This place is Bridgeport's best kept secret.
The words "pan-Asian fusion" (should) strike fear into the hearts of many, as this is something that many do, and so, so very few do well. Han 202 is one of those places.
I read about Han 202 here on Yelp, and I had been meaning to try it for a couple weeks, especially since I'm staying in Bridgeport and there's not much around here in the way of good food. Plus, we could walk there. Plus, BYOB.
Han 202 serves a $20, five course, prix faire menu. We chose our appetizers, soups, salads, and entrees, and dessert was chosen for us. After we had ordered, the server brought out a little amuse bouche: a spoon with a piece of fresh, raw salmon with just a hint of mango and mint sauce. As soon as we tasted that, we knew we were in for something special. The fish was very fresh and firm, and the mango and mint sauce was really complementary to the rich, buttery salmon.
To start, I tried the spicy king crab miso soup, and my boyfriend had the regular miso soup. The regular miso soup was just fine, but the crab one was really great--it had pieces of real crab (not surimi) and had a nice, light spice.
Salads came next, and I tried the green apple salad, my boyfriend, the seaweed and lettuce salad. The green apple salad was tart, fresh, salty and delicious. The capers (!) in the salad were a really nice contrast to the sweetness of the green apple. I really loved the seaweed and lettuce salad; so simple, and so delicious. The seaweed and lettuce with sesame oil and just a little perfect strawberry to top it all off was probably my favorite dish of the night.
For the appetizers, I had the sushi, which was three pieces of nigiri--tuna, salmon, and super white tuna. Like the salmon we had earlier, these were fresh and nicely prepared. The other appetizer we had was the salt and pepper squid. These little guys were addictive! I probably could have eaten a bowlful of these. Baby squid deep fried with salt and pepper, served with green peppers. Yum.
My entree was not my favorite thing, which is not to say that it wasn't good, it just wasn't to my tastes. I ordered the prawns in Malaysian style chili sauce. I was expecting some heat, but my perfectly-cooked shrimp were served in a really sweet sauce. Ah well, I'll give them 9 out of 10, because the real winner of the night was my boyfriend's duck breast in Sichuan black bean sauce. This was awesome, because in many other restaurants, you'd be paying $20 for this duck breast alone. Cooked to a perfect medium-rare, the whole duck breast was served, uncut, in a delightfully tangy sauce. Dessert followed soon after, a house made duo of vanilla ice cream and mango-tomato sorbet--a refreshing way to end a meal.
Service is extraordinary. Nothing gets past this team of skilled servers. Our pot of green tea was refilled when we got just halfway done with it; water was refilled in the same manner. Our five courses were paced really nicely, with just the right amount of time between courses.
This place is perfect for a low-cost, impressive date. The room is quiet, lighting is low, and the food, well, the food's amazing. read more