By David Jones

Well, it’s been quite a while since I’ve had dinner out in Chester County.  While visiting Florida this winter we had more than a few meals out and a variety of cuisines at over 70 different establishments.

We tried sushi two times in Florida and enjoyed it both times very thoroughly, so when I heard we had a new neighborhood sushi restaurant that opened in Sadsburyville this winter I thought we’d start our culinary adventures at home with a little ‘ZING’.  Owned and operated by the same team that has Harry’s across the street, Zing is a refreshing new entrée into Western Chester County’s restaurant offerings.

The first thing you notice when you enter Zing is the bright and colorful interior.  The space is very clean and inviting.  The tables and chairs are nothing fancy, but are comfortable.  It’s a bit of a tight space and total seating is 28, so if the room is filled expect the noise level to be a little intrusive.

That being said, it is quite stylish and fun.  The high-backed white benches are very nice, attractive and comfortable.  The showcase filled with samples of the food on offer is also quite nice.

We were greeted at the door immediately after entering and escorted to our seats in a very friendly manner.  Our waitress was very pleasant and quick to accommodate our needs.  We did have to ask for water and each person had to ask separately, rather than the waitress asking if anyone else needed or wanted water as well.  These types of glitches usually work their way out as experience builds more knowledge and understanding of customers.

I do think the waitress could offer more explanation about the menu and help to guide the customers in understanding a wide array of choices.  She was able to tell us the difference between Sushi and Sashimi (Sushi has rice while Sashimi does not).  However, that’s about all the explanation we got.  This was a little bit of a problem since 3 in our party ordered the Chef’s choice for an appetizer and 3 ordered the chef’s choice for an entrée.

Both dishes were brought out with full ceremony and they were very attractive on the plate.  The only problem is nobody bothered to tell us what the Chef chose to serve.  So we got 3 nice appetizers with 5 pieces of fish each, but no description of the fish.  Since I have to guess I would say that salmon and tuna were included, but I can’t be sure what the others were.  The same is true for the entrees.  I feel certain we had salmon and tuna, but I wouldn’t hazard a guess on the other pieces.

The reason I point this out is every sushi restaurant I’ve been to they take great pleasure in telling you all about the fish they have chosen for you.  It also helps to know what you’ve eaten so the next time you come back you can order something you were particularly fond of in the first place.

Another appetizer we had was the ceviche martini.  So called because of the glass it was served in.  The only problem here was it was very light on the fish and overloaded with the greens and vegetables.  The same was true of the Duck wrap.  Lots of filler and not very much duck.

Ordinarily I would not make too much of an issue about the amount of duck or fish, but these dishes are not inexpensive.  Our meals averaged $32 per person for one appetizer and one entrée.  When I go out and spend $64 for a couple for a meal I think everything should be just so.  Unfortunately, that’s not quite the case ‘yet’ at Zing.

On the bright side, everything we had was very pretty and quite tasty and I will return soon to give them another try.  I would put some of my issues in the category of growing pains, while others, most notably, the amount of filler versus the real thing, should be improved as soon as possible.

While I’m at it our party of 5 didn’t think the ceviche had a lot of pizzazz.  We usually see this dish with a little ‘zing’ but that just wasn’t our experience on our first go around.

While we were there on a Tuesday evening business was light.  There were two other tables occupied with a total of four additional diners.  We did see customers coming and going with take-out, but I would like to see a little more attention to the detail in the dining room at this point unless they aspire to be a take-out place that happens to have tables.

In closing, let me say that my hat is off to this group for even trying sushi in this part of the county.  I like that idea a lot.  If the service and quality of the food soon matches the environment and the expectations for the price point, I’ll be very pleased indeed.

My intention is not to scare you off because I want this place to succeed, but like a new model car, sometimes it takes a little work and experience to fine tune things.

Zings Sushi, 2952 Lincoln Highway, Sadsburyville, PA 19369

Phone: 610-857-0001

Web Page: http://zingsushi.com/

        Reservations: Not required

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A native of Chester County and a 1968 graduate of Octorara Area High School, David Jones earned a Masters Degree in Medical Ethics from from Villanova University. Mr. Jones served as CEO of both Mayview and Wernersville State Hospitals and led Governor Rendell’s initiative to close state hospitals in Allentown, Harrisburg, and Mayview. Jones and his wife Lynn make their home in Parkesburg and dine out frequently around the Delaware Valley.