Pin Wok & Bowl

4 out of 5 stars

445 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. Appetizers: $4-$13; entrees: $9-$32; desserts: $4.50-$8; wines by the glass: $7-$9. 727-575-7167; facebook.com/pinwokbowl.

The 400 block of Central Avenue in downtown St. Pete is quickly becoming the place to be for exciting food. From Il Ritorno to La V to Iberian Rooster, you’ve got inventive dishes with global reach. Pin Wok & Bowl, which replaced The Mango Tree, adds Thai and Japanese to the mix.

It’s advertised as fusion, but the dishes are mostly straightforward examples of both traditions, not mashups. The good news is that the food we try is uniformly delicious. From pad Thai to poke, curry to sushi rolls, the flavors sing. But the crispy duck in ginger sauce with steamed veggies and jasmine rice is its own mini opera on a plate.

Or perhaps that’s the wrong musical analogy, since the restaurant’s name is a play on “rock ‘n’ roll.” The pin, you see, which is silhouetted as the menu’s logo, is a three-string lute from northern Thailand with a decorative dragon at the end of the neck. It’s normally a classical folk instrument, though I imagine there’s some young kid somewhere riffing on one, like Jake Shimabukuro does on the ukulele, totally reinventing the form. Those on display on the restaurant's walls are handmade by owner Roger Rattanachane.

The bill of fare includes egg rolls and pot-stickers, rice bowls and ramen. We start with pork wonton soup in a fragrant broth floating tasty dumplings, plus bean sprouts, scallions and hits of cilantro and toasted garlic. Even better is the chicken lettuce wraps that enthrall my entire table. The ground chicken is loaded with peas, carrots and celery in well-seasoned brown sauce sprinkled with scallions, cilantro, fried garlic and onion. The lettuce cups provide a vehicle and some crunch, but a forkful alone is delightful.

Crab Rangoon wonton pouches are fried until they’re just crisp. The stuffing seems light on crab, yet the blend of imported cheese and a hint of curry is satisfying — especially with a touch of sweet chili dip.

The restaurant offers a cornucopia of sushi, nigiri and sashimi among the options. We land on a scrumptious creation called Mango Tango. It’s an eight-piece maki roll packed with so much crunchy tempura snapper, crisp cucumber, scallions and smelt roe that there’s barely room for rice. It’s topped with beautiful ripe mango slices and served floating down an undulating river of mango and Sriracha sauces.

Keeping with the raw fish theme, spicy lava poke tops a bowl of sushi rice with pristine cubed ahi tuna, alongside a wonderful mix of cucumber, mango and sweet onion. There’s also a small garnish of roasted seaweed for bright acidity and the flaming orange jewel-like “masago” capelin roe. A spicy house sauce contributes the perfect amount of kick. It’s a delightful mouthful.

The aforementioned sizzling crispy duck displays slices of tender, boneless roasted bird with crackling skin in an aromatic ginger sauce. It sits on a rainbow of perfect veggies — zucchini, onions, carrots, red and green peppers, bright green English and snow peas, shredded cabbage, and broccoli florets. It’s so good that I’m practically shoving forkfuls into the mouths of the entire table. The dish comes with a pile of jasmine rice and a simple, fresh side salad of mixed greens, tomato, a few crispy noodles and a nice ginger house dressing.

Beef pad Thai is a huge portion of rice noodles coated with a sweet tamarind sauce bound by eggs. Plenty of bean sprouts, scallions and crushed peanuts top it for lovely texture. The nuggets of beef add a punch of umami. It’s classic and enough for tomorrow’s lunch.

With chicken, the pumpkin red curry sauce brings sweet coconut together with chunks of pumpkin, along with bamboo shoots, red bell pepper, green beans and fragrant basil. The poultry is juicy, and a large serving of jasmine rice is served on the side so you may control how much you want to envelop in the mild, creamy curry.

A range of sake is available on the beverage side, as well as wines by the glass, including riesling, a great match if you choose a spicy dish. The touch of sweetness and the grape’s inherent acidity cut through the spice, refreshing your palate for the next bite. I keep screaming (in print) for Asian restaurants to lead diners away from sauvignon blanc or chardonnay with spicy dishes — mostly to deaf ears. I understand they’re serving what diners request, but it’s time for everyone to learn which white grapes enhance particular dishes. Drinking chardonnay with spicy curry ruins both.

For me, a confirmed Francophile, Asian desserts are usually too simple and underwhelming. It’s something about Eastern minimalist restraint that my Western gourmand sensibility can’t connect to the sweet finish of a meal. I almost always go for the gusto — nothing is too rich. So with that in mind, I’m happy to report that our choice to combine Banana Coins with coconut ice cream is an inspired match. Slices of banana are wrapped in little phyllo packets, fried till crisp and golden, then drizzled with honey and topped with a light sprinkle of white-and-black sesame seeds. House-made coconut ice cream is creamily scrumptious, drizzled with lightly caramelized condensed milk and paired with some fresh whipped cream.

I urge you to try them together, as we did by serendipity. It’s a match made in heaven, or at least St. Pete’s version of Bangkok.

CL Food Critic Jon Palmer Claridge dines anonymously when reviewing. Check out the explanation of his rating system, or email him at food@creativeloafing.com.

Pin Wok & Bowl’s spicy tom yum noodle soup, featuring rice noodle, chicken, crushed peanut, lime juice, onion, mushroom, bell pepper, basil, fried wonton, boiled egg, and hot-and-sour broth. Credit: Chip Weiner
Crab Rangoon wonton pouches are fried until they’re just crisp. This app’s satisfying — especially with a touch of sweet chili dip. Credit: Chip Weiner
A scrumptious sushi creation called Mango Tango. Credit: Chip Weiner
Topped with mango, it’s a maki roll packed with so much tempura snapper, cucumber, scallions and smelt roe that there’s barely room for rice. Credit: Chip Weiner
The downtown St. Pete restaurant, which replaced The Mango Tree, adds Thai and Japanese to the 400 block mix. Credit: Chip Weiner
Slices of banana are wrapped in little phyllo packets, fried till crisp and golden, then drizzled with honey and topped with white-and-black sesame seeds for the Banana Coins dessert. There’s also a mound of house-made ice cream. Credit: Chip Weiner
Pins, or phins, figure prominently into the decor. Credit: Chip Weiner
They’re Thai lutes, which is fitting for a restaurant whose name is a play on the phrase “Guitar, Rock and Roll.” Credit: Chip Weiner
Sitting on a rainbow of perfect veggies, the sizzling duck specialty displays slices of tender roasted bird with crackling skin in an aromatic ginger sauce. Credit: Chip Weiner
Pineapple red curry, with your choice of meat, is a rich, smooth combo with sweet coconut flavor, a spicy kick, pineapple, bamboo, green bean, bell pepper and basil. Credit: Chip Weiner