Enter the Pao Lim

Egg drop soup? General Tso's chicken? Three years since coming to Durham, I have never ceased to ponder why these famous "Chinese dishes" rarely appeared on local restaurant menus in my native Hong Kong. I will never forget the initial shock of biting into a greasy "egg roll" as I tried my best not to scream. Nevertheless, I did not give up on them. My curiosities of this new species of Chinese food evolved from acceptance to appreciation, and eventually, a growing fondness. But once in a while, the craving reemerges....

In a desperate search for Cantonese food straight from home, I found my refuge along 2505 Chapel Hill Blvd. at Pao Lim Asian Bistro & Bar. This recently established restaurant boasts an eclectic variety of Asian cuisine. As a customer, you can pick any bit of Asia you fancy--from the Japanese darkwood interior design to the mixture of Vietnamese, Indian, Thai and Chinese food.

Traditional--however you may want to interpret the word--was the theme of our meal. We started with cool and zesty Vietnamese mint rolls. The crunch of julienned cucumbers, carrots and bean sprouts balanced well with soft marinated tofu and the chewy rice paper that was delicately wrapped around it. A small slice of mint leaf and the hoisin dipping sauce did magic on the mouth.

Next from the kitchen were the barbeque spare ribs. Despite the striking visual resemblance, these were not the usual baby back ribs you get at Chili's. The pork ribs were separated and had a tougher texture that required greater jaw-work. The sauce did not have the regular tang, but a greater hint of sweetness. It was surprisingly close to what you can get at authentic Chinese noodle shops where juicy pieces of marinated ribs are placed over a bowl of steaming noodles with soup.

For the entree we dined on Cantonese roast duck and pad thai, a classic Thai dish of stir fried rice noodles with seafood, eggs and crushed peanuts in a sweet and spicy sauce. The poultry was rightly seasoned and lightly fried, successfully retaining the suppleness and original flavors of the duck. The noodles, however, lacked the heat and intensity of flavors that the wok-cooking should have produced.

When the crispy duck was chewed to the very last bone, we left Pao Lim full and satisfied. As we headed out, a waiter recommended curry fish, the most expensive and least authentic item on the menu. I smirked. But then I thought that if Durham is a town that has transformed greasy egg rolls into an acceptable delicacy, anything at Pao Lim would serve as a welcome substitute.