Jacky’s Galaxie & Sushi Bar
383 Metacom Avenue
Bristol
by Bob Mariani
From the outside Jacky’s Galaxie looks like a sexy ‘80’s dating bar, all shiny metal, stucco and glass. Step inside however, and you soon realize this is a serious dining destination where fine Asian cuisine is given its due. The menu offers specialties from all over Asia including Japan, China, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Hong Kong and more. Yet despite the wide-ranging menu, each dish is given great attention and the ingredients are all first-rate.
We began with a few sample appetizers: Vietnamese style Nime Chow ($3.50), a succulent mixture of bean sprouts, basil leaves, and rice noodles tightly wrapped in a steamed lettuce leaf and served with an intriguing peanut dipping sauce; fried Crab Rangoon were fluffy triangles of slightly sweet, melt-in-your-mouth dough stuffed with the very freshest crab meat.
Our sushi sampler was a visual delight—a small bamboo curved bridge stacked with fresh seafood tidbits like raw salmon, white tail, tuna, and white fish. Every one was equally good but I must confess, I could not have told you which fish was which.
Then came the amazing White Tuna Sushi and suddenly I really got what sushi lovers are always rolling their eyes with pleasure about. These pure white medallions of tuna meat were served ice cold and raw and they melted like pure butter in your mouth. The taste is hard to describe in Western terms but it is very subtle and yet distinctive. This flavor also gave me some new insight into Saki, the Japanese rice wine. Paired with this succulent white tuna meat, the combination of tastes was quite special indeed. Comforting. Exciting. Satisfying. All in one bite.
One of our entrées from the long list of shrimp and seafood dishes was the Walnut Shrimp ($12.95). This was yet another original pairing-- fried shrimp in a "home made" pineapple and mayonnaise sauce topped with crispy honey-sautéed walnuts - a unique mix of textures and tastes definitely worth going back for.
I decided to try one of the more traditional Chinese dishes, the Beijing Duck ($15.50 for a half). The duck had been marinated in a delicious sauce leaving the skin crispy and the meat soft and juicy. The meat had been sliced away from the bones and you were given warm, freshly-made, thin pancakes to wrap it in along with sautéed scallions and cucumbers.
We also sampled another entrée, the Stir-fried Beef with Cami Noodles and agreed with our attentive waiter that this was a real classic you could happily eat once or twice a week at least. The tender beef chunks were stir-fried in a deep, rich beef and soy sauce along with the large, flat cami noodles that give new meaning to the words al dente.
Dessert has never been anything special at the Asian restaurants I’ve dined in, but at Jacky’s they have their own in-house pastry chef. We tried the Forbidden Rice Pudding, which was a martini glass full of dark brown rice in a mellow pudding laced with fresh blueberries and coconut, very soft on the palate and easy on the taste buds. Also there was a crème brulee, which was one of the lightest and creamiest I’ve ever tasted.
I’m out of space here and there are a ton more dishes I can’t wait to try at Jacky’s Galaxie. This is truly a first-rate Asian restaurant, unequalled in Rhode Island and there are three other locations besides this newest one in Bristol, at 1449 Mineral Spring Avenue; at 1764 Mendon Road in Cumberland; and at 255 Cowestt Ave. in West Warwick.
The Jacky’s Galaxie in Bristol also has extensive catering and banquet facilities as well as a handsome upstairs Fireside Lounge where I look forward to indulging in a steaming bowl of Pad Thai Noodles this fall.
Jacky’s Galaxie is open for lunch and dinner Monday through Thursday from 11:30am to 10:30pm, Friday and Saturday from 11:30 to 11pm; and Sunday from Noon to 10pm. Call (401) 253-8818 or visit
www.jackysgalaxie.com.
