Flavors of Asia

Reviews 4

PA

Paul Cicotta

Flavors of Asia have recently changed ownership and what better way to see their improvements then through another First Taste. This restaurant is quietly settled in the Swillburg neighborhood, and offers an intimate dining experience. The servers at this restaurant were on point, making sure all the food was brought out to the table at the appropriate times. This is a pan-Asian styled restaurant that focuses on three types of food: Vietnamese, Chinese, and Thai. I would have to say they nail the Vietnamese category the best, really giving you the most authentic experience to your table. I love the expedient hot tea service, along with a bottle of Tsingtao beer. The only downside to the place is that it is in my neighborhood, meaning that it is annoying eating dinner when people are starring at you through the window. The food quality is stellar, as the spices are pronounced throughout all three of the Asian cultures represented here. APPETIZERS: Stir Fried Curry Squid- I loved the taste of the curry in this as you tasted the flavors of the ginger, onion, pepper, and bok choy stalks. The squid was cooked perfectly, and complimented the carrots and the snap peas in the bowl. The only downside is there was an off-ratio of curry sauce to the squid itself making the bowl a little soupy. Mango/Vegetable Fresh Spring Rolls- I had high expectations for these, but they missed the mark by a long shot. There were just too many vegetables, and mango pieces stuffed inside the spring roll making it extremely dry/flavorless. They needed some sort of combination with a flavor that was going to pop on your pallet. Pork and Shrimp Dumplings- this was AMAZING!! These dumplings where stuffed with PORK and SHRIMP along with green onions. What made this dish special was the spicy broth the dumplings where placed in. This broth consisted of rice wine, sherry, and sake- YUMMIES!! Scallion Pancakes- these were a HUGE miss, as the scallion pancakes where way to doughy in texture. Not only where they doughy, but they were saturated with grease. Unfortunately, you just didnt want to eat too much of these without filling you up too fast. Leak and Shrimp Shumai- these where delicious, perfectly wrapped, and bite sized. The minced leaks where perfectly chopped with the onions. I loved the finely chopped coriander placed along the edges of the wrapper. SOUP: Chicken and Corn- surprisingly this was one of my favorite meals here, as the corn was extremely creamy and flavorful. The ratio of corn flour to Chinese cooking wine was on point, as the corn was also sweet corn! - YUMMIES! ENTREES VIETNAMESE: Com Bo- this was hands down one of the BEST items on the menu, and many other friends at the table can agree. This beef was perfectly sautéed, and marinated in this lemon-grass seasoning that brought out the beef more. It was served over pineapple fired rice, cucumbers, and onions. Many thanks go out to Em R. who gave a great breakdown on some Vietnamese recommendations, including this one. Bahn Cuon- Another top entrée, as the rice rolls were stuffed with ground pork, mushrooms, and shallots. I loved that the lettuce had fresh basil pieces, along with bean sprouts placed throughout. The star of the show was the spicy fish sauce, which included flavors of Chili. THAI: Green Coconut Curry- While hesitant to order a curry dish from here, this was surprisingly delicious. The green coconut curry was SPICY, and had excellent flavors of green onions, garlic, and ginger. I loved the mix of fresh broccoli, peppers, carrots, mushrooms, and chicken throughout the dish. CHINESE: Mongolian Beef- I disliked this dish because the beef was extremely gamey, and I really did not like the slimy texture on my chopsticks. The light dark sauce did nothing to elevate the beef flavor wise. Pepper Steak- This was delicious, as the beef was sliced/ cooked perfectly. I loved that it was stir fried with onions, and fresh bell peppers with a soy ginger sauce.

GU

Guneet Kohli

Second time coming back here. LOVE the Coconut Curry Chicken bowl. Literally enough for two peoples full meal, though we supplemented with crab rangoons (above average) and pork fried spring rolls (good). We had tried the pork belly steamed buns last time and didnt particularly care for it. A friend ordered off the Chinese menu and got General Tsos Chicken, which can be made spicier, with fried rice included. He said it was above average and the chicken was nice and tender, not overly bready as had at other Chinese restaurants. The serving size was huge! Thai iced tea is a bit on the sweet side the previous home, but delicious, nonetheless. And we got it with the bubbles this time, but the Thai iced tea tasted better last time. Today it seemed as if the tea were steeped too long, and they make it with condensed milk instead of half and half as Ive had at other restaurants, but adding extra condensed milk made me like this more. Employees are kind and helpful. Service was faster the last time we were here, when the restaurant was more crowded. Its a clean and quiet place. Though they do have their own parking lot, it can be tough to get good parking because the lot is small and is in an L-shape around the restaurant. Highly recommend it for an easy lunch or dinner for reasonable prices.

WA

Warren Mianecke

I agree COMPLETELY with "Jen G"s review here. I CHEERED when I read it b/c I was wondering if I was alone in my feelings. For YEARS I used to love strolling over once a month and treating myself to dinner at F of A. However, after 4 incredibly disappointing meals in a row, over 4 months, I have officially given up as of this weekend. I HATE to do this. Im not an overly-picky person. However, I just can no longer recommend the place. EVERYTHING (thats 7 different entrees over 4 moths) Ive ordered has been soggy with grease. I wonder if they no longer drain items after frying them. This last time I wanted to walk back into the kitchen and give them a roll of paper towels, a newspaper, ANYTHING. I used to LOVE the scallion pancakes there. They were light and crisp and full of bits of chopped fresh scallions. Not any more (in my experience, that is, unless I just have terrible timing and have gone there on an off day). The spring rolls, which I used to CRAVE are now generic-looking and generic-tasting, as though they were purchased frozen in bulk. I TRULY wish theyd change the name of the place, b/c it burns me that old and accurately positive reviews might mislead someone there. I hope theyre profiting from cutting $$$ corners because as the guest Im certainly not.

RY

Ryan Menard

I frequent this restaraunt with my other half but I feel like the quality of food and service have gone downhill. Two visits ago one of our party was served tea in a mug with a lipstick stain on it. Not the sort of thing that would normally keep us away from a restaurant, it happens. On our following visit we were left waiting 30 minutes for our appetizers (egg rolls and steamed pork buns). The frustrating thing is that tables seated after us were getting their food while our waitress was well aware that we have been waiting for some time. We eventually walked out, on our way out we saw that out appetizers were being moved from a togo bag to plates. Great, who knows how long it was sitting there. Overall a very disappointing experience. Well be on the search for another Asian restaurant to frequent in the future.