Eating Out & Eating In: Spicy Malaysian Fish, Ahi Tuna Salad, Salsa-Poached Cod

A FISH CALLED DELICIOUS: At Penang Malaysian & Thai Cuisine, 334 N. Main St. in Lodi, we were wowed by Curry Fish with Okra, a whole red snapper that was deep fried and served in a spicy sauce made with coconut milk ($30.99). UPDATE: This restaurant has closed.

MEATLESS STRING BEANS: Our vegetable side dish was String Beans in a Belacan Sauce, a spicy Malaysian shrimp paste ($12.99). A bowl of white rice was $1, and a bowl of brown rice was $1.50.

THAI SOUPS: We started with two soups we've enjoyed at Wondee's Fine Thai Food & Noodles in Hackensack, Seafood Tom Yum Soup, above, and Wonton Soup, below (each are $5.99 for small).

FINE-DINING PRICES: At Penang, dinner for two totaled nearly $75, including tax and a 15% tip. We took home leftover fish and string beans.

TV AND MUSIC AT SAME TIME: Penang has a bar and three dining rooms. Unfortunately, since our visit, the restaurant closed. The original Penang remains open in East Hanover.

HOOK, LINE AND SINKER: Ginger Crusted Ahi Tuna stars in a chopped salad of organic baby greens, napa cabbage, green beans, red peppers and seasoned wontons in a spicy Thai basil vinaigrette ($18.95) at Bazille, the full-service fine-dining restaurant and bar on the lower level of Nordstrom at the Garden State Plaza shopping mall in Paramus.

BAZILLE BURGER: Freshly ground beef, balsamic-roasted onions, sharp white cheddar cheese, tomato, and peppercorn aioli on an artisan roll  ($14.25).

NO KIDDING: The entrance to the restaurant is in the kids and baby department.

THIS FISH CAN DANCE: Skinless-and-boneless Icelandic cod from Costco Wholesale in Teterboro ($7.99 a pound) poaches in under 10 minutes in a 16-ounce jar of Salsa Roja from Whole Foods Market in Paramus ($2.99). I served the fish over garlic-mashed organic sweet potatoes.

COOKING MEDIUM AND SAUCE: I added the juice of a lemon to the salsa before bringing it to a boil in a covered pan. I seasoned the fish with a little salt and crushed red Aleppo pepper, below. The sauce can be used over rice, quinoa or pasta.

OMELET WITH SALSA: I used leftover Salsa Roja in an egg-white omelet with a slice of reduced-fat Swiss cheese, above and below.

FILLING BREAKFAST: Egg-white omelets can be stuffed -- or in this case overstuffed -- with smoked wild salmon, pesto, grated cheese and other ingredients, and served over organic quinoa with black-eyed peas.

ORGANIC WHOLE WHEAT PASTA: Whole Foods' 365 Everyday Value Organic Whole Wheat Pasta from Italy comes in a 1-pound package for only $1.49. Here, I dressed pasta shells in a bottled red sauce with organic diced tomatoes, anchovies, sardines, red wine and seasonings.

FAMILY FISH DINNER IN A PAN: A Cod & Vegetable Medley takes about 10 minutes to assemble and about 15 minutes to cook in a preheated 400-degree oven.

BED OF FRESH SPINACH: I start with a large rectangular pan lined with parchment paper or foil, and a bed of fresh spinach drizzled with extra-virgin olive oil. I cut up the fillet into serving pieces, season them with Asian Indian spices, squeeze lemon juice over the fish; and scatter pitted olives, Asian mushrooms, capers, grated cheese and chopped fresh tomato. The pesto goes when the pan comes out of the oven.

CROSTINI: Toasted baguette halves drizzled with olive oil and topped with organic diced tomatoes and grated cheese, which melts in a couple of minutes under the broiler.

PASTA TWO WAYS: Organic Whole Wheat Fusilli from Whole Foods Market dressed in Kirkland Signature Basil Pesto from Costco, top, and in a bottled red sauce with organic diced tomatoes, anchovies and sardines. Cooking times on Whole Foods pasta boxes are unreliable. 

USE BY TODAY: My Kirkland Signature Organic Eggs from Costco (2 dozen for $5.99) had a use-by date of today, so I made a 7-egg, kitchen-sink frittata with chopped olives, chopped fresh garlic, mushrooms, sweet pepper and sliced plum tomatoes, above and below.

PESTO FINISH: I moved the pan from the top of the stove to the oven, where it finished under the broiler, and added pesto when the frittata was cooling on the counter.

See: Our first dinner at Penang

-- VICTOR E. SASSON

Eating Out: Dinner at Penang as we search for the equal to Wondee's Thai specialities

Thai Papaya Salad, an appetizer at Penang Malaysian & Thai Cuisine in Lodi, was good, but not as good or better than the Green Papaya Salad served at Wondee's in Hackensack.

-- HACKENSACK, N.J.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

I'm not sure how we had dinner at Penang, and left without trying one of the less familiar Malaysian specialties.

Maybe it was a miscommunication between me and the server. And I also don't know why the "whole fish" we ordered came to the table as a thick, meaty fillet.

After visiting friends in Lodi last Saturday, I wanted to have dinner at Penang, because the restaurant offers both Malaysian and Thai dishes.

We've been looking for another restaurant with Thai specialties like Wondee's Fine Thai Food & Noodles in Hackensack.

Chef Wandee Suwangbutra and husband Tom, who opened the restaurant in 1997, didn't announce their retirement (around the beginning of 2015).

The new owner, Chef Arisa, a woman in her late 20s who trained under Wandee, has had a rocky couple of years, despite turning out delicious Thai food. 

I haven't been to Wondee's since last July, when I went there to order takeout. 

But I've driven past the restaurant on Main Street in Hackensack on the way home, see that it is still open and hope to stop there soon.

Well-prepared but pricey

The food at Penang is well-prepared, but pricey, and not quite the equal of the moderately priced fare at Wondee's.

Me and my wife ordered Thai Papaya Salad ($7.99), Ultimate Seafood Dumplings (6 for $7.99) and what turned out to be Steamed Fish Cantonese Style ($28.99).

Penang charges for both small bowls of white rice ($1) and brown rice ($1.50). Wondee's doesn't charge for white rice, but a larger bowl of brown rice was $2.50 at the Hackensack restaurant.

Pan-fried Ultimate Seafood Dumplings "with special chef's ginger vinegar."

Malaysian dish

Looking over the menu, a hot-and-spicy Curry Fish with Okra caught my eye.

The waiter said we could have a whole red snapper or flounder, but that it would be pan fried. 

I asked him about steamed fish, and he said we could have "sea bass" with ginger and scallion, so we ordered that.

The Chilean Sea Bass fillet was delicious, though we found a few small bones in it. We took home leftovers.

But we missed having Wondee's Pla Ma Now, a steamed whole fish with chili pepper, garlic and lemon juice, served on a hot plate for $20.

At Penang, there were a lot of intriguing Malaysian dishes on the menu, so I plan to go back and try some of them.

We ordered a whole "Sea Bass" steamed with ginger and scallion, and received a generous fillet that was listed on my receipt as Chilean Sea Bass, a large fish with lots of harmful mercury, originally known as Patagonian Toothfish. It's a type of cod, not bass. When the server mentioned "sea bass," I thought he meant a whole black sea bass.

Bottles of Tiger Beer from Malaysia were $5 each.

Penang has a bar and front and rear dining rooms, above and below.

Details

Penang Malaysian & Thai Cuisine, 334 N. Main St., Lodi; 1-973-779-1128. Open 7 days, bar, large parking lot.

See: PenangCuisine.com