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Grilled chicken breast in a Thai curry and fresh
basil sauce.
(David M. Warren/Inquirer)
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Water Lily blossoms on old gym site
Maureen Fitzgerald
Philadelphia Inquirer
Published: Sunday, April 3, 2005
It's hard to imagine the sweaty gym that occupied
655 Haddon Ave.
in Collingswood when you walk into the
space that has been transformed into a pretty restaurant, Water Lily.
The weight machines and treadmills have been
replaced with polished wooden tables and chairs, and lively, squiggle-print
upholstered booths in a dining room painted in earth tones of berry and
leafy green. And, of course, the walls are graced with paintings of water
lilies.
A native of Taiwan and a native of Haiti have
teamed up to create the French-Asian menu. Owner Thomas Chen, who owned
Lotus Oriental in Marlton, hired chef Fred Cherenfant,
formerly of Siri's restaurant in Cherry Hill.
Chen, who moved to this
country 25 years ago, got his start in Long Island,
working in Chinese restaurants and learning the trade until he opened Lotus
in 1979. He sold that restaurant last year.
Cherenfant learned to cook at the
former Alouette, in Philadelphia, where he cooked until he
moved to Siri's in 1995.
There are many things on
the menu that appear similar to dishes at Siri's:
the green Thai chicken curry, the crab cakes with macadamia nuts, the shrimp mousse appetizers. But in the end, Cherenfant, who left Siri's
after it was sold last year, puts his own spin on
the dishes, taking similar ingredients and shaping them with his style.
We started with an
interesting appetizer, a shrimp mousse on a stick of sugar cane, sauteed and served with a light and lively sweet chili
sauce. It is a tasty appetizer, but I didn't care for the spongy
consistency.
I did love the chicken satay, with clear tones of sweet coconut milk and Thai
green curry in the grilled, skewered chicken, topped with a nice peanut
sauce.
The oyster tempura also
struck a pleasant note, with generously sized oysters coated with Japanese
bread crumbs and a hint of Cajun seasonings, then
deep fried.
A soothing soup was the
asparagus with lump crabmeat: a thin asparagus puree with hints of butter
and fresh tarragon, accented with hunks of crab and topped with a smattering
of fresh chives.
One of the best bargains
on the lunch menu is the petite filet mignon, a 5-ounce cut of meat,
grilled to perfection and served with a sophisticated Burgundy demi-glace,
carrying a kick from green peppercorns and depth from shiitake mushrooms
for the very reasonable price of $12.
We also enjoyed the sauteed chicken breast with fresh vegetables on the
lunch menu, a stir fry of carrots, snow peas, French beans, and strips of
chicken breast in an oyster sauce, with a touch of chili paste.
One of the standouts on
the dinner menu was the grilled veal chop, touched with rosemary and served
with a winning apple Madeira demi-glace and sauteed fresh
pears. The accompanying square of scalloped potatoes was simple but
well-done.
One disappointment was
the crab cakes, which, although tasty, were heavy on the breading and
skimpy on the crab. The macadamia nuts added a nice texture, and the lime
sauce was a fresh accompaniment, but neither could make up for the shortage
of crabmeat.
Cherenfant does deliver a reliable
pad Thai, true to its traditional roots with flat vermicelli noodles, tofu,
scrambled eggs, grilled shrimp and a classic tangy tamarind sauce, topped
with sprouts and ground peanuts.
The dessert tray is all
Italian Bindi imports, which are not bad but are
absolutely everywhere these days. The one exception is also ubiquitous but
at least it is homemade: the creme brulee. Cherenfant's offering
is respectable if not exceptional.
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