New Jersey Restaurant Review
La Quarsine
11/2005 Restaurant Now Closed
512 North Delsea Drive
Glassboro, Gloucester County, New Jersey
(856) 881-9801
By The Artful Diner
Special to New Jersey Online
12/13/1999
Just one glance at this humble BYOB eatery is certain to unleash a host of mixed emotions. Cloistered away in a cheesy strip-mall, La Quarsine's location alone is enough to put a significant damper on your appetite. Once inside, however, you will find the welcome warm and the ambiance, although somewhat utilitarian, rather dark and cozy. While the diggings may be completely unpretentious, the menu, on the other hand -- which features selections from France, China, Thailand and Vietnam -- strikes one as far too ambitious. It is a significant challenge to turn out one cuisine with a reasonable degree of competence; but to take on four (even if three out of the four are somewhat similar in nature) is a gargantuan task. And while the food here passes muster if chosen with care, the kitchen's culinary reach, for the most part, exceeds its grasp.
You will begin with the chef's complimentary "Triple Harmony," a savory sausage of pork, shrimp and chicken, matched up perfectly with a diced cucumber salad and spicy chili sauce. From this point forward, your gastronomic fortunes are very much up for grabs, so permit me to impart a bit of advice: Thai and Vietnamese offerings are most assuredly your best bets; Chinese is strictly run-of-the-mill; and anything sounding even remotely French is best avoided like the plague.
Soups ($4.25) are quite reliable here; but, whatever you do, be sure to bypass the completely underwhelming potato leek and head straight for more interesting possibilities. The tom yum goong, for instance, is composed of shrimp, straw mushrooms, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, chilies and cilantro swimming in a fresh and fiery broth. This tasty Thai classic is guaranteed to clear your sinuses; the kitchen, however, is quite amenable to toning down the heat if that happens to be your preference. The Chinese shrimp and pork wonton is also quite satisfying, though hardly exceptional. On the other hand, the pho bo, a Vietnamese beef noodle soup, is outstanding. Melt-in-your-mouth slices of tender beef are combined with rice noodles, basil leaves, onions and bean sprouts in a heady stock that will have your taste buds standing at attention. Highly recommended.
When it comes to appetizers, I would once again encourage you to turn your attention toward the East. The Vietnamese spring rolls ($5.95) are perfectly acceptable representatives of this particular genre, albeit a tad on the greasy side. Accompanying them is a top-notch nuoc mam, a fish sauce made from fermented anchovies. A staple of Vietnamese cookery, like salt in Western kitchens or soy sauce in Chinese, it is entirely content to play a supporting role: bringing other flavors to the fore while keeping itself unobtrusively in the background.
The Thai satays, marinated chicken or beef that is grilled and served on small skewers, are quite tasty and are garnished with a deliciously refreshing cucumber salad. The chicken, however, tends to be a smidgen overcooked, and the spicy peanut sauce is somewhat lacking in both body and flavor.
As noted above, comestibles of Gallic extraction do not represent the kitchen's finest work -- and entrees are clearly no exception. Consider the salmon ($13.95)... It is adequately prepared, but then it is drowned beneath a tomato, ginger and garlic coulis that falls absolutely flat on the palate. The glob of gummy rice doesn't do a great deal to liven things up either. And the over-the-hill broccoli florets, obviously thrown in to add some much-needed color and texture, taste suspiciously like they've spent the afternoon swimming in lighter fluid. On one occasion, a goodly number of menu items -- including the filet mignon with Champagne bearnaise ($19.95) and the duck a l'orange ($18.95) were unavailable -- a most fortuitous development for all concerned, I might add.
Indeed, were the chef to set his sights on what he does best, namely vittles of Oriental persuasion, I have no doubt that things here would improve considerably. His Pad Thai ($11.95) -- stir-fried noodles with pork, shrimp, bean sprouts, peppers, scallions and crushed peanuts -- isn't about to set the world (or your taste buds) on fire, but it is well prepared and eminently satisfying. Ditto the walnut chicken ($10.95). Sauteed pieces of chicken breast are combined with walnuts, diced red and green peppers and scallions in a lethally spicy coconut milk. Among the Vietnamese selections, the nem nuong ($10.95) is quite good. Grilled pork is served with rice pancakes, lettuce, cilantro and mint. The various ingredients are rolled up in the pancake and then dipped in the restaurant's fabulous fish sauce. The sauteed shrimp and pork reclining on a bed of crispy noodles ($11.95) is also worthy of attention. Unfortunately, the Chinese dishes -- the ubiquitous "Triple Delight" ($10.95) and "Triple Moo Shu" ($10.95) -- are strictly standard fare.
Desserts, like their predecessors, aren't about to knock your socks off. The chocolate mousse ($4.50) has all the charm and consistency of instant pudding, and the creme caramel ($4.50) is also nothing to write home about. If you insist upon indulging your sweet tooth, however, I would strongly suggest that you defer to Bassett's raspberry chocolate truffle ice cream ($3.00); it is infinitely better than anything produced on the premises.
Like many small restaurants with modest capabilities, La Quarsine needs to be more realistic in its outlook and its endeavors. In fact, I would go so far as to suggest that gastronomic valor might best be served by a modicum of culinary discretion -- and a generous pinch of common sense. In other words, completely eliminating the chef's highly dubious forays into the rarified realm of French cuisine would appear to be this establishment's most auspicious course of action.
Should you find yourself in the immediate vicinity, with hunger pangs snapping at your vitals, a stopover at this homey, reasonably priced eatery would certainly do you no harm. On the other hand... I wouldn't go out of my way to beat down the door.
Cuisine: French/Chinese/Thai/Vietnamese
Hours: Mon - Fri, 12 noon to 10:00 p.m.; Sat, 1:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.; CLOSED SUNDAY
Credit Cards: AX, MC, V
Attire: Very casual
Smoking: Smoking is not permitted in the restaurant
Reservations: Not necessary
Parking: Ample strip-mall parking
Alcohol: BYOB
Price: Inexpensive/Moderate
Handicapped Accessible: Yes
Website: www.laquarsine.com
