asian food: Dinner Date: Gimme Sum pairs slick design with spicy food September 8, 2006 From the twisting stacks of red plates near the kitchen to the pyramidal pile of rice next to your entree, every part of the dining experience at Gimme Sum betrays a designer's touch. The ambience is chic and calming and the food is fresh and beautiful. The reasonably priced food at the Asian fusion eatery is yummy too. This small national chain opened a shop in the Louisiana Boardwalk in May. I've been there a handful of times during lunch and dinner. Each time I've been surprised by how many people were not in the dining room. Its 20 or so tables never have been empty or full. As a result, I've been able to eat there with good service in a leisurely 25 minutes. If modern, angular design is your thing, Gimme Sum is probably the nicest looking order-at-the-counter, sit-to-be-served restaurant in the area. The bland colors and hard-edged counter lines that make fast-food restaurants so utilitarian have been ditched for a more welcoming feel. Seemingly all walls and tables are colored in black, tan and deep red, making quick lunch seem more like a formal meal. With nearly hip house music filling up the gaps in table conversation, Gimme Sum is a soothing place to eat. The menu, though long and detailed, is a cinch to figure out once you look past the lingo. For starters or lighter meals, choose from the "Enhancements" (appetizers), "From the Garden" (salads) and "Soups" (duh) categories. Bigger entrees can be chosen from the House Specialties, Noodles or Gimme Sum Favorites categories. All of the selections here can be topped off with chicken, steak, shrimp, scallops, tofu or veggies, making prices range between $7.29 and $9.49. For freshly prepared Asian food, that's a seriously good deal. Those who choose entrees will often have to choose white rice or brown rice. Beware: the latter is wonderful, but much more filling. Gimme Sum also offers kids' dishes, two choices for dessert (carrot cake or white chocolate cheesecake), and a surprising diverse beer and wine menu. For a starter, the teriyaki sesame scallops are a good, light choice. You get about eight to 10 small scallops, which are served steaming hot and lightly dressed in sauce and sesame seeds. Man your chopsticks quickly, because tablemates will fight you to the very last one. The garden fresh salad bowl is decidedly less ordinary than starter salads usually are. The mixed greens, which appeared loaded with Boston lettuce, was cold and crisp. Accented with shreds of carrot and cabbage and topped with balsamic vinaigrette dressing, the salad is a sweet and tangy way to start. As an entree, I ditched my normal General Tso's chicken on brown rice, which is mild and filling, and went for Thai peanut chicken on white rice, which is spicier but lighter. The peanut sauce is less peanut and more chili. Paired with green onions, carrot shards and slices of red and orange pepper, this dish has some kick. If your tongue fires easily, temper it with the white rice, or, even better, order a Ichiban Special Premium Reserve. The Japanese beer, which is brewed in America, is not too shabby and served with a tall, cold glass. My guest opted for the teriyaki rice bowl with shrimp. Though similarly portioned to the plated entrees, this is tough dish to clean to the bottom when based with brown rice. The sauce is mild but made richer by bits of fresh carrots and broccoli. You also get a lot of medium-sized shrimp, which is a bonus. To finish, we ordered the most curiously out of place item on the menu: a slice of carrot cake. How did a European staple find its way onto an Asian fusion menu? Three words: cream cheese frosting. This decadent, moist little number immediately cuts the heat from the entrees' spices. Its marbling of frosting, cake and nuts, sprinkled with powdered sugar, probably has enough calories to power a kindergarten class. Whatever is in it, who cares: it served as great close to a good meal. No trip to Gimme Sum is done without a venture into the loo to wash the hands. The room has shadowy elegance, and the interior designer is obviously showing off by putting stands of dried grass by the sink. Sure, it's a ruse to make you think you just ate at one of Shreveport-Bossier City's most expensive restaurants. At less than $10 per entree, I'll buy the design lie every time. Dinner Date is a weekly restaurant review. The Times pays for all meals. Negative reviews are based on at least two visits