Tang Cheng

A taste of two cultures

755 Main Street, Worcester 797-0300
Sun. 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Mon.-Sat. 9 a.m.-8 p.m.
Cash only
Limited beer and wine
Not handicap accessible

by Jim Johnson

Visits to Tang Cheng, across from Worcester's Central YMCA on Main Street, have become a weekend ritual for me. Sometimes I enjoy a full dinner, choosing from a variety of Japanese and Vietnamese dishes. On other occasions, I order maki rolls or sushi.

But on wintery days like today, I need the warmth that only soup can deliver. At $12.90, the seafood nabe costs as much as the most expensive entrées, thanks to the abundance of shrimp, scallops, and crab. But it's worth it. Not 30 minutes ago, I savored the steaming broth, rich with the flavors of seafood, fresh vegetables, and subtle spices. Thick udon noodles lay coiled in the bottom of the massive bowl, which required both a spoon and chopsticks. The tell-tale spicy sweetness of cardamom still lingers.

I've also enjoyed the less expensive Vietnamese soups -- or pho -- like the meal-size pho tai nam ($4.15), heaped with delicate rice noodles, vegetables, and strips of lean beef. The smaller sup bo vien ($2.50) -- or meatball soup -- packs surprising complexity for the price. With its fragrant broth, scallions, onions, cilantro, and sausage-like meatballs, it's fresh, hot, and soothing on a dreary Worcester day.

I've visited Tang Cheng often enough that I almost expect to hear my usual server yell "Norm!" when I enter. Instead, she gives me a friendly wave, brings over hot tea and asks if I want an order of goi cuon ($1) "like usual."

She knows me well; these steamed pork and shrimp rolls are my favorite. They're fresh and tasty: pieces of shrimp and pork rolled in rice paper with lettuce, mint, basil, and sliced cucumber.

Even when it's chilly outside, she also asks if I want a frosty singh to bo ($2), remembering how much I enjoyed it when she first suggested it. Mixed with condensed milk and ice and blended smooth, an avocado provides the base for an unusual and surprisingly rich, creamy, and tasty milk shake.

Beyond that, it's anyone's guess what I'll order. The Vietnamese section includes a variety of rice and vermicelli dishes, like grilled beef with sesame seasoning, beef with green hot pepper, chicken with broccoli, and grilled pork chops on rice. Orders average about $5 and are quite reasonable for the portions given.

A typical dish is the bun bi ($4). Described as "shredded pork and vegetables with rice vermicelli," it's much more. My order featured two types of noodles, sliced mint, basil, beansprouts, lettuce, the promised pork, and a lively vinegar sauce.

The Japanese section is more extensive. My favorites are shumai ($3.75), delicate steamed dumplings filled with shrimp, ginger, and other spices; and yakitori ($3.95), skewers of chicken marinated in teriyaki sauce and broiled.

Sushi, sashimi, and maki rolls can serve as either appetizers or entrées. For appetizers, I've enjoyed the California maki ($3.50) with crabmeat and avocado; the Boston maki ($4) with shrimp, avocado, cucumber, and lettuce; and the Philadelphia maki ($4) with avocado, cucumber, salmon, and Philadelphia cream cheese. As for sushi, I order à la carte and request crab sticks, shrimp, smoked salmon, or cooked eel. While I draw the line at raw octopus and sea urchin, more adventurous readers may prefer the sushi and sashimi combination ($16.95) with one California roll, four pieces of sushi and "assorted sashimi."

Japanese entrées include teriyaki choices like chicken, beef, salmon, scallops, vegetables, and shrimp ($7.25 to $12.95); and tempura options like shrimp, fish, chicken, and vegetables ($7.95 to $10.95). Less familiar dishes also abound, like the yahatamaki ($9.95): rolled chicken stuffed with cheese, carrots, scallions, crabmeat, coated with batter, and deep fried. I've especially enjoyed the beef negimaki ($4.95 as appetizer, $10.95 as entrée), Japan's answer to the French roulade and the Italian braciola. Beef has been sliced thin, filled with scallions (including the leafy section), rolled, braised in teriyaki sauce, and cut into bite-sized pieces. The mingling of flavors is delightful, the meat succulent.

Tang Cheng is a basic but clean storefront restaurant spruced up with a hodge-podge of Asian art. A true taste of two cultures, it's worth a visit.