Unicorn Restaurant’s Pan-Asian Cuisine a tasty value

By Melissa Kaman, The Oakland Tribune

   With a myriad mediocre-but cheap Chinese restaurants out there, it’s a wonderful to find one serving high-quality, creative food at inexpensive prices.

   Unicorn, which opened two years ago on Berkeley's infamous Telegraph Avenue, serves refreshing fare in a sophisticated atmosphere. And prices are low- so low in fact, that I'm surprised the restaurant's not constantly flooded with hungry students.

   The unicorn rolls, for example, bring noodle rolls stuffed with taro root, tofu and mint, sliced in half and served with a ramekin of sweet -salty, dipping sauce. Fresh and delicious, they're filling enough for alight lunch and are just $5.

   At 50 cents more, the Chao Zhoa rolls – cleanly fried tapioca dough stuffed with a bright combination of chicken, shrimp and onion - are addictively tasty. Served With a sweet -chili flake sauce, they're the best Chinese roll I've had in a long time. Where was Unicorn when I was in college?

More than Chinese food

   Unicorn isn't just a Chinese restaurant. Incorporating elements of Vietnamese, Malaysian, and Singaporean cooking, the chef prefers to call it “Pan- Asian cuisine," implying diversity evident on both the lunch and dinner menus.

   In addition to various rolls, Korean clay pot dishes, charbroiled kebabs, Singaporean vermicelli, and Vietnamese pho- style chicken noodle soup are also offered. On my visit, I was initially skeptical of the large- scope menu, as food quality often suffers when a chef tries to do too much. Furthering my doubt was the look of the dining room, which felt too good to be true for the $5 to $10 menu.

Relaxed sophistication

   With a chic, eggplant-colored I ceiling and impressive collection of antique teapots at the door, Unicorn has the relaxed I sophistication of a more expensive restaurant.

Those rolls quickly changed my mind

   The feast continued: Tamarind chicken with eggplant ($7) brought an entreé-portion of a barely fried strips of rose-colored chicken sautéed in a pleasantly sour, tamarind-based sauce along with onions, sliced red pepper, and chile. Thick coins of eggplant are cooked to supple perfection without a trace of bitterness. Mixed together with the accompanying white rice, the flavorful combination was ethereal.

   The beef kabobs {$7) brought micro-thin slices of beef skewered and sprinkled with ground peanuts and flecks of cilantro. Soft and luscious, it paired perfectly with an accompanying salad of cabbage, carrots, and cucumbers. A ramekin of fish sauce added briney, sweet-salty notes.

   In addition to excellent food, Unicorn has an impressive tea menu with more than a dozen Chinese, Japanese, and Indian loose-leaf teas that are sold by the cup and pot for around $2 and $5, respectively. Our pot of wheaty oolong was the perfect accompaniment to lunch.

The wine list features reasonable priced selections of numerous varietals from around the world. Sake is yet another beverage choice.

   The style of the desserts seems anything but Pan-Asian, but if you're in the mood, give them a try. Fried bananas with raspberry sauce, cheesecake, and a biscotti torte are some of the choices. Prices range from $3 to $5.

Now on the radar
As an ardent foodie, I'm surprised that Unicorn has managed to stay off my radar for so long.

For lively, inventive Chinese and Pan-Asian flavors, I can hardly wait to go back.

Unicorn, at 2533 Telegraph Ave., Berkeley is open from 11:30a.m.-3p.m. and
5-10 p.m. weekdays; 12:30-10 p.m. Saturday; 5-10 p.m. Sunday.
Call (510)841-9098 or visit 1- www.unicorndining.com

You can reach Melissa Kaman at melkaman@earthlink.net.