Reading the menu at E&O Trading Co. in San Jose is like wandering around an open-air market in Southeast Asia. With its small and big plates drawing influences from countries like Vietnam, Cambodia and Indonesia, E&O weaves together the flavors and textures of Southeast Asia into a rich tapestry that will impress even the most well-traveled gourmand.
According to legend, E&O is named after the Eastern & Oriental Trading Co., founded by a British ale exporter and a Sumatran herb and spice trader in the 1800s. In sync with its namesake, the E&O San Jose location is housed within a building from the 1800s, with high ceilings, exposed-brick walls and weathered hardwood floors.
Southeast Asian art, such as Buddha busts, paintings and a huge bamboo sculpture hung from the ceiling, complement the saffron, paprika and lime-colored walls. Period details, like antique fans and old books, promote a 19th-century colonial aesthetic.
Sidle up to the dark-wood bar
while waiting for a table and enjoy a drink like a refreshing mojito, made with rum, muddled mint and fresh lime juice to whet your appetite.
After being seated, don’t be surprised if your mouth starts to water at the smell of dinners being prepared in the display kitchen. It could be that chef Alex Jimenez’s team is preparing peanut chicken satay, or E&O’s signature appetizer, Indonesian corn fritters, while using traditional cooking techniques and spices.
All menu selections are served family-style, so the adage “variety is the spice of life” rings true here. Try the roti paratha, a flatbread served with a Singaporean dipping sauce, or the Burmese ginger salad, made with green papaya, Napa cabbage, peanuts, toasted coconut, dried shrimp and lemon dressing.
You might follow with the duck imperial rolls, or the shiitake mushroom and pork lettuce cups, but the crown jewel of any E&O meal is the Vietnamese shaking beef, filet mignon in garlic sauce, served on a sizzling hot plate.
Even if you’re too full for a complete dessert, it’s worth sharing the banana egg roll, drizzled with rum caramel and served with banana-toffee gelato.
By the time the check comes around, you’ve completed a culinary tour of Southeast Asia. Who knows? The meal might just inspire you to plan your next vacation to a far-off, exotic land. —Stephanie Soong
