A certain kind of magic can be found discovering something you’d simply spent weeks, months or even years overlooking.
Think of picturesque houses down lightly traveled streets, bizarrely captivating paintings hung on shabby walls in corporate office buildings, and delightful restaurants tucked away off a busy road. If you can’t guess by either the title or the photo that is adjacent to this text, we’re covering the latter.
Infusion Cuisine, at the intersection of Hannegan and Pole roads, is a surprising experience in many ways. First, you will be surprised a restaurant is back there. Then, you will be surprised that it’s a distinctly tasteful and warm space inside. The menu is unexpectedly diverse, in a way where you will think, “Oh, there’s no way this is going to taste good.”
Dishes will arrive, beautifully plated, bucking your expectations once again. Finally, you will taste it and be surprised at how good it all is.
Alright, I’m done saying “surprising.” But, I have one last reveal. The menu is Mexican, Chinese and Italian. Yes, like the Cheesecake Factory. (I’ve never been to the Cheesecake Factory.) It’s not a particularly long menu at only 25 total items, from appetizers to entrees. There’s a sense of intentionality across it, but putting in our order felt like a room full of people naming off their favorite foods.
How did this concept arise? As laid out on their website and fleshed out via a brief interview with the chef and owner, Eduardo Diego, he simply decided to do what he knew.
With years of experience in high-end Italian, Chinese and Mexican restaurant kitchens in Southern California, he brought confidence, recipes and technique in spades. Diego told me that he “didn’t have any trouble executing it” — a very humble way of saying that he is simply just that good. Kung pao chicken, chile relleno and chicken Florentine? No disruption to his workflow is to be seen.
The time it took you to read that paragraph is only slightly less time than it took for our spring rolls ($7.99) and rolled chicken tacos ($12.99) to arrive. Texture reigned supreme across both, with crisp spring rolls, creamy guac and fresh southwestern salad.
The flavors weren’t left behind either — the spring rolls are some of the best I’ve ever had, and the addition of mushrooms to them brought a great kick of umami to the party. The mound of salsa, guacamole and sour cream in the middle of the rolled tacos begged to be dipped, and dip we did.
Next up, Chinese chicken salad ($19.99). This is a mountain of cabbage, vegetables, cashews, rice noodles, grilled chicken breast and a tangy dressing. As far as portions go, I found nothing to complain about. The chicken is chopped small, but there’s a generous amount of it. The wontons were crispy and the vegetables were all crisp and fresh. I don’t usually go for salads at restaurants (as my waistline will demonstrate), but this is one I’d happily order again if I wanted a lighter dish.
Finally, the entrees began to come out. Like the armed forces, a classic carne asada ($24.99) representing land, the bounty of the sea in the form of a shrimp scampi ($23.99), and we looked to the air for the humble orange chicken ($19.99). Just kidding. We did get all of those things, but it was purely coincidental that we ticked off land, sea and air.
Oh, and a burger ($16.99). Because, despite the selection presented to the diner at Infusion, there is almost always the adult who can’t handle anything more exotic than a slice of tomato.
Simply put, each item we tried would have been excellent at any restaurant serving solely that type of cuisine. The carne asada was seared excellently, with bold grill marks showing that it had been cooked over an open flame. The rice and beans accompanying it were of the same quality I’d expect from any Mexican restaurant.
The scampi was light, fresh and satisfying, with plump shrimp and toothsome noodles. Shrimp is a benchmark — easy to cook badly, and very obvious when it is. These buttery little crustaceans were most definitely cooked properly.
The orange chicken was much less heavy and sweet than the densely breaded chicken nuggets tossed in synthetically flavored high fructose corn syrup many of us know (and love). Tasting much more of real citrus, the chicken itself was very lightly breaded — just enough to give some crunch, without taking over the bite. The vegetables were all cooked to perfection, making this a substantially more wholesome take on orange chicken than any I’ve had.
Finally, we come to the burger. I expected it would be an adequate burger. I won’t ding a restaurant for not putting in effort for the grown-up kid’s menu. Much to my surprise (sorry!) it was really, really good. The vegetables were all fresh, the bun soft, the burger itself cooked to grilled perfection and heavily seasoned. The fries were similarly punching above their weight class. For the price, this competes with burgers from proper diners and steakhouses.
At the end of our model UN tour of the globe, I asked Diego why he didn’t put together anything particularly weird — a Chinese slaw and orange chicken burrito, or carne asada lasagna, for example.
“I want to respect the cuisine” was his answer, and a mindset that makes itself clear in every single dish he sends through the pass.
Infusion Cuisine is open from 4–8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday at 6912 Hannegan Road, Lynden. Info: infusioncuisine.com.
