Soonja’s Restaurant

Pad thai, assorted sushi and Korean specialties, and a décor straight out of a Feng Shui decorating magazine make this Princeton restaurant a favorite.

By: Michelle and Justin Feil

Soonja’s Restaurant

244 Alexander Road

Princeton

(609) 924-9260
Food: Good to excellent

Service: Good

Prices: Moderate

Cuisine: Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Thai

Ambiance: Relaxed, low-light atmosphere

Hours: Lunch: Mon.-Sat. 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m.; Dinner: Mon.-Sat. 5:30-10:30 p.m., Sun. 5-10 p.m.

Essentials: Major credit cards accepted; not wheelchair accessible; BYO; reservations recommended for large groups.

Directions

   We had been to Soonja’s Restaurant in Princeton once before and enjoyed it very much, so this time we brought a new customer, our daughter. Unfortunately, at 5 months old, Sonia missed plenty by not sampling from the extensive menu of Korean, Japanese, Chinese and Thai selections. Her only contribution might be to say that the environment, specifically the low-volume classic ’70s rock, was soothing, so much so that she slept through the entire entrance and meal. That leaves pretty much every other detail to us.
   Had her eyes been open, Sonia would have seen a comfortable casual dining space with wood paneling on many of the walls, and a large, white brick wall to another side directly opposite a large wooden bar harkening back to this building’s days as a pub called Andy’s Tavern. Subtle touches of modern Asian design, including white paper-lantern-type lighting and black screens, transformed the dining area into a page straight out of a Feng Shui guide to decorating. There were two basically secluded rooms at the front of the restaurant, one on either side of the front entrance in the area that would have been a porch at one time. The three of us were seated in one of these two mini-rooms.
   With windows opening up to Alexander Road, we had a perfect view of any activity outside. The entrance to our room gave us an alley to the sushi bar, where we could see Chef Sang Bae Lee preparing the food while a couple at the bar looked on and chatted idly with him. It was also the only avenue to see or be seen by one row of booths in the main dining area. Most of the parties there were couples sharing a quiet dinner. Co-owner Sun Lee warmly inquired about Sonia, but there weren’t many indications that the restaurant catered to young families. Our server did offer the one and only highchair. We were given a table that could have sat four patrons, and there was a small table for two intimately adjacent. Soonja’s was still nearly half-full of patrons at 8 p.m. on this Friday night, and we heard two obvious regulars who walked in with us ask where everyone was.
   We were greeted cordially by our server, and after two more return trips, we finally decided from the pages and pages of choices. For drinks, Michelle tried the Korean ginseng tea ($2) which was quite a shock to the taste buds! Yes, ginseng is zesty, but this tea was downright spicy. With each sip there was a sweetness, but with each swallow came an unexpected burning sensation that was a pleasure to these spicy food lovers. Justin had a small, uniquely designed pot that contained otherwise traditional green tea ($2).

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TimeOFF photos/Frank Wojciechowski
Soonja’s Restaurant has a comfortable, casual dining space with wood paneling on many of the walls, and a large, white brick wall to another side directly opposite a large wooden bar harkening back to this building’s days as a pub called Andy’s Tavern. "Entrance

   We ordered two appetizers, the steamed pork dumplings ($6.25) and the vegetable egg roll ($2.75). The dumplings were warm and tender with just the right mixture of pork and spices. They were well accompanied by a vinegar-soy dressing. The egg roll appetizer actually consisted of two large egg rolls, much to our surprise (maybe we got lucky), and brought a fine mix of thinly sliced vegetables in a light and crispy fried wrapper. An interesting sweet and spicy orange sauce made it anything but an ordinary egg roll.
   Justin ordered the seaweed salad ($5.95), which was served as Soonja’s salute to the Irish flag with shredded green seaweed and thinly sliced rings of orange carrots on a nest of white daikon, a very mild Japanese radish. The carrots and radish, cut so thin that they’re soft not crunchy, are a welcome addition to the sometimes green-seaweed-only salad. There is just enough of a contrast to know you’ve had something prepared with a little extra effort. Michelle enjoyed the miso soup ($2.25, but included with the sushi set-menu entrées), which was a delicious blend of the usual tofu, miso and seaweed in a briny broth, with the uncommon addition of thinly sliced mushrooms.
   An entrée of regular pad thai ($10.95) came as a tall teepee of rice noodles, egg, bean sprouts, peanut pieces, broccoli, snap peas, carrots, mushrooms, shrimp and chicken, the latter two ingredients being what separated it from other pad thai listed on the menu — vegetable, chicken, shrimp or crispy pad thai. For a dollar more, a little of both seemed worth it. It was only a little of both, however. There were only five shrimp in an otherwise evenly distributed meal. But maybe adding any more would have destroyed the harmony of the dish. A light blend of soy sauce, vegetable oil and peanut oil gave it a mild taste that somehow allowed every ingredient’s flavor to sneak in. Nothing was overbearing. It’s what makes pad thai the most well liked of all Thai dishes.
   The sushi regular ($17.95) was the essence of how sushi should be prepared. It included eight pieces of nigiri sushi, slabs of fish resting on balls of vinegared rice, and one six-piece California roll. Each piece of fish was exceedingly fresh. Even the saba (mackerel), which is typically the least appealing sushi with a strong "fishy" taste, was light and lemony.
   The sake (salmon) and maguro (tuna) were our favorites, hands down. The sake had a smooth buttery melt-in-your-mouth taste. The maguro was visually striking, a red piece of fish that tastes crisp and hearty. The hirame (flounder) and hamachi (yellow tail) were two more mild fishes, the first not having a very distinctive flavor at all, and the second having a refreshing lemon zest accompanied by a small sliver of scallion.
   The unagi (eel) was grilled with a delicate Japanese barbecue sauce, well worth trying if you are the less adventurous type who is afraid to make the jump straight to the raw selections. The hokigai (red clam) was also cooked, and though less rubbery than others we have tried, it is still an acquired taste. The ebi (shrimp) was the least interesting, in our opinion. It was simply a cooked shrimp, something you can get any day at your local Red Lobster. The California roll, the ultimate maki (roll) for the sushi novice, contained the usual cooked kanikama (crab) with cucumber and avocado, but the extra avocado and the touch of masago (smelt roe) gave it a richer flavor than any California roll we’ve ever sampled.
   For dessert, Michelle went for the key lime pie ($4.95), a true tribute to store-bought pies everywhere. It had a familiar tart key lime taste to it, though it was nothing spectacular. Justin had far more luck when he tried the mango ice cream rice cake ($4.95), a Korean specialty. Four chewy, bite-sized doughy pastries held inside delightfully strong mango ice cream centers. The only complaint was that there weren’t enough of them.
   The ending to our meal summarized well our second visit to Soonja’s Restaurant. The menu is extensive and contains both the standard and the surprises that will keep us coming back again. And hopefully next time Sonia will enjoy more than the music.
For directions to Soonja’s Restaurant, click here.