The new fall menu at Balance has our mouths watering
Balance Pan-Asian Grille, a local culinary innovator, earned and retains that reputation by its willingness to evolve. That evolution continues with their fall menu, a lineup of new bubble teas, bowls and tacos that accompany exciting operational changes. With updated, more sustainable packaging (no more aluminum foil) and a partnership with Postmates for easy delivery through the restaurant’s app, the folks at Balance continually strive to enhance their Asian-fusion options while keeping a low carbon footprint. As of today, you’ll find most of the menu changes listed below, an exciting array of seasonal treats and classic pan-Asian meals.
Limited time fare
Seasonal options that patrons can enjoy for a limited time include Zombie bubble tea and all-natural, black rice during the week of Halloween. With festive pumpkin spice, eggnog, gingerbread, and peppermint mocha bubble teas during the holiday season, Balance fans will hardly miss the summertime options of watermelon lemonade bubble tea as well as sea kelp salad and cold cucumber noodles.
New takes on the classics
Look forward to more Indian street food classics, like crunchy vegetarian samosas, accompanied by two dipping sauces— tamarind (sweet and tangy) and a spicy mint chutney which also ushers in the newest addition to the Balance snack repertoire, Bombay-style nachos.
Balance co-owner Prakash Karamchandani (most know him as PK) and his partner, HoChan Jang (CJ), explain the fall theme is all about “having more options, but with a simpler menu. We want to add depth to the menu so that it is still a very simple presentation.”
Presaging chilly weather, Karamchandani notes that the Balance crew has added soups to their snack menu that will vary based on the location and day. Try a classic hot and sour soup — “It’s been in CJ’s family for 25 years”— a Kickin’ Tomato Soup— “Tomato soup at an Asian restaurant? Yes! We promise you, it’s amazing”— or a Vegan Mushroom Broth Soup made with a variety of wild mushrooms.
Experience a new bowl, featuring three different options of red, yellow and green curry. Downtown Toledo’s Balance Farm, which supplies many of the restaurant’s ingredients, has enhanced sauce quality by growing the ingredients— kaffir lime leaves, for example.
Making room on the menu
Alas, the Sassy Me bowl will be dropped from the menu. “That one’s been on our menu since we opened in 2010,” says PK. “So, granted, we got some pushback on that.” If you are a die-hard fan of this bowl, you will, however, have a chance to recreate it as Balance will retain the Sassy Me sauce. Only the Sassy Me pea pods won’t be available because “they aren’t grown in the U.S.,” says PK, explaining that, “instead, [Balance Farms is] growing an alternative— pea tendrils. They taste just like a pea pod.”
The SoHo taco will also be replaced by a taco with wasabi aioli, “a way better fit [than SoHo] because it brings back our kimchi pickles that we make using a traditional method. We’re trying to add different spice profiles,” says PK, adding that their goal is to further tap into the variety of Balance’s pan-Asian foods.
“CJ knows the Chinese food his parents taught him, and he’s learned and grown as a chef, gaining new inspiration,” says PK. “He has developed his own style; more and more of that comes out year after year.”
