T&T Seafood Restaurant is a people-pleaser
Published 8:53 pm Thursday, September 30, 2010
Giant saltwater fish tanks line a back wall at T&T Seafood Restaurant.
Live crab, shrimp and New England lobster crawling about. Cod and tilapia swim gently, not realizing their demise is imminent.
A giant wok awaits.
T&T Seafood, long a mainstay of Chinese cuisine at its old Shoreline location, now helps anchor the crowded parking lot at the 99 Ranch Market in Edmonds.
It’s a lively place. In the center of the larger tables, a big lazy Susan delivers a spinning feast of Chinese dishes within easy reach of everyone.
Don’t expect fine decor here. Although it’s a step up from a store-front Chinese place, the crowded dining room is well worn. Still, people don’t pack this place for fine china or first-class service.
They come for the heaping plates of reasonably priced Chinese food, much of it from the sea; but many land-bound dishes also occupy spots on the 126-item menu.
The people return for dishes such as the crisp prawns with honey walnuts ($11.80), a house specialty. The plate is a generous portion of lightly battered, fresh fried shrimp with a sweet glaze and crisp candied walnuts. The good-sized shrimp are dusted with white pepper, crunchy and delicious.
When I went to T&T Seafood recently for lunch with a friend, we started with the prawns and a couple of crisp spring rolls ($1.68 each). The spring rolls were smaller than typical, but freshly made and served with a sweet chili sauce.
It’s hard to choose from the menu that goes on seemingly forever.
Although it was tempting to order from the live tanks of seafood, the price was a bit off-putting. The crab would have set me back $10.80 a pound and they average about three pounds each. Lobster was more ($17.80 a pound) and much of the fish came at market prices, about $10 a pound.
Instead, we decided to try one of the prepared seafood dishes. We ordered the fresh garlic sea bass with roasted pork hot pot ($16.80).
The sizzling dish came in a stainless steel pot carefully balanced atop a small flame. The battered and fried fish was delicate and delicious. You can taste the freshness. The pork was succulent, fatty and dripping with flavor. Big pieces of ginger and whole cloves of garlic floated in the savory broth, along with wood ear mushrooms and fried pieces of tofu that soaked up the flavors.
This is one of those dishes you need to just eat and not think about the health effects. There was a layer of hot oil floating on top of the broth. Thank goodness the calorie and fat content weren’t listed anywhere.
Hankering for some vegetables, we also ordered the Chinese broccoli with oyster sauce ($7.80) only to find out the kitchen had no more. In its place, the server suggested green beans with shredded pork ($8.80). They were just a bit spicy, still crisp enough to have some crunch and the pork added a nice flavor.
White rice comes in, of all things, a plastic thermos. That’s OK. It stays warm and you need it to soak up the sauce and extra oil.
Next time I go, I want to bring a crowd and sit at a table with one of those lazy Susans in the middle and try many more dishes. I’ll make sure I don’t have a cholesterol test scheduled any time soon.
So if you’re a crab living in one of those tanks, beware: I’m thinking I can’t visit twice and let you live to see another day.
T&T Seafood Restaurant
22511 Highway 99, No. 103, Edmonds; 425-776-3832
Specialty: Chinese seafood
Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays to Thursdays; 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays
Alcohol: Beer and wine
Prices: Moderate
Jackson Holtz: 425-339-3447; jholtz@heraldnet.com.
