IN THE KITCHEN

Andy Tsang knows his way around the restaurant business, starting as a waiter and working all positions in the trade for many years, and owning the former Quincy Dynasty since 2002. He sold it recently, owing to “too many Asian restaurants’’ in the Quincy area, and was scouting about for another restaurant when he found Gourmet Garden, a small chain of independently owned eateries in Hingham, Canton, Swampscott, and Beverly. Wareham’s branch is the newest, opening in April after a six-month renovation, Tsang said, which included adding new furnishings, replacing the old carpet, and installing ever-changing colored LED lights in the recessed ceiling. He designs much of the menu in a restaurant that includes a very popular hibachi room separated from the main dining area. Healthy eating is stressed here, including no MSG in the food, multigrain rice, and organic chicken meat with no growth hormones or antibiotics.

THE LOCALE

Gourmet Garden is located in a thicket of retail space between a jewelry store and Mexican restaurant within Wareham Crossing, a huge open-air shopping center on Cranberry Highway. Parking nearby can be scarce at busy times but is in ample supply a short walk away at the whopping Lowe’s lot. The restaurant’s main dining area seats more than 100, with booths and freestanding tables, and includes a small sushi bar and full-sized liquor bar. The space is bright and airy, owing to the renovations that include thoughtful Asian art, such as a painting of eight fish near the entry (where you’ll also find a golden Buddha fountain) — the painting said to impart good feng shui throughout. It must’ve worked; our party of four ate prodigious amounts of terrific food for $122, not including tip, leaving us sated, satisfied, and bearing leftovers.

ON THE MENU

Asian fare, particularly sushi, can be tough to navigate for the uninitiated, which included our party, so a patient waitstaff is key. And they are here, allowing us time to decide and happily answer our many questions. We started with reasonably priced drinks — an Asian pear martini ($8), Clos du Bois chardonnay ($8), and Monkey Bay sauvignon blanc ($9) — before devouring appetizers that included a sea-salty edamame ($5); steamed Peking ravioli ($7.50) that were wonderfully chewy and filling; crispy and creamy crab Rangoon ($8); and nicely spicy salt-and-pepper chicken wings ($9.50). A side of hokkigai (surf clam, $4.50) might have been overkill by then, but the big, tender slices of large clam served sashimi-style were too hard to resist.

For entrees, we went with chicken pad Thai ($11), a whopping dish that’s as good as any we’ve ever had; General Gao chicken ($12), with battered chicken that was sweet and slightly spicy; and a sushi plate ($17), a chef’s choice of assorted raw fish filets on seasoned sushi rice. One of us also opted for an appetizer as entrée, the chicken lettuce wrap ($8), a meal in itself of diced chicken in a creamy sauce with pine nuts served on four lettuce leaves.

Sushi and sashimi enthusiasts should enjoy the offerings here, which include a la carte like tobiko with quail egg ($5.15), all the way up to a giant party boat for six ($130), with nigiri sushi, assorted makimono, and sashimi. Gourmet Garden also offers gluten-free options, including swapping out rice noodles for wheat ones in dishes calling for noodles.

It’s doubtful you’ll have room for dessert, considering the generous portions served here, but the only option seemed to be fried ice cream.

Gourmet Garden, 2421 Cranberry Highway, Wareham, 774-678-0595, www.gourmetgardenwareham.com.

Paul E. Kandarian can be reached at pkandarian@aol.com.