Reporter Food: Zao Jun New Asian in Bloomfield Hills
(Crystal A. Proxmire, Aug. 13, 2021)
Bloomfield Hills, MI – Zao Jun New Asian embraces what it calls “Modern Asian Flavors” by “blending creativity with vibrant flavors, fresh high-quality ingredients and a lot of fun.”  Located at 6608 Telegraph Road, this trendy space offers dine-in and carryout options, with a menu full of unique creations.
I started with the Papaya Salad – a bright and beautiful dish that combined sweet earthy tones with the rich warmth of the spice sauce. There were long thin slices of papaya, mango, and cucumber along with greens, cashews, cherry tomatoes, and Thai Spice dressing.
For the main course I savored the Mongolian Beef made with high quality hand cut flank steak, hearty slices of green onion, and the delicious aroma of fresh garlic. I opted for the white rice to soak up the onion and garlic flavors.
And lastly I had to try one of their creative sushi options – the Sweet Potato Roll. This artfully crafted roll has tempura fried sweet potato with sweet and savory soy sauce with sweet potato crunch.
Even on a busy carryout day, all of the items were made with quality and care. And the menu has an impressive selection.
I’ll start with the sushi. There are classics like the tuna roll, eel avocado, shrimp tempura, California roll and more. Vegetable sushi get its own section, including the Sesame Asparagus Nigiri, the Avocado Roll, and the Vegetable Ban-Mi Roll which has pickled jalapeno and carrot, red onion, cilantro, tomato, avocado, and spring mix wrapped in cucumber.
And of course there are the fun ones, like the Salmon Dynamite, the Mr. Miyagi, the Las Vegas, and the Red Dragon. The Santa Ana roll seems fun. It’s a regular California Roll that’s tempura fried and topped with eel sauce. Mmmm..
Zao Jun also has dimsum, bao buns, and a selection of rice and noodle dishes. Their salad game is on point with over a dozen healthy options like the Ginger Salad with carrots, cherry tomatoes and ginger dressing, the Lotus and Berry with mixed greens, strawberries, lychee, fresnos and raspberry vinaigrette, and the Heirloom Tomato and Eggplant Avocado which is true to it’s name with some Thai Basil and Yuzu Truffle dressing tying it all together.
The restaurant also serves up tasty desserts and adult beverages.  One may enjoy a Japanese Highball, a Jade Mint Julip, or a Saketini made with Haku Vodka, Wandering Poet Sake, and orange and ginger liqueurs. Or chose from the beer and wine sections. The restaurant also features several thoughtfully-crafted mocktails for those who don’t want alcohol, including the Vietnamese Kafir Soda and the Zao Made Lemonade.
Check out these items and many more at the Zao Jun website.
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