Restaurant Review: Wild Ginger (Williamsburg)

Wild Ginger 212 Bedford Avenue (between North 5th Street and North 6th Street) Williamsburg, Brooklyn 718-218-8828

Vegiboys Rating (2.5/4)

Sitting amongst the varied restaurants of Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg, this Wild Ginger should not be confused with the totally unaffiliated Lower East Side restaurant. Aside from the name and an Asian-themed menu, the two hold little in common.

We were joined in our recent sojourn to Willimsburg’s Wild Ginger by the venerable Bess Matassa. The restaurant’s atmosphere is pleasant enough; the dining room is quite comfortable and nicely decorated. The staff are helpful and friendly too (they fulfilled our request for a substitution in one of their vegetable shakes without blinking an eye).

The beet and carrot shake unfortunately arrived in watery condition (though still drinkable). A strong ginger lemonade and a respectable Thai iced tea for me and Brian were in stronger shape.

The appetizers were also a mixed bag. The BBQ ribs were a total misnomer, arriving as slices of faux-ham with ketchup atop a piece of lettuce. Not at all what we expected (but edible). We had better luck with the scallion pancakes. The pancakes were crisp, and the mango salsa was a pleasant accompaniment. A miso soup and ginger-dressing salad were both very nice (served as part of the entrées that Bess and I had ordered).

For the main courses, my macadamia seitan was surprisingly spicy with a nice quantity of edadame and whole macadamia nuts (which really made the dish substantial). In contrast, Bess’ basil soy protein lacked any heat at all, though the marinade was nicely composed with asparagus giving a lot of flavor to the dish.

Brian chose the Pad Thai. Unfortunately, something among the ingredients was gritty, giving every mouthful an umcomfortable crunch. Overall, the plate also lacked flavor; the peanut sauce was very weak (which had the unfortunate effect of making the unpleasant texture stand out).

At $25 each, Brooklyn’s Wild Ginger sits on par in price with many other low to mid-range vegetarian restaurants in the city. With significant inconsistency in the food though, vegi-lovers can find better venues nearby.

Food (2.5/4)
Atmosphere & Service (3/4)
Value (3/4)