Asian eatery overcomes fast-food label

Some customers have a different perception of Bento Go because of what preceded it at the same storefront.

“Everything’s made to order,” said Annie Loo, whose father, Yang Hai Lu, owns the restaurant. “I think people have made the assumption that because we’re located in an old Wendy’s, it’s fast food.”

Bento Go opened in June 2016 and, yes, even uses the drive-thru window.

Its name is taken from Japanese bento boxes, which offer a multitude of items on one tray.

The teriyaki salmon bento ($9.75) is among the most popular at the restaurant, which also serves a mix of grilled vegetables and either steamed or fried rice.

The salmon is brushed with a sweet, house-made glaze sauce and placed over fresh broccoli.

A spicy version ($9.95) also is available, although Loo warns that it lives up to its name.

“If you have to ask the question, it’s probably too spicy,” said Loo, The teriyaki salmon with vegetables and rice at Bento Go manager of the store.

The hibachi chicken ($7.50), another form of bento, is cooked in garlic butter and served with yum-yum or ginger-soy sauce. The chicken and vegetables are prepared in the kitchen on a flat-top grill but without the fire and culinary gymnastics.

“It’s everything but the show,” Loo said.

Broths for the various forms of ramen (miso, shoyu and tonktasu) also are made from scratch.

Each version comes with pork belly, pot stickers, half of a hard-boiled egg, a fish cake, seaweed, scallions and noodles.

Pork belly has another showcase in the fried rice ($8.50), a wok-fried dish featuring egg, onions, scallions and carrot.

“Everybody loves pork belly,” Loo said. “It’s just good; there’s no other way to explain it.”

Stir-fried noodles are another specialty at the restaurant. Loo

recommends the shrimp yakisoba ($8) — tender noodles tossed with onions, carrot, cabbage, celery and bean sprouts.

Several sushi rolls are available. The Cali crunch roll ($7.75), a special that was so popular it was added to the regular menu, combines crab stick, avocado, cucumber and cream cheese dipped in tempura batter and deep fried, with a topping of yum-yum sauce.

It is not often people in central Ohio get houseprepared meals, all priced less than $10. But there is no skimping at Bento Go, Loo said.

“Nobody’s ever complained about portions,” she said.