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Trading Co. fare
lacks spice

It's been said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and it's OK for novices absorbing their influences and testing their skills, but when imitations are marketed to the public, then the phrase is just a polite way of condoning cultural, intellectual or artistic theft.

Why anyone would seek out imitation anything is beyond me. Fake meat, fake cheese -- what's the point? I'd rather have a nibble of the real thing or eat a veggie paté, than pretend the veggie paté is meat.

I also wonder about those who proudly tote their fake Chanel, Gucci and Louis Vuitton handbags. Are they trying to impress or fool people? Anyone they would want to impress would be able to spot the imposter in seconds.

These are thoughts that came to mind while dining at E & O Trading Company. In spite of its sublime aesthetic, I couldn't help but feel I could get a better meal in any mom-and-pop Vietnamese restaurant. But we can't discount that fact that for some, ambience is everything.

The restaurant is inspired by the British colonial era, when a vast artery of railways brought the textiles, spices and libations of Southeast Asia and East India to its populace. There was no turning back on such culinary marvels as peppercorns and curry, though naturally, some things get lost in translation. Western yellow curry, for instance, is nothing like those of India. On the opposite hemisphere, the bitter chocolate ingested by the Aztec emperor Montezuma was nothing like the milk chocolate American kids love today.

For a restaurant that owes its back story to the spice trade, it's remarkably low on spice. The watering down of flavors was disappointing. After all, Vietnamese and Thai restaurants abound on Oahu. Do we really need pseudo Southeast Asian cuisine? That might play well in Portland, Ore., where they think they're hip to fusion cuisine -- with atrocious results they don't have the capacity to recognize. But here, I'm not sure.

It could work out for the local owners. For everyone who thinks like me, there may be 10 meat-and-potatoes types afraid to set foot in a Thai, Vietnamese or Malaysian restaurant because they may look unclean or their menus read like foreign garble. For them, E & O makes the exotic perfectly safe.

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F.L. MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM The interior of E & O Trading Company captures the mystery and beauty of Southeast Asia.

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NO DOLLAR was spared in transforming the space that was formerly home to A Pacific Cafe in Ward Centre. You might think of it as a cross between Indigo and Shanghai Bistro. Dark, rich woods are accented by sari-silk pillows, red globe lanterns, Moroccan tables, tapestries, wood carvings and bamboo everywhere. The restaurant extends its indoor/outdoor seating into the walkway, so those heading to and from Borders on the second floor can't miss it.

Even the hostesses are dressed in a belly-dance scarf/skirts, jingling prettily with each step.

Lunch and dinner menus are similar, with prices of big plates running a few dollars higher in the evening.

Simple is better here, as with pupu of deep-fried calamari ($8.95) with a light dusting of Chinese salt and pepper. The accompanying green chile-vinegar sauce gives the bar staple a fresh zing.

Smoked salmon and ahi tartar ($12.95) comprise your basic timbale appetizer, but the fatty salmon goes a long way in satisfying the taste buds without seeming to do much harm to the waistline -- always a good criterion for women.

One of their signature small plates is the Indonesian corn fritter ($6.95), kernels whisked in a light batter with green onion and bits of celery and flash fried to form a crunchy-chewy popcorn-flavored mass. It's one of those dishes everyone has to try once.

If you want a quick and fairly inexpensive meal, you might share the E & O Satay Platter ($19.95) which features two skewers each of grilled chicken, mushroom, salmon and steak, served with peanut and sweet chile-soy dipping sauces. Combine the platter with Chinese greens ($5.95) stir-fried with oyster sauce and sesame oil. Depending on the day, the green might be choi sum or long beans.

For adventurous types that doesn't sound very exciting, but it's preferable to lamb-stuffed naan bread ($5.95), where the texture of the meat might be described as a cross between bacon bits and fish flakes.

The restaurant had run out of char-siu-style fish when we were there, but that didn't matter, because a back-up order of Vietnamese lemongrass chicken ($15.95) had little lemongrass essence, tasting instead, like char siu.

Claypot duck ($19.95) was simmered in a sweet broth of tangerine, ginger, star anise and black mushroom, and arrived more boiled than tender baked. Accompanying sweet sticky rice was also buried in the liquid, ruining its prized texture. It ended up being more like the leftover rice tossed with the rinse water when you're washing the pot.

The menu is supposed to change seasonally. Spice it up next time.

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E & O Trading Company Ward Centre, next to Compadres / 591-9555 Food Service Ambience Value Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Sundays to Thursdays, 11:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays Cost: About $50 to $60 for two without drinks