Pod

Pod
3636 Sansom St., in the Inn at Penn
215-387-1803
Credit cards accepted
Bathrooms on ground level
Open for lunch and dinner
www.podphiladelphia.com

On a recent cold night, I was craving sushi and really good Asian fare. My husband and I didn’t want to deal with the parking situation in Chinatown, so I pulled out the Zagat Guide and leafed through it. That’s when it dawned on me: I had never been to Pod, Stephen Starr’s pan-Asian retro-futuristic restaurant on Penn’s campus.

I recalled all the scuttlebutt going about town when Pod opened three years ago. I heard about the sushi conveyor belt and the individual Pod booths where patrons could change the color surrounding them with the push of a button. And indeed, stylistically speaking, there is nothing to match Pod in this city.

A smiling hostess checked our coats and led us to the lounge. Lipstick-red patent-leather banquettes dot the area across from a long white bar with stools straight out of the 1950s. The soft lighting changes color, but thankfully doesn’t affect the color of the food.

Our server took our drinks order and we perused the menu. I liked it instantly. Dishes are served family-style and you can build a meal from sushi and appetizers or order an entrée with rice.

The menu was created by executive chef Michael Shulson, who has a fine instinct for how dishes from all over Asia can fit in just right at Pod. Edward and I ordered martinis ($9.50), which arrived in cool frosted glasses. A couple next to us had just finished a large sushi platter and were digging into a shrimp dish that looked so inviting, I knew we had to try it.

Edward went to the restroom while I struggled with what to order. Everything sounded so good, and I liked the diversity in the menu.

"You’ve got to go to the bathroom," my husband said as he slid back onto the banquette. "They are unisex, and I’m not going to tell you anything more." Back to the food for now …

Large white plates, small dishes for soy sauce, warm white napkins, flatware and chopsticks arrived several minutes before the small sushi combination platter ($24). Don’t let the word "small" fool you here. This freshly prepared platter can easily serve two to three.

We received 20 pieces of sushi in a variety of tastes and textures. The tuna was top-grade and so was the yellowtail. My favorite is always the eel, and this one had a slightly smoky flavor that I particularly liked. The shrimp was fresh tasting and so was the salmon; neither had a "fishy" flavor. The tuna rolls and eel-avocado rolls were about the best you can get. Wasabi and slices of fresh ginger were included on the platter. I had fun pouring soy sauce from a whimsical container, which appeared to be some nondescript animal as it had two eyes on top of its "head."

There are four stir-fry dishes on Pod’s menu, and we looked to Thailand and ordered crab pad Thai ($16.50). Pad Thai has become ubiquitous in Asian restaurants and a number of versions are floating around town. Shrimp and chicken are usually on offer; I’ve never tasted pad Thai made with crab meat.

We received a large bowl brimming with rice noodles, bean sprouts, julienned vegetables such as carrots and napa cabbage, a hint of garlic, nam pla — the fish sauce used in Thai cuisine, and bits of succulent crab meat. Edward and I found this dish a bit on the sweet side, but this is a matter of personal taste. The portion was so generous, we toted some home for the next day’s lunch.

Shrimp and scallop stir-fry ($19) consisted of a large plate filled with extra-large shrimp, perfectly cooked and toothsome, along with jumbo scallops, still a bit translucent inside, stir-fried with gleaming fresh broccoli, sugar snap peas and sliced carrots. Each vegetable was prepared just right — neither too raw nor mushy. The colors on the plate invited the eyes to dig in. This dish was simply prepared with top-quality ingredients.

A big bowl of steamed rice came with our entrées. I wanted to try the fried rice with wild mushrooms but our server told us, "You are ordering too much food." She was right. Portions at Pod are about the biggest I’ve seen in a restaurant in recent memory.

Service was excellent throughout dinner. An assistant server brought us fresh chopsticks with each course. He helped to serve and clear as well. Service is as important as the meal in all of Starr’s restaurants. Staff undergo rigorous training and it shows. During our meal, the hostess came over to us just to see how we were enjoying dinner and to ensure our order was taken.

Oh, the bathrooms — almost forgot. There are a string of them around the bend from one of the individual color-changing pods. A blue or pink light tells you whether the individual stall is occupied. I opened the door and thought I was in the bathroom on an airplane. The stainless-steel toilet and sink were shaped just like the ones found on any jet.

Three tips of the toque to Pod.