appetizers, and sushi.

Even on a busy weekend night, a hostess at Zen immediately greeted me with a smile and seated me. With some four separate dining rooms, Zen has the most seating of any restaurant that lies directly on Main Street, though some of the dining rooms could benefit from table rearrangement. In the upstairs dining room, I found myself able to rub elbows with the patrons at the table adjacent to mine and the proximity made it impossible not to eavesdrop on nearby conversations nor candidly partake in my own. This aside, the atmosphere of Zen is well orchestrated. The dining room features warm, soft orange lighting emanating from chic cylindrical lighting fixtures. The furniture, windows, and shelving behind the sushi bar are all comprised of long rectangles, providing a decorating motif that is both modern and tranquil. Not an atmospheric hair would be out of place were it not for the oppressively shrill J-, or possible K-Pop playing on the stereo system.
To start, I ordered a pot of chrysanthemum tea and crab won-tons. The tea tasted more buttery than floral, and so subtle in flavor that I found myself thinking I could have merely ordered hot water and saved some cash. The won-tons were expertly plated on long, simplistic china with a ramekin of house-made sauce and an orchid giving the plate computational elements in the periphery. The plate came with six won-tons which are even tied closed with an edible rice product. They arrived coated in a thin veneer of fresh fryer-oil, adding a scrumptiously greasy element. The won-ton wrappers coupled the elements of soft and crunchy perfectly, ensuring each bite texturally dynamic, and the passion-fruit sauce that accompanied the treats was a delightfully half-tangy, half-sour spin on the fruity duck sauce you’d get at a competing counterpart. Unfortunately, the stringy and oily won-ton filling was more crab than it was cheese. Meanwhile, their size made them impossible to pop into one’s mouth all at once, while their shape makes splitting the won-tons into bites cumbersome. Ultimately, I’d almost prefer the artificial and mass-produced crab rangoons you’d get at a cheap Chinese restaurant. The modest price, $7, however, makes them a pretty guiltless departure from the Chinese take-out menu.
The sushi offered reprieve from this disappointing starter. I ordered the dragon roll (eel, avocado, crab, and cucumber) and the spider roll (soft shell crab tempura). The dragon roll featured the freshest of eel - lightly salty and melting in your mouth, rather the chewy and briny fish you might find in lesser sushi joints. The avocado wrapping only added to the melt in your mouth quality, and the greenery in the roll coupled with the fresh, subtle fish made for a crisp, refreshing palate. The spider roll added a nice foil to this roll in its warmer, more savory qualities. The tempura, of course, added a complex crunchiness to the softness of the rice and vegetables, but the breading overpowered the crab in both volume and flavor. They were plated together on another oblong piece of china with a meticulous drizzle of spicy sauce providing their aesthetic and flavorful foundation. Zen is not my choice for a budgetarily responsible dining, but given the quality of these rolls, $10-13 each seems like a bargain.
Along with the sushi came an order of the Thai noodles, which is comprised of flat, rice noodles, a peanut sauce, chicken and shrimp and a kitchen sink’s worth of vegetables - from sprouts and carrots, to tomatoes and leafy greens. By the time I tried the noodles, my stomach was bursting at full capacity, but the nutty warm noodles made for a worthy carb-o-load. Some of the vegetables seemed out of place, but the meaty and savory flavor of the chicken and shrimp helped to highlight the sweetness of the peanut sauce. I underwent remorse over not saving more room for this satisfying dish. Though, the remorse could be equally attributed to the dish’s steep cost - $14.
Totally stuffed, I declined dessert. But, Zen will forever be my first choice when I’m willing to splurge. The detail-oriented decorative scheme as well as the flavorfully complex and methodically plated dishes make the experience of eating at Zen utterly decadent. Most importantly, I so relish in the opportunity to order food with notes from a variety of Asian cuisine all in the same menu. If you haven’t tried Zen yet, their sushi alone will likely make the eatery your new favorite location for a romantic, celebratory, or financially impulsive outing.