-- Boston's Hidden Restaurants --

All Seasons Table

64 Pleasant Street, Malden, MA 02148
(781) 397-8788 Find location!

Photo of All Seasons Table, Malden, MA The city of Malden has not quite developed the type of restaurant row that can be found in places such as Waltham, Quincy, and Arlington, but it is indeed becoming a bit of a destination spot for many diners. Restaurants of all kinds can now be found in this northern suburb of Boston, including those that are not all that easy to categorize, such as All Seasons Table on Pleasant Street in Malden Center. Is it upscale? Is it casual? Is it family-friendly? Is it trendy? Is it a Japanese restaurant? Is it a Chinese restaurant? The answers to all of these questions are "yes," as All Seasons Table is the type of restaurant that caters to many, many different types of diners.

All Seasons is a very attractive restaurant, with a modern, sophisticated feel that also is unpretentious and welcoming. Huge flower pots line the back dining area, making it almost feel like a leafy boulevard, while a sushi bar dominates the front of the restaurant, which also houses the spacious main dining area. Service is friendly, cheerful, and efficient, and the restaurant generally has the feel of a well-run place. The menu at All Seasons Table is Pan-Asian, with large parts of the menu dedicated to Chinese and Japanese cuisine. But diners can also choose from a number of Thai, Vietnamese, Malaysian, and Singaporean dishes. A few categories on the menu include sushi, pan-fried dishes, and teppanyaki.

Entrees are too numerous to list here, but a few items on the menu include an outstanding chicken lettuce wrap and plum sauce appetizer that is prepared at the diner's table; a number of soups, including an exotic-tasting Thai-style hot and sour soup, a mild but tasty spinach and tofu soup, and a superb miso soup; a rich and sweet-tasting pan-fried chicken entree with spicy basil and chili sauce; a vegetarian option called ma-po tofu that includes a lot (perhaps too much!) tofu in a black bean sauce which is decent, though a bit gloppy; and a nicely presented and delicious teriyaki chicken teppanyaki, which has sliced white-meat chicken on a bed of sauteed onions, with rice, carrots, asparagus, and broccoli, on the side; and a terrific sushi sampler dish that includes salmon, whitefish, tuna, octopus, shrimp, and yellowtail.

All Seasons Table is not easy to find if you are unfamiliar with Malden (it is on a one-way street that seems to disappear and start up again as it curves its way through Malden Center). And the simple white sign out front is pretty easy to miss, especially if you have traffic in front of you and behind you. But once you find this hidden gem, you will probably be glad you did, especially if you like a variety of Asian cuisines from which to choose. All Seasons is indeed yet another reason why more and more folks are starting to head to Malden for dinner these days.