Cox: Formosa Bistro

Koni at Formosa Bistro in Sebastopol. (Jeff Kan Lee/ The Press Democrat)

Sebastopol has nine Asian restaurants by my count — Chinese, Japanese, Himalayan and Southeast Asian — ranging from the venerable King Hwa, which has been there for 30 years, to the brand new Eight.

Another relative newcomer, and a pleasant addition to the scene, is Formosa Bistro. From its name, you might guess the cuisine would be Chinese, specifically the cooking of Taiwan, the island that once was called Formosa and is located across 100 miles of open ocean east of China’s mainland. But no, it’s mostly Japanese with some nods to China and Southeast Asia.

The pan-Asiatic approach is a good one, though, because it allows the diner to sample the foods of the Far East without leaving his or her chair. The Asian insistence on using only the freshest possible ingredients means the recipes are full of flavor. And what you don’t get at Formosa is important, too: None of the flavor enhancer monosodium glutamate is used. The chicken is hormone- and steroid-free. The sashimi is sweet, with nothing fishy about it. The quality is there.

The beverage list is weighted toward sake, with five kinds served in small vessels that overflow into lacquered boxes, a symbol of abundance in Japanese restaurants. These range from $8.95 to $17.95 per serving. Three are available in mini-bottles, from the very sweet Rokkasen Rose at $11.50 for 180 ml to dry Aladdin at $13.95 for 300 ml. Four wines and five Japanese beers are available. If you bring a bottle of wine, corkage is $9.

Gyoza

Dinner started with six pieces of excellent Gyoza ($5.50 ***), Japanese-style, pan-fried, pork dumplings similar to Chinese pot stickers. Each was tender and juicy, enlivened by a rich, brown, spicy dipping sauce. A second appetizer, Crispy Spring Rolls ($3.95 **), was something of a mystery. The menu claims they are fresh vegetables wrapped in papery flour skins and deep fried, but their interiors included pasty noodles. They were bland and a little oily, but were brightened considerably by a sweet, tart, citrus dipping sauce.

Ama Ebi

Unlike most nigiri sushi, the Koni ($4.95 ***), or snow crab, was not simply placed on a lump of sushi rice, but two pieces of rice topped with shredded crabmeat were encircled by strips of nori seaweed to keep the crab from falling apart. Two pieces of Ama Ebi ($7.50 ***) were more typical, with raw sweet prawns set upon sushi rice. These were accompanied by the prawns’ heads, dipped in a breadcrumb batter and deep fried, making quite a display. None of the folks at our table were quite sure how to eat the shrimp heads, but sucking the crusty batter out of them seemed to be the right idea.

Hamachi Sashimi

For more raw seafood, we ordered the Hamachi Sashimi ($10.95 for 4 pcs. ***½), which was perfectly fresh, sweet, yellowtail filet. Several pieces came with a lump of wasabi that, when mixed with soy sauce in a small ceramic dish, incomprehensibly failed to have the nose-stinging effect usually associated with wasabi. It was our party’s first experience with bland wasabi.

Chicken Curry

The hit of the night was a tasty Chicken Curry ($10.95 ***½), as good as you’d get at any Thai restaurant. Tender pieces of chicken, carrots, potatoes and green beans swam in a coconut curry sauce. Order steamed rice for $2.25 a serving (or brown rice for $2.95) and pour this curry over it. It’s all you need for a full-belly meal for less than $15 per person.

Like many Asian restaurants, the menu is vast. Besides the 16 kinds of nigiri sushi, it offers 12 kinds of maki sushi (rolled), 12 types of temaki (hand rolls), and 28 kinds of “chef’s special rolls,” including music themes like “Dark Side of the Moon,” and “Sir Paul” rolls; sexy themes likes “Love Goddess,” “Lady Killer” and “Victoria’s Secret;” and many more, all of which are variations on fish, cucumber, avocado, greens, nuts and tobiko.

Carburetor Roll

We tried the Carburetor Roll ($13.50 ***), made with tempura prawns, cucumber, avocado, crab salad and tobiko, and it was enough for everyone at the table. Why it was called a carburetor roll was beyond us, but who cared, since it was so delicious?

To sum up: Formosa Bistro leans heavily on the Japanese side of Asian cuisine, and it does it well.

Jeff Cox writes a weekly restaurant review column for the Sonoma Living section. You can reach him at jeffcox@sonic.net.

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FORMOSA BISTRO
Where: 799 Gravenstein Highway S. (behind McDonald’s), Sebastopol
When: Mondays through Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. of Fridays and Saturdays. Closed Sundays
Reservations: Call 823-6688
Price range: Inexpensive to moderate, with entrees from $9.95 to $14.95 and full combination dinners from $17.95 to $24.95
Website: www.formosabistro.com

Sake list: **
Ambiance: **
Service: **
Food: ***
Overall: **½

**** Extraordinary
*** Very good
** Good
* Not very good
0 Terrible