SaSa Offers Three Cuisines

Exploring the menu at SaSa Japanese & Chinese Restaurant in one sitting is a bit like taking a guided tour of Europe in five days. You're bound to miss things, so choose your experiences carefully.

The Japanese part includes a small sushi bar with various rolls, but a limited fish selection. Tempura ($11 - $20) and Teriyaki ($11 - $21) are also offered.

Chinese food seems to be the focus, with all the standard dishes present—Egg Roll ($1.25), Peking Duck ($16.95), General Tso's Chicken ($10.95), Chow Mein ($8) and Lo Mein ($8).

A few Thai dishes made with Red Curry ($11.95 - $15.95) or Lemon Grass ($13.95 - $15.95) with a choice of Tofu, Chicken, Beef or Salmon round out the menu.

We had a choice of seats at our weeknight dinner, and asked the server if we could sit at the sushi bar set for three. Few of the booths done in dark leather padding and honey wood were occupied, although a number of patrons entered to collect their takeout orders. The decor was Japanese with white paper and wood lanterns, and faux windows along the wall. Tables were set with forks and knives tucked into white cloth napkins, while chopsticks were in place at the bar.

Our server left us with menus and brought glasses of water. We asked for glasses for our beer and cold saké, and made our way through the food of three cultures.

We are called "sushi snobs" by our friends, so we admit to having an unusually high standard for all aspects of this pristine delight. We chose the Special Sashimi ($18.95) for a taste of SaSa's offerings. The miso soup and salad with iceberg, red cabbage and carrot which came with the entree were good renditions. The platter of fish had five varieties nicely presented with fresh, thin cucumber slices and shredded daikon radish, wasabi and pickled ginger. While the White Tuna often has a watery consistency, which this did, the Tai (Red Snapper) and Hamachi (Yellowtail) were also more wet than usual. The Maguro (Tuna) and Sake (Salmon) had the usual tender texture.

We decided to try kitchen items from the three cuisines, as well. A mounded half circle of Vegetable Fried Rice ($8.25) was a good portion of rice dark with soy sauce and thick with chunks of broccoli, baby ears of corn, peas, carrots, onion and scrambled egg.

A large platter of Pad Thai Shrimp ($12.95) had eight medium-size shrimp, red pepper strips and crushed peanuts over long thick rice noodles. This rendition did not have bean sprouts, but a slightly sweet flavor like coconut milk with a medium spiciness as requested. The portion would have made for another meal, but we found it a bit heavy with oil.

Our favorite dish was the Katsu Don ($11.95) which also came with a bowl of miso soup. A breaded, sliced pork cutlet atop a slightly runny egg mixture over a bed of rice was topped with seaweed salad—an unconventional garnish. A dish of sauce for dipping had a flavor of worcestershire sauce. The pork was tender and the carrots and scallions in the egg layer added to the mildly seasoned rice to create a tasty dish.

Our server asked to package our leftovers, but we chose to leave the Pad Thai. She brought our pork in a styrofoam container and the fried rice in a white Chinese takeout box with a metal handle, which always makes the food taste better on reheating. Our check was placed on a metal tray with two wrapped, chocolate-dipped fortune cookies.

The Shops at Great Valley, 20 Liberty Blvd., Malvern

Telephone: 610-296-9680

Website: sasafood.com

Hours: Mon - Thurs, 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.; Fri, Sat, 11 a.m. – 10:30 p.m.; Sun., 4– 9:30 p.m.

Cost: Appetizers, soups, $1.25 to $10.95; entrees, $8 – $37

Credit cards: VISA, MasterCard, AmEx

Alcohol: B.Y.O.

Special Features: Vegetarian Options, Delivery with $15 minimum