David Wong's Pan Asian - Bonita Springs Wonderful Asian Cuisine Review

Barely open 3 weeks, the place had many seats filled, just by word of mouth. Avertising hadn’t even started. The word is out. Bonita Springs’ David Wong’s has delicious food and friendly, knowledgeable servers!They were “buffed” and ready. This site of a former Cilantro Tamales, across 41 from Pelican Landing, is in a stand alone building, just south of Big Al’s Sports Bar, near the Bonita Regal 12 movies.

It’s warm, relaxing, and casually elegant. Calming yellow and orange walls, tasteful room dividers, and wooden tables and chairs have welcomed many a repeat customer. I’ve been there three times since their December, 2008 opening.

The Vietnamese Shrimp Ravioli (8) is not the dough wrapped Italian style ravioli . Rather, this is delicate, Vietnamese style, with a melt in your mouth translucent and tender rice paper wrapping, filled with diced shrimp, shiitake mushrooms, and crunchy jicama and celery. It is served with an equally delicate, and understated nuoc mam sauce. Highly recommended.

The Vietnamese Vegetable Summer Rolls (8) are a vegetarian delight, with a delicate tender rice paper roll enclosing crisp bright green lettuce, bean sprouts, Asian herbs, and vermicelli noodles. There’s the a tangy tamarind-apricot sauce, with sesame seeds, on the side. It’s like a having a bite of spring air, or a taste of a most delicate harvest.

I love the Cambodian Style Scallop Amok appetizer. (9). Steamed in a fragrant banana leaf bowl, a LOT of sliced, large diver scallops are mixed with tofu, Napa cabbage, kaffir lime leaf, lemongrass, egg, touch of Khmer curry and chili, basil and coconut. Highly recommended.

You HAVE to have a Chris Roll, created and named after enthusiastic server, Chris Mickus!! It’s rich with succulent fried soft shell crab, masago, asparagus and lemon grass essence, topped with a Very generous assortment of fresh baked seafood -shrimp, scallops, crab, snapper, mild red chili and sliced green onions. It’s served with the eel sauce, ginger , wasabi pressed into a leaf, and sliced carrots. Highly Recommended.

The Masaman Curry, (with Tofu or Chicken or Beef -$14, or $16 with shrimp), is a generous portion of your choice of perfectly cooked protein, with avocado, sweet potato, onion, cashew nuts, coconut milk, and a light Indonesian curry, as mild or as hot as you like. The tofu is grilled; the shrimp photo is above. The curry sauce is rich, and we used up all our rice in dipping up all its goodness. It’s a different, and slightly richer style than any Thai style you’ve had, wonderfully spiced, and like the other curries, well Recommended.

My Asian dining companion said “It’s so hard to find an authentic and good Asian restaurant, let alone one that really can cook the different styles just right. What a pearl!”

The Ahi Tuna Two Ways (23) has a very generous portion of perfectly seared tuna, with beautiful grill marks, glazed with honey-sesame-soy citrus sauce, served atop fresh vegetables with a light delicate sauce. Surrounding is a quartet of (finally) truly bite sized tuna sushi, with a separate soy dipping sauce. This is a better sized portion than served elsewhere, and at a good $6 less, so well worth the price. Recommended..

The Crispy Whole Red Snapper (23) is a good sized, cleaned fresh, whole snapper, wonderfully cooked- tender inside, crispy outside, topped with a sweet and mild tamarind sauce, served with sautéed Asian vegetables. For fish lovers!Desserts are seasonal, and there may be different home made ice creams, and fried banana.

The crunchy Thai donuts are first lightly fried, dipped in shredded coconut, quick fried again, and served with a honey-peanut or chocloate sauce. Mmm goodTwo shared the Thai Mango with sticky rice. It’s a heavenly combination of the spotless mango’s cool sweet flesh, countered by the warm rich sweetness of the sticky rice. This is a typical Thai dish found all over Bangkok or Chiang Mai, and well worth having!

Tan Tan, David Wong, and David
David Wong’s Pan Asian & sushi, 25301 S. Tamiami Trail, Bonita Springs. 992-5600