You know what I don’t like? I don’t like it when I visit a restaurant for reviewing purposes and then realize after the fact that I had already written about it, years earlier. It just so happens that my previous visit to a certain local pizzeria in 2023 had been a carryout order, so the setting itself didn’t ring any bells on visit No. 2.
Fortunately, I was able to enjoy my pizza anyway and bounce back by visiting an Asian-food restaurant I’ve been intending to try for quite a while. In fact, I had reviewed virtually every eatery surrounding Zhu Gardenover the years, and now, it was time to check it off my list.
The Grub Spouse met me there, and a staffer invited us to look over their stapled and photocopied menus at the table of our choice until
we were ready to order. Zhu Garden focuses on Chinese and Thai cuisine, so The Spouse and I split in those respective directions.
The menu contains both Thai and Chinese appetizers, and we took advantage of the latter by ordering some steamed dumplings for $7.50 (pan-fried are available as well). Thai starters include lemon grass soup and coconut soup, and I was not surprised to see several familiar Chinese soups and apps, from miso and egg drop soups to crab rangoon and barbecue spare ribs.
Among the Thai entrees were dishes like pad prik, curry basil fried rice, spicy noodles and drunken noodles. My appetite had been whetted by the thought of a nice curry dish. Zhu Garden serves up five of them, including my selection, the penang curry ($15). It comes with your protein of choice (chicken, in this instance), served with a vegetable mixture of green beans, onions, carrots, broccoli and basil leaves. All of it, of course, is prepared in a spicy and coconut-y curry sauce.
On the Chinese side of the menu, categories include fried rice, lo mein, mei fun, egg foo young, chicken, beef, moo shu and more. There’s also a Chef’s Special section featuring the likes of Seafood Delight, fresh scallops and shrimp in garlic sauce, spicy tangerine beef and Four Season — chicken, pork, beef and shrimp with mixed vegetables in a brown sauce. The Spouse ordered one of the roast pork dishes, the one made with mixed vegetables ($13.50) That also comes with a choice of white or fried rice, and The Spouse went with white.
The dumplings arrived at our table first. They were very good. I compared them to the steamed dumplings we once purchased in an alley in Chinatown in New York City a few years ago. These dumplings were just as memorable in my book — hot, chewy and uniquely flavorful.
Next a salvo of dishes bombarded our table, including two platters of food, two empty plates and a big bowl of white rice for both of us. The penang curry was delightful, packed with chicken pieces and vegetables, all swimming in an intoxicating blend of curry spices and coconut milk.
Meanwhile, The Spouse’s roast pork was also very good, from the shaved slices of pork to the veggie medley, all of it bathed in a savory sauce.
The Spouse and I both remarked that we’d had late lunches that day, and as a result, neither of us was exactly starving when we arrived at Zhu Garden. But the fact that we both enjoyed our dishes so much was a testament to the fact that it wasn’t due just to excessive hunger.
My only regret about my visit to Zhu Garden was that I hadn’t made it years earlier. In fact, this is one garden I’ll be happy to take a culinary stroll through again in the future.
Zhu Garden
Food: 4.5
Service: 3.75
Atmosphere: 3.5
Overall: 4.25
Address: 128 N. Peters Road
Phone: 865-769-5468
No alcohol service
Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays through Fridays; noon to 9 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays; closed Tuesdays.
Bottom line: This West Knoxville Asian-food eatery serves up delicious Chinese and Thai cuisine.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: From dumplings to curry, Zhu Garden leaves good impression | Grub Scout
