Ming Village in Painters Crossing

Two Flavor Chicken is the perfect balance of spicy and mild chicken served with fresh tomatoes and oranges. (Credit: Jessica Bratton)

Once upon a time, on a Friday night not too long ago, a foursome departed their homes in search of a quality, sit-down Asian meal. On their journey, they drove past a PF Chang's in Glen Mills, where hordes of people were waiting more than an hour just to get to a table. Our fabulous foursome knew better than to listen to the siren song of the crowd.

Instead they traveled on, past the large chain restaurant, and into the Painters Crossing Shopping Center, where they bravely forged through a crowd of loitering teenagers caught in the throes of puberty while waiting for a movie. Getting through, the foursome burst through the doors of Ming Village to find a bubbling fountain, a smiling hostess and a table waiting. It looked like the story of their search for a good Asian meal at a small, locally owned restaurant would have a happy ending.

We were seated at a table toward the back of the restaurant, from which we had an excellent vantage point of the room. The walls were painted in shades of mustard and red, with a row of booths lining one wall. Hanging from each of the lights in the ceiling were strings of round crystals, that reminded me of those that I used to hang on my window to cast rainbows on my walls. The decor was subtle, yet refined. The menu, on the other hand was huge, encompassing Thai, Chinese and Japanese cuisines, with a large sushi menu to go along with the sushi bar on the other wall.

A menu as large as Ming Village's takes time to navigate, so we ordered some appetizers to take the edge off. The wonton soup ($2.50) had three big wontons in a flavorful broth, though it was a little bit salty. Our pork fried dumplings ($6) were tasty, but the wonton wrapper was a bit thicker than I like on my dumplings.

The appetizer sampler ($15) was the big winner, and not just because its presentation involved a flaming burner in the center. (There wasn't anything on the platter that needed to be cooked, so we assumed this was all for presentation sake.) The spring roll was light and crisp, the chicken wings were crispy and delicious when dipped in the duck sauce, the spare ribs were smoky and sweet, the crab wontons a manageable size and the beef skewer was flavorful, but slightly tough. The chicken fingers that came on the platter were the highlight, juicy on the inside, surrounded by a crispy, light batter.

That chicken made another appearance in the sesame chicken ($13), doused in a sweet sauce that didn't lessen the crisp of the light crust. The home style lamb ($16), slices of marinated leg of lamb, tossed in a brown sauce with scallions was tender, but the flavor of the scallions sometimes overwhelmed the lamb.

An order of chicken in spicy black bean sauce ($12) managed to balance the spice with the earthy flavor of the black bean sauce. The chicken was tender, and the broccoli, red peppers and snow peas still appealingly crunchy.

The best dish on the table, though, was the two flavor chicken ($15). The plate was divided by a row of orange slices, with a mild, flavorful chicken on one side, and a spicy chicken on the other. The spicy chicken was coated in what tasted like a sweet chili sauce, and the combination of sweet and spicy was perfectly balanced. It just whet my appetite to see what they do with their sushi and Thai curries.

As it turns out, a sit-down Asian dinner at a nice restaurant without a long wait isn't just a fairy tale, as long as you know what path through the forest to take.

Insider tips

BYOB

One of the most appealing things about Ming Village is that it's a BYOB. We took a six pack of Sapporo that complimented our dinner perfectly. If you forget your B, they offer a complimentary beer or glass of wine.

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