Spring rolls, egg rolls star at new West Side restaurant
Spring rolls, egg rolls star at new West Side restaurant
Spring rolls and egg rolls, stalwarts of the appetizer section on Asian restaurant menus, take center stage at Spring Rollin’ on the West Side.
Spring Rollin’ opened in March at Riverside Plaza, a stucco, brickfringed
strip mall on the east side of Coors between Montaño and Paseo del Norte. The small space houses a few tables and a counter behind which the myriad fixings reside.
The spring rolls are made to order, and the egg rolls stray far afield from the pork-and-cabbage filling typical to the genre. A set of two spring rolls or egg rolls costs $5.95. For a more comprehensive introduction to the place, the combo meal features two egg rolls, two spring rolls and shrimp chips for $8.50.
After you order, the server tosses the egg rolls into the fryer and then goes about making the spring rolls to your specifications. You choose your wrap
— rice paper or lettuce — and then work your way down the line through noodles, proteins, veggies and a “Texture” category made up of crunchy add-ons such as hot Cheetos, shrimp chips and fried egg roll skin. Along with the usual suspects such as shrimp and chicken, the protein selections include off-menu specials such as pulled pork.
The whole thing is brought out to you once the egg rolls are done frying. It’s a no-frills presentation, the food served in a Styrofoam container with plastic cutlery.
The star of the menu is the fried New Mexico egg roll filled with green chile macaroni and cheese. Broccoli is listed as the third ingredient, but I could discern only a few flecks of it in the filling. It’s no great loss; this works because of the interplay between the thin, crisp wonton wrapper and the creamy, spicy filling. It’s great finger food that pairs well with a sweet chili dipping sauce.
The list of ingredients in the fried vegetarian tofu egg roll — tofu, taro, jicama, kabocha pumpkin and mung bean thread noodle — is compelling, but the preparation renders the flavors and textures indistinct, like a pureed garden salad. Red-hot sriracha lime dipping sauce enlivens it considerably.
Spring rolls begin as circles of rice paper with woven, rattanlike patterns that get dipped in water and then filled with ingredients of your choosing. A straw-shaped fried egg roll brings a welcome element of crunch to Spring Rollin’s stellar version of the classic shrimp spring roll with peanut dipping sauce. Even better was the beef spring roll made from strips of tender, marinated skirt steak paired with ramen noodles and hot Cheetos.
Spring Rollin’s drink menu includes Asian staples such as Vietnamese iced coffee and grass jelly ($2.75), a type of bubble tea served in a can with bits of plant-derived jelly at the bottom. Its mildly sweet, vanilla-almond flavor is perfect for cooling the heat from the dipping sauces. If you feel like dessert, the owners of Spring Rollin’ also operate a paleta shop next door.
The friendly manager and server kept the steady stream of customers moving along throughout the lunch rush. From the conversations overhead at the counter, it sounds like the place already has a cast of regulars. No wonder. Spring Rollin’ is a great concept well executed.