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Category: Asian Fusion [Edit]
Neighborhood: ChinatownGallery Pl-Chinatown (Red, Green, Yellow)
Metro Center (Red, Blue, Orange)
We took the train to Chinatown because the front desk told us to check out the area for a variety of restaurants.
First, I love public transportation in DC. It made getting around town so easy!
We were headed towards a very crowded restaurant, Matchbox, but since we were starving and didn't feel like waiting 30 minutes we decided to try the place next door. Didn't regret it one bit!
Asian Spice is next to the ever popular Matchbox and didn't disappoint. I had the Panang Salmon and my husband had the Drunken Noodles. Both were very tasty. The atmosphere was modern and gave off this cool loung vibe. Since it wasn't crowded, we were seated immediately. The bartender/server had excellent customer service and the food was out in no time.
Definite must in DC
Went here with a couple of friends - the experience was just "ok".
What's up with the crazy spiral staircase in the front?! My friend almost (almost) took a tumble down them in her oh-so-cute stilettos!
It's pretty convenient since it's close to public transportation, but the food and service could be a bit better. I like more spicy things and the menu just didn't have the variety my tummy was hoping for.
Meh. Move on.
I was treated to a staff lunch here for work, and I really enjoyed the food. The interior of the place is clean, modern, and really nice, and it seems like there are lots of unique seating options.
I ordered the maki combination--1 spicy tuna, 1 california, 1 shrimp tempura--$17. The spicy tuna was interesting, but the spice was balanced with too much sweetness for my taste; however, good quality fish. Good california roll, but those are always the same. The shrimp tempura was probably the best I've had--the shrimp was perfectly done, still juicy, and they combined it with some avocado and just a hint of wasabi for a nice kick. Really nice sized too. I ended up full and happy.
The hot food choices look good as well--pad thai, lots of stir-fries, and that kind of thing. The menu leans heavily on chicken, and the vegetarian hot food items were pretty scant, but the food that came to our table looked and smelled yummy.
So why only 4 stars? The prices are embarrassingly high. $17 for 3 basic rolls of sushi, at lunch time no less? Come on. And most of the meals were no less than $18 or $20. The food was good, and the portions were fine, but the prices are still a gouge.
I probably wouldn't come here again if not on the company dime.
PS: Surprisingly interesting, diverse, and high-quality beer list at really reasonable prices (i.e. unique imports for $5). Really odd, but cool.
My rating is based on the sushi! Amazing, fresh, quick, and just great! I go there after work even though it is the opposite direction of where I live, just to pick up a couple of rolls (salmon/avocado, california, or philly) to bring home. They have great asian beer and the atmosphere in there is really nice for a romantic dinner or just a relaxing happy hour with friends.
So-Wah-Dee-Kah!! My husband and I love eating at Asian Spice. There's so much to say about Asian Spice, it's difficult to know where to begin. A convenient location, competitive prices and a warm, yet sophisticated atmosphere make it ideal for a working lunch or an elegant evening. Asian Spice's friendly, attentive and knowledgeable staff deliver a first class dining experience that is matched only by the stellar menu featuring a fusion of many Asian palettes, ranging from Korean to Thai to Vietnamese. The true jewel in Asian Spice's lotus is its incredible sushi bar. Staffed by a creative sushi chef, you can always expect to find something new and exciting to dazzle your senses. The Duck Rolls and Kamikaze Rolls are not to be missed, but, truly, everything on the menu is exceptional. If you drop in and have a chance to meet Earth, tell him Pornthip sent you!
I went here last night and sat outside with a friend from out of town. He likes coming here often when he is working in the area. This was my first time here. I really liked the large outdoor patio area. I had some green tea and the sushi combo three roll consisting of spicy tuna roll, California roll, and spider roll for 17.00. The quality of the sushi was very good. It came very quickly too.
My friend and I talked and talked and kept getting more hot water for my green tea. It was a pleasant outside seating area. We arrived around 7:30PM on a Tuesday and nobody was sitting outside. By the time we left most of the tables were full. It was a great night to be outside. We ended up walking down to the national mall which is great place to be on a temperate early summer night. I ended up walking all the way home and skipped the metro and taxi and took in the clean oak pollen free air!
I would come again here and sit outside especially when I was trying to get something to eat after 7:30PM and didn't want to wait in line for Matchbox down the street.
We chose Asian Spice for a quick meal before going to see Helen Mirren in Phedre (I mention this because we absolutely did not want to be late). Not knowing how responsive the kitchen would be, we ordered a selection of salads and appetizers and Tom Kha Gai soup. Items started coming in minutes and all the food was delivered in less than 10 minutes - not only was it quick but everything was freshly made, tasty and nicely presented. Service was friendly and attentive and the result was a wonderful, stress-free dinner with plenty of time to walk the 2-1/2 blocks to the Sidney Harmon Theater. p.s. Phedre was great!
I went here for the first time last night with a group of girls. Our table was upstairs and we had to take the most spiral-y, narrow staircase to get up to the 2nd floor. One of my friends actually said she was dizzy upon arriving at the top. The restaurant itself is very clean and modern with nice furniture.
We ordered 2 appetizers-the fried crab and cream cheese rangoon and the asiana chips and dip. The rangoon was pretty good and apparently new to the menu. They were fried nicely in a light, crispy batter. The chips and dip was ok. The crab 'dip' isn't as much of a dip as it is crab shreds to pile on top of the taro chips. Another weird thing is that the Taro chips were more like crumbles. I don't know if that was on purpose but there were no chips, chip sized. It was like what you find at the bottom of the bag. I don't know. Maybe it was supposed to be like that but it made it hard to hold the crab shreds.
Most of us ordered sushi. I got the Drunken Munky and the spicy, cruncy salmon roll. Both were very very good. The salmon roll was crunchy due to tempura flakes inside and added a nice, mellow flavor. The drunken munky was a specialty roll and filled with tempura lobster and wrapped in a soybean nori, rice then what seemed to be lettuce. Different and altogether very good.
Their menu was extensive and the sushi wasn't even on the main menu but rather on a carry-out looking menu that was inserted into the menu. I'd go back and maybe try one of the noodle dishes or other entrees. I would recommend coming here for the sushi though.
It takes a lot for me to want to yell (or, yelp) about a salad, but I'll be damned if Asian Spice didn't make it true. Seaweed salad, calamari, scallops, shrimp, avocado? Heaven? Yes. And while Asian fusion places can be a dime a dozen (sushi bar, modern decor, yadda yaddda), their delicious menu helps keep Asian Spice fresh and interesting. If I lived in DC, I'd be back often. But, hey! Megabus & Bolt Bus let out just down the street! Maybe I can make it happen...
Foot massage in back room. If only this place would go the full hog and transport me to Asia! The decor is modern and slick like an ad for the Excelsior or some other taupe and aubergine themed condo. The sports interviews on the flat screen TVs over the bar create that airport sizzle as the ladies mooch and sip with their glossy nude lips.
DC is filled with conversations from spy movies:
Whitebread slouching in chair: So, were you, like, ex-hon-er-ated?
Non-pork eater with arched brows: No, I was, you know, how you say, cleared.
Whitebread: And when they ask you on the employment form, you will tell them that nothing was proven. You did not do anything wrong.
And so the conversation continued to waft in and out of my attempt to record the anomalies on the menu. When I'm a sucker for a name, it's the name of a dish. "Summer in Beijing" was Champagne with a lychee fruit floating like a swollen head... yummy. Giggle. And then the "Refugeed Noodle" seemed like a plea for help not to be ignored. Actually these noodles were quite classy and neatly rolled up like bales of muslin in a brown sea of indeterminate sauces with an aftertaste... of almond? Giggle.
As I was enjoying the sensation of being Shanghaied to dying-Empire Shanghai, I ordered a banana fried like an eggroll and a ball of green tea ice cream. How Oriental!
Well, my wee afternoon snack turned into a $42 tipple and tidbits. Heehee, giggle, giggle.
Basil is an essential leaf-- it makes the world go round, really.
Basil...mojito?
I hear the purists groan, and I wait for the noise to subside before I tell you-- AMAZING. One of the best drinks I've had since moving to the East Coast (temporary move I assure you!). All of the muddled joy of a mojito but with the central kick that basil brings-- a savory twist on a classic.
So if nothing else, make sure to go to Asian Spice for a basil mojito. You are doubly lucky if one is made by Diana, she can mix a drink with the best of them.
Just last weekend, I came to eat at Asian Spice with a couple of friends before a night on the town. We initially wanted to go eat at Matchbox, which is right next door, but there was a 1hour wait, so we decided on Asian Spice. The ambience,decor, and music selections were all to my liking and members of the staff had great customer service. All these factors had me excited for the food--I ordered the Thai Spicy seafood fried rice and my friends had the Asian Spice Signature Crab Cakes, Never Sober Drunken Noodle, Spicy Eggplant, and the Wild Mushroom and Tofu. The food was alright, but I must admit I was slightly disappointed. None of my friends said particularly great things about their dishes either, so I do not think the food matches up to the ambience and decor of the place. The prices weren't too bad, but given the quality of the food we definitely paid more for the ambience than for the actual meal. I might come back again just for some drinks or if my options are really limited.
"In winter, those with the warmest balls are the most well-equipped."
I just came up with that nice fortune cookie nugget of wisdom due to Asian Spices' nice warm gold balls on the staircase as we ascended to the second floor.
Last Saturday the freezing wind left me uncomfortable to walk anywhere, so I was elated when my friends and I all finally decided to stop at Asian Spice. Aside from regaining the feeling in my face, my eyes darted from one artistic nuance to another decorative detail as we stood at the door. I immediately liked the ambiance and warmth inside. The modern lighting, to even the bar table bottoms, it is apparent that every detail of the restaurant from inception to implementation was well executed. As my hand followed the rail up, it stopped on the gold sphere adorning the frame and it was awesome. It felt great in my frigid fingers. Ok, enough talk about fondling balls.
We all sat on the quieter second floor, joining a couple that gave us awkward looks as though we were crashing their by-invite-only romantic party for two, but they soon realized that we weren't going to go crazy and start table-dancing. The host and waiter were both prompt and polite and I never felt like anything was left to be desired by their service.
I was so, so tempted to order Korean food, but I was put off by the fact that the Kalbi they offered was pork; I much prefer beef short ribs. Then, I thought, this place likely specializes in sushi, so why not get on board? I'm glad I did. I started off with a seaweed salad that was about 4 times larger than I expected it to be and followed it with the best wonton soup I have ever had. That's really because I've only ordered it at Chinese take-out spots, but the bok choy and scrumptious dumplings really made this soup craveable.
I was worried that I might not have ordered enough, so I made sure to order the soup, salad and a roll...which in the end was the perfect amount of food. I had the salmon and avocado roll, a favorite of mine. The food here tastes incredibly fresh and clean. I was impressed by my whole meal and thought briefly about ordering dessert, but nothing on their menu really jumped out at me. I didn't find the prices to be unreasonable; I paid roughly $5 an item.
I would definitely love to have another meal at Asian Spice, if nothing else than to have another bowl of their delicious wonton soup.
Asian Spice is that adorable date spot or girlfriends dinner destination you keep tucked away as a backup. Boasting intimate lighting and modern decor, it is a prime location to kill a bottle of wine while snacking heavily over great conversation.
The menu is broad enough to tempt even the pickiest or craze dieting women, with selections ranging from the strictly geographical traditions to fusion creativity. Though the food is just barely a notch better than mediocre - the atmosphere + value of the wine list make up for the culinary mediocrity. Don't get me wrong, the food was definitely satisfying, I simply wouldn't recommend a special trip or battling chinatown parking for it.
***1/2 stars
You know, I didn't expect much from Asian Spice. It's been open for almost a year and only a couple blocks from my office and I hadn't really been tempted to try it. A few co-workers' assessment that it was "just ok" didn't help either. However, recently we went for lunch with a co-worker on his first day on the job and I have to admit, I was pleasantly surprised.
We sat outside, despite the August weather conditions, and it was actually quite pleasant. Maybe a little too much noise from passing traffic, but otherwise their numerous umbrellas made for a comfortable patio. The menu had a number of things that I haven't seen at other pan-Asian places, plus some familiar dishes which claimed to have a different preparation than you see elsewhere. I ordered the lime grilled chicken salad as was very pleased: thin strips of lime grilled chicken served over greens with a spicy/sweet dressing. My only complain was maybe a little too much dressing. The others at my table seemed pleased as well, including one colleague who I know has exacting standards and proclaimed her tuna appetizer to be excellent. A couple downsides: service was kind of slow (water refills, etc.) and the soda refills themselves were not free. If they're going to charge $2.25 for refills of Diet Coke, they should tell you ahead of time. Annoying. For a casual lunch (one shared app plus one entree and non-alcoholic beverage each) it was farily expensive at over $22/person plus tip. I would go back because I enjoyed my meal and my co-workers did too - next time though I'll smuggle a couple cans of Diet Coke in.
Yes... Like the other comments. The crunchy salmon will have you licking your fingers. Went there for a late lunch. Great service, friendly waitstaff and al fresco seating. I absolutely despise seating inside on a gorgeous summer day, and they have numerous umbrellas to make outside seating a comfortable reality. The Vietnamese summer rolls were outstanding. Same as the crunchy Asian Chicken Salad. Overall a great place for lunch.
We all know pan-asian is generally a terrible idea, and I admit that I only went to Asian Spice under duress. However, I was pleasantly surprised with my experience when I went for dinner. I ordered the roll combination, and it should be noted that it does not come with soup or salad.
What really made the meal was that the spicy tuna was made without mayonaise. That's it. I got a great spicy tuna roll in Chinatown without mayonaise. It is sad that my expectations are so low, but China-block is a disappointing place.
I enjoyed the ambiance. The service was very efficient. The restroom was clean.
Overall, this place is overpriced, but the derth of decent sushi in Chinatown makes this place look great.
Last year, when I visited my old friend in Virginia, my friend(another friend from NY) and I was browsing Washington DC.
Around China town, we were looking for a nice but inexpensive restaurant.
We were scanning(literally yah!) side by side of the building forests, and finally found an Asian restaurant!
This place looked so nice so we were kinda worried of the price but we decided to face it! :)
Interior was awesome, waitresses were so kind, and food was great, too!
I liked the table we were sitting on. The stand of the table looked like root of a tree.
A waitress asked me where I was from. I said NY, and she was very curious about us and our trip. She wanted to join us, but face the reality! She was working!
Anyway, the restaurant gave us a good memory! :)
Seeing that Asian Spice was fairly new to the Chinatown neighborhood, we were enticed by the trendy decor of the restaurant. Plus, it was one of the few restuarants that were still open that night.
The environment was nice, I really liked the trendy upscale aura the funky electronic music and dim shading illuminated. Supposedly, this restaurant is owned by the same manager as the Thai restaurant down the street so the Thai food here should be legit. It's more of a modern asian fusion restaurant so the prices here are slightly higher than others around the area.
Good dishes, good portions, fair prices. Service is average. You pay for the environment--go at night, it's much cooler.
Oh and the sticky rice (it's green) and mango was yummy--if you're into that!
Give it a try, won't be disappointed~but you won't be amazed either, unless you're into spiral staircases and cool electronica. :)
It was such a lovely day so we had to sit outside. We waited a few minutes to order. I ordered Bui or Bai or something, it's supposedly a famous korean BBQ, my friend ordered Pad Thai and my host ordered Refugee Noodle.
The waiting time for the food was about 10 minutes. The plating was not bad, but wasn't that great either.
My meal was good (probably my hunger scale had something to do with the taste), the pad thai was an-ok, so was the refugee noodle. One thing that was taken me aback was the amount of fat there was on the meat, for 20 bucks I kind of wished that my meat (that sounds wrong...) would be leaner than that.
Our waitress was very busy, so don't expect any refills unless you stare hard and try to convey an unspoken message that you need water to any waiter that pass you by. They scurried and more than often they ran so it can be a bit challenging. It wasn't a bad exprience although for the kind of food that I had I consider it to be expensive.
And I agree with the previous poster, they don' give you chopsticks, I had to settle with a fork.
As we walked by this place a member of the group said "never go anywhere that mentions the type of cuisine in the name of the restaurant", and we headed to Matchbox for dinner. After discovering the hour long wait at Matchbox we found ourselves at a table for 6 at this place.
Apparently they had a busy day, because they were out of several dishes that people at our table wanted to order. However the service was good, and what we did order came out super speedy. I had the Thai Basil Chicken- it was good, but couldn't have set more fire to my mouth.
I'll say a high 3.
As a yellow person, I feel like I'm supposed to automatically be averse to the notion Pan-Asian cuisine, and for the most part, I tend to be. Why not stick to one cuisine and do that well, rather than try to cover an entire continent's worth of food?
Steps for opening a Pan-Asian restaurant:
Be trendy. That means you can overcharge for food.
Be sure the menu contains at least the following:
Sushi and special maki rolls. The more adjectives and Asia related words you can use to describe the special roll names, the better (secret assassin ninja Godzilla roll! Golden monkey king flying on a jade phoenix dragon ginseng roll!)
Spring rolls
Chinese-y stir fry dish - chicken/beef/pork/shrimp/tofu with broccoli, sweet and sour chicken/beef/pork/shrimp/tofu, kung pao chicken/beef/pork/shrimp/tofu
Chinese-y noodle dish - lo mien (You can use fettuccine or spaghetti instead. No one knows the difference)
Make sure you use lots of salt/oyster sauce/soy sauce/cornstarch in any of the above dishes.
Okay, enough with the hate.
My coworker wanted to check this place out, so off we went. I went in with low expectations and preconceived notions of how it would be.
So yes, this place is trendy and very nice. The seats and tables are pretty cool and they have Japanese washi paper shoji screens and other Asian-y things around as decoration. You can tell they spent a good amount of money repainting and redecorating the place. The windy staircase is a nice touch.
They have the ubiquitous sushi menu and other usual Pan-Asian dishes, but it spans further than the typical Chinese-y and Japanese-y cuisine. They have some Korean, Malaysian/Singaporean, and Vietnamese dishes as well. Some things sounded pretty tasty.
The dishes we we tried weren't bad. I tried the chicken curry laksa. It could have used a bit more heat, but the gravy had a surprising amount of depth to it, probably helped by the topping of fried shallots. The chicken was tender and the noodles still had a good chew to them. My coworker enjoyed her pad thai, which included some huge prawns, and my other coworker enjoyed his beef salad.
Yes, this place is a bit expensive. I guess someone has to pay for all those renovations and decorations. I think the menu is the same for lunch or dinner. Surprisingly, there are a lot of typos in the menu for some place that is trying to come across as high class.
It was better than I expected. I should try to stop hating on places like this, but I'd still rather go elsewhere and get the real deal if I have the option. Food quality wise, it is a step up for Chinablock.
Another beautifully renovated row house on H NW. My husband and I ate here one night when we just couldn't wait for Matchbox. However we were equally excited to check out the new asian place next door. The interior is very nice, although the second floor is accessed by a tiny twisting staircase. There is also a large outdoor seating area. We ordered cocktails, appetizers and two main courses and thought all of the food was enjoyable. It's not high on my list to come back to, but the portions are large and service was efficient, if not particularly helpful or knowledgeable about specials, etc. Prices weren't bad either.
I have eaten dinner here 2 times, and had happy hour with drinks and appetizers at least 2 times.
I think this place is pretty dam solid. The appetizers I've had are all delicious and above average in quality. The main dishes are also quite good.
The other cool things about this place include the excellent selection of Belgium beers and other beverages, and the outdoor seating area is nice sized and a great addition to the place.
Three strong stars. We started with the vienamese spring rolls, they were pretty good....nothing mind blowing but good.
My girlfriend ordered the Bulgogi, which I thought was really tasty, tho a big greasy. I had the seafood friend rice. It was actually rather good, my only complaint was the shrimp in the seafood fried rice had a very slight chlorine like after taste (very slight). This is what happens when you store shrimp and it becomes a little less than "fresh." (im a chemist I notice these chemical tastes perhaps too well sometimes). Strangely enough, the shrimp in the spring rolls tasted much more fresh.
So aside from the shrimp in the seafood fried rice, this place was pretty good. I would certainly recomend trying it out.
The decor is cool, lots of very cool sounding drinks and beers and there was no wait at all at 9pm on a beautiful Saturday night.
If you cant get into Matchbox, or just wan to try someplace new give it a shot.
Very good Pan-Asian but (1) very expensive, (2) limited sushi menu, and (3) no sake?. #3 is the biggest problem IMO. Waitstaff was generally incompetent but the place has only been open about 2 weeks so I'll let that slide. Also they don't have outdoor liquor license yet, and that was a source of great confusion.
Try the peking duck spring roll appetizer -- it was fantastic. The sushi was more expensive than any place I have seen in DC except Makoto, although the pieces were pretty big.
I am usually not a fan of Pan-Asian, but I had a relaxing, tasty dinner here on a recent Friday night. The Pear Saketini and Pomegranite Margarita were tasty and strong - standard price for DC. The crunchy, spicy tuna rolls was fresh and good - not the best ever, prefer Tono Sushi's Mexican roll - but good. I also had some overpriced sushi which tasted fresh, but the best part of my meal was the steaming wonton soup (with seafood). Good stuff and generous portion. One of our friends had the seafood fried rice which was huge, tasty and had some fantastic scallops.
The decor and service were above average, although they had some strange electronic music in the background. Overall, a good dining experience and a good choice if your group wants sushi and something else with some good cocktails.
Four stars for the bar: we went here for happy hour cocktails-- the bartender (Scott) was great, and made our very reasonably-priced martinis just the way we like them (3 people with dirty martinis, and one person with a "filthy" martini- which required a little inventiveness on Scott's part).
Three stars for the food: the sushi was really good, but overpriced. Unfortunately, they don't have any happy hour food specials. I'll keep my fingers crossed for that, though- and that would give them an extra star!
Our unofficial Lady Yelp party continued at Asian Spice. Never knew this place existed. Located in China Town, the location is deceptively large, the decor modern with clean lines. The menu is pan asian. I don't know if it was the prosecco/wine or what, but I was still able to eat! We ordered a white wine here...forgot which one...sorry! But I definitely remember the Duck roll ($14). This was marinated, shredded duck meat, fresh veggies (scallions, cucumber) wrapped in Malaysian roti. Awesome! I'll have to go and try out other things in the menu.
The food was pretty good, but the service was awful. I don't even know where to began.
IT started when the guy told us that it was going to be a 25 minute wait. We were hungry so we didn't care. The problem was that it was nowhere to wait. We winded up squeezing in with this family next to the steps. When we were finally seated, the waiter took about 15 minutes to come over. We weren't mad, because it seemed like he was the only one that was working. So we put in the order for our drinks, and waited 20 minutes for him to come over and say "do you want to order your food now, or do you want to wait until your drinks are ready." Um...Hello? How long does it take to pour some lemonade into those little small glasses (that little sip of watered-down lemonade that I paid 3 dollars for)? A new waiter finally brought over my food (California, shrimp tempura, and spicy tuna roll(s)), but I couldn't eat it. Guess why? Because they didn't give me any chopsticks. So I flagged down the first waiter, who told me to hold on, and then ran to yell at the bartender about our drinks. When everything was finally in order (including drinks) we ate our meal. Mine, in which, was really good. When we were finished, we waited 25 more minutes for a waiter to come by, so that we could leave.
Will I come here again? No. The food was good, but the whole experience is just not worth it. I'd whether go to a restaurant that has good food AND good service.
Just went in for a few cockitails... decent selection of beers and some interesting cocktails. The food being served at the bar looked pretty good, and I would consider coming back for dinner. The bar service was incredibly slow and indifferent. So, this is two stars... pending a return visit for dinner.
I am a sucker for outdoor restaurant seating. My friend was visiting from out of town and as I played tour guide around Chinatown, we stumbled on this little jewel. I had the Pad Thai and it was outstanding. Their drinks were also very tasty. We went before dinner time so it wasn't real busy. The wait staff was very attentive and friendly. It was a perfect DC day eating and drinking outside watching the world go by.
I went here for a work event right before Christmas. I had been before but just for a quick lunch and wasn't overwhelmingly impressed. However, at the work event where I actually got some time to savor the experience, the service and the food, I was really blown away. We ordered several rolls of sushi to share prior to our actual meal and it was excellent. The crunchy spicy salmon roll is phenomenal. I had the Refugee Noodle for my entree and it was very well done. A really nice combination of flavors. I highly recommend this place!
Normally I wouldn't go into a place with the type of food in its name, as Katie F pointed out, but I made an exception this fall and was delighted I did. I've been back to this restaurant 4 times, and have continued to be impressed by their food, drinks, and service.
I highly recommend the Lemongrass pork, Malaysian noodle, and Refugee noodle (we asked about this name and couldn't get an answer as to its origin--what a sad thing to call a noodle!). Their calamari is divine, and their sushi is far from your standard roll o fish.
The green tea cocktail will knock you on your bottom if you are not a judicious sipper, so watch out, especially if you have to toddle back to the metro and down those escalators. The "sunset in peking" has been know to cause dancing in the streets.
The music...where do they find this strange fusion of electronic, jazz, and world? After a couple sunsets, my friends and I attempted to compose our own piece, which simultaneously confused/amused the sushi chef across the room from our table.
You can spend a little or a lot at Asian Spice--their cheapest cocktail is 8$ and most expensive is 14. The noodle dishes start at about 14 and entrees range up to 30$. I've found if I start with alcohol before an appetizer, I spend a lot more. Odd how that happens.
This place is like 4.75 stars. Go there immediately, and faster if possible.
I still maintain that the happy hour is great - $3 beers (although not on tap), $5 rails and $7 Svedka martinis, which are mixed very very nicely. I had food this time though and was pretty disappointed. First of all, $16 for drunken noodles seems a bit ridiculous to me. They also weren't very good - stick to happy hour drinks people, trust me.
We had happy hour at Asian Spice last night before the Jenny Lewis show at the 6th and I Synagogue.… Read more »
I was curious about this restaurant because it's in our neighborhood, brand new, and near some pretty great places--Matchbox, Zengo, PS7s, to name a few. We stopped by the other night to check it out.
We sat on the patio because the weather was beautiful, but keep in mind that they don't have a license to serve alcohol outside. The place was practically empty, which was a little alarming because it's so huge. I can't imagine what that primo location costs, and I expect they'll need big crowds to keep the place open. The outdoor patio is really pleasant. The service was friendly if a little shy.
Now, the problems:
1. The food. This place is trying to be everything to everybody. Thai, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, and then some -- it's all on the menu. (The menu is also far too large.) You walk up to this place expecting something very chic and urban and cool and well thought out, and it's actually rather cheesy and features a laundry list of Asian food that could be had any cheap buffet. Now, if this place WERE a cheap buffet, I'd be pleased. I'd know what to expect, and I'd get exactly that. But it's not a cheap buffet. One app and two entrees, plus tip, cost us $60. So I felt like the place was trying to sell an experience that it just did not provide. It looks like very little thought went into the menu.
2. Speaking of the menu, it was a complete mess and totally unprofessional. Huge spelling and punctuations errors everywhere. I must have counted 20 before I just stopped counting. Yes, the menu was compiled by someone who does not speak English as a first language. But that person shouldn't be the last pair of eyes on the menu! Hire a proofreader. If you are trying to create a certain experience for your customers, you should know that it's imperative to pay attention to the details and hire somebody who can handle them. Don't offer "pan-sheared" food or "babanas" or "sesame-crushed" food with the Random Capitalization, extra spaces everywhere, and quotation marks and periods and hyphens and commas gone wild. There was even a spot on the menu that said something like, "ingredient 1, ingredient 2, ????????, ingredient 3..." It actually had a bunch of question marks. What on earth? The menu made this place look totally unprofessional. I mentioned the menu problem to the person I believed to be the manager, and he implied that they were all aware of the problem and were working on it. If it were my restaurant, I would have had the menu fixed the very same night someone brought the problems to my attention. (It's just printed on regular paper that's tucked into the leather menu folder.) Details matter.
3. The decor. The tables and chairs on the patio look like they're wicker or a bamboo weave at first glace. But they chairs are just solid plastic that's made to look like a woven material, and tables have -- not sure how else to describe this -- a picture of a bamboo weave on them. They look and feel extremely cheap. This is just a matter of taste -- you don't have to spend a lot of money on this patio furniture, but if you're going cheap get something basic. Don't try to be fancy and risk missing the mark by a long shot. Money would have been better spent on simple, unfussy decor rather than pretty Mikasa silverware.
I would love for this place to succeed, especially because I've heard that it's a family business. And maybe my expectations were out of line simply because I made some faulty assumptions based on the beautifully restored building and the great location. But it just felt like the restaurant version of the bait and switch. A certain experience is implied, but it's not delivered. Pretty much anything on the menu can be had far cheaper at several other places in the area. But maybe the one-time tourist crowd will keep this place going.
I'm curious to hear other people's experiences and hoping they were better than mine.
I'm not sure why you would go to this overpriced Asian restaurant, unless someone else is paying -- there are many other lower price, same quality places around....unless you have a real hankering for Thai food in Chinatown, I would rather just have a lunch special at one of the Chinese restuarants nearby.
Very fresh sashimi, nice decor, good service, kind of pricey but worth it. House salad is so-so and over-priced. It's nice to finally have a good sushi place in Chinatown.
It was the first warm day of this year and a group of girls and I, stumbled over to Asia Spice to to keep up our buzz. We sat at the bar and ordered a bottle of wine while pouring through the extensive menu. Perhaps the menu was it's one downfall....there were far too many choices which would lead one to assume that they turn out a lot of decent dishes vs a few phenomenal dishes. With that said, if you're in Chinatown and just want to avoid the crowd, then Asia Spice is a nice decent spot to tuck into. We tried the duck spring roll which came with a tasty brown sauce. If you've been to Honk Kong or any other "Chinatown" in a European country, you're aware of the crispy duck presentation (shredded duck that comes with flour wrap, same tasty brown sauce and scallions that you assemble yourself). Asia Spice's version is very similar only the duck isn't crispy and it's already assembled. The service was attentive, but it wasn't very packed so that was to be expected. Overall, I'd go back again, for lunch with a friend or to sit at the bar. But I wouldn't go for anything fancy.
Neighborhood: Chinatown
Category: Delis
Neighborhood: Cleveland Park
Category: Sushi Bars
Neighborhood: Chinatown
Category: Japanese
Neighborhood: Chinatown
Category: Latin American
Neighborhood: Chinatown
Category: Thai
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