By Frank Sabatini Jr. | Restaurant Review 
How do you convert 15,000 square feet of dead space that formerly housed various department stores into a warm and alluring neighborhood restaurant?
Easy. Gather up some adventurous investors; weather through the road bumps involved for securing permits and building codes; decorate tastefully, and voilà.
To the delight of Uptown residents on the prowl for classic Pan-Asian cuisine, Wang’s North Park has supplanted what was once a J.C. Penney (before the Fashion Valley Mall was built), then REI and most recently, Big Lots. The two-level structure was built in the early 1950s and sat vacant for the past four years. Now, it fills a strategic commercial gap on University Avenue by ranking as the largest restaurant North Park has ever seen.
Wang’s greets with towering ceilings that loom over a sedating palette of earthy textures and colors. Between the bar lounge and general seating area is a metal bonsai tree with convincing, leafy branches. Soft, recessed lighting flows throughout the colossal room along with a couple of giant pendant lights floating above the bar. In May, the restaurant’s spacious mezzanine section will be utilized for customer spillovers, affording visitors overhead views of the élan.
My dining companion knew exactly how to navigate the menu, having eaten here a couple of times since Wang’s opened in November. As she quickly pointed out in conjunction with our astute waiter, the main entrees are conveniently divided into “sweet,” “spicy” and “savory” categories. The goal is to tempt you into ordering a variety of diverse dishes, some of which we tend to overlook in long, runoff menus.
It worked for me. By the time we wolfed down our starters — a dozen salt and pepper shrimp; a ramekin of nourishing edamame hummus served with lightly fried wonton chips; and a colorful peanut-lime chicken salad — I was ready to break my hopeless routine of Kung Pao chicken. The Hunan pork, listed underneath, proved equally stimulating thanks to its chili-specked oyster sauce cloaking thin, tender ribbons of the pork. Crunchy water chestnuts and baby corn added the right crunch.
I generally have lousy luck with beef dishes in Asian restaurants because the meat is always tough. But the “asparagus & mushroom beef” entrée from the “savory” category left us wondering if the kitchen is using filet. Served also in oyster sauce, sans the peppers and a little salty, every medallion was smooth to the bite.
Our waiter steered us to the “sweet” dish of the meal, a big filet of flaky, mild perch coated in panko crumbs and topped with pineapple chunks. The fish takes on its primary sugar jolt from Thai-style peanut sauce that tasted more like a glaze. It worked just as well on the fish as it would a cupcake. Even better, the panko crust on the filet behaved flawlessly in the to-go box, retaining its crunchiness hours later.
Also from the “sweet” category is walnut shrimp constructed with honey-mustard aoili, which my companion raved about from her past visits along with the curry chicken (spicy) and “really good” barbecue salmon (savory).
“Finally,” she added, “we have a Chinese restaurant in San Diego that serves great food and where it doesn’t feel like you’re being rushed.”
Wang’s North Park is the younger, but plumper sister to Wang’s in the Desert in Palm Springs. The cocktail list here, we’re told, is more developed. We lucked out with two martinis boasting perfection: the Green Skyy made with citrus vodka, wasabi, cucumber and lime juice; and the Long Duck Dong, which combines ginger vodka with lemon grass, cucumber and lemon juice. Each is sweetened with just a tinge of simple syrup; their outcomes dangerously delicious.
While the menu shows off dishes that are familiar to Asian kitchens across America, the striking atmosphere and subtle recipe twists add panache to the meals. Provided you can resist your customary choices, Wang’s guides you through the process of creating fresh habits from new flavors.
Wang’s North Park
3029 University Ave. (North Park)
619-291-7500
Prices: Soups, salads and appetizers, $4 to $9; entrees, $8 to $17
