Rave Reviews for the Five Spice Cafe

Author: John Prescott

Burlington's Five Spice Café is one of my favorite restaurants in the world.
I have eaten there dozens of times, spoken to the owner on numerous occasions, raved about it incessantly to friends and family ... heck, I even own a Five Spice "some like it hot" T-shirt.
All of this makes me both uniquely qualified and uniquely ill equipped to pen an unbiased, knowledgeable review of this downtown Burlington hole-in-the-wall. The knowledgeable part, of course, is easy; it's the other characteristic that might be in question.
With this in mind, there are a few cautions I feel the need to mention before proceeding to gush about Five Spice's authentic and stimulating multi-ethnic Asian cuisine (OK, so I already gushed a bit). For one, the kitchen is very small, so some patience is necessary while your wholesome, made-from-scratch-and-with-love (sorry!) food is prepared. Also, the Pad Thai is consistently a crowd-disappointer. Prepared in a savory manner with an emphasis on seafood flavor, this dish is the single offering I would not whole-heartedly recommend on the café's exciting, innovative and diverse (I just can't stop) menu.
Everything else about Five Spice is wonderful. The staff is friendly, the dining rooms are intimate and welcoming and the aromas that perfume the entire restaurant could warm the coldest winter soul. Even the bathrooms -- lined from wall to wall with witty New Yorker comics -- are fun to visit.
But really, none of that matters one bit. It is the food that packs 'em in at Five Spice, meals that MUST begin with at least one of its mouthwatering appetizers. Go with whatever sounds the best to you -- I have tried them all and they are all good. Having said this, I usually feel a few bites of either the ginger-and black bean-spiced Hunan Noodles or the creamy Sesame-Peanut Noodles are a necessary component of my meal. Cooked to just the right degree of al dente firmness (they are served cold) and adorned with just the right amount of sauce, the noodles at Five Spice provide the first hint that this is no ordinary Asian restaurant you are eating at.
With these noodles in mind, two openers stand out in my mind as perfect first courses for parties of two or more (they also make great meals for one): the Dim Sum Sampler and the Small Sampler. First of all, both orders include your choice of noodles (ask for a bit of both) and Five Spice's refreshing Spicy Cucumbers. The former sampler also includes a combination of different steamed dumplings that challenge and expand your palette. Favorites include the Siu Mai dumplings with their mild and flavorful combination of pork, shrimp and Chinese mushrooms and the seitan dumplings with spinach wrappers and sweet hoisin sauce.
The Small Sampler, on the other hand, combines the noodles and cukes with tender, garlicky Pon Pon Chicken and a trio of Thai Crabby Pork Rolls. These rolls -- really they should be called meatballs -- are unlike anything I have tasted: combining ground pork with crab and other seafood and a special combination of spices, the balls have a surprisingly subtle taste that just gets better with every bite. They are especially great with a quick dunk into the accompanying spicy Thai Sweet Chili Sauce.
When it comes time for the main course, there is absolutely a choice for every type of eater. Those looking for richer, creamier fare should love the coconut milk-laced Chicken Curry and Evil Jungle Prince Chicken. Those looking for a lighter stir-fry sure won't be let down by the Thai Chicken with Cashews, a saucy combination of tender chicken, crisp carrot, broccoli, baby corn and crunchy cashew nuts. Beef lovers should swoon over the spicy-sweet Beef with Broccoli. Don't eat meat? The vegetarian offerings, highlighted by the spicy Kung Pao stir-fry of cabbage, hot peppers and peanuts (to which you can add tofu, seitan, tempeh, chicken or shrimp) and the Indonesian-Style Mock Duck with that great sesame-peanut sauce are fantastic.
And the kitchen is quite flexible with the food it prepares, so the amount of spiciness and combination of ingredients can be adjusted according to individual preferences. Any way you go, the food is fresh, healthy and explosively flavorful, minus the heaviness and greasiness often synonymous with the Asian -- especially Chinese -- fare available in Vermont.
There are even delicious desserts at Five Spice, although none of them are particularly Asian in flavor. My favorite is the Diplomatico, an impossibly moist slice of almond pound cake soaked in espresso and rum and layered with chocolate mousse.
As if I needed to conclude the review with this final comment, if you haven't yet made the trek up the "spice trail" to 175 Church Street and sampled some of these authentic and spicy eats, I urge you to give it a shot.
Just don't let me hear if you did not enjoy your meal; as far as I'm concerned, you might as well be talking poorly about my family.