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Categories: Vietnamese, Asian Fusion [Edit]
Neighborhood: West Village9th Street (PATH)
Christopher St (1)
14th St-6th Aves (F, V, L, 1, 2, 3)
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Got stuck in the rain while trying to find another place in the area while the halloween parade was going on. SO, we ducked into this place.
DELICIOUS broad noodle dishes. Very friendly and fun wait staff.
will definitely keep this on the radar for that area of NYC when visiting.
Thank you!
This is one of my favorite restaurants in the city, period. It's on my list. You know the list - in case of food emergency, in case you don't know where else to eat... because this place delivers consistently for an extremely reasonable price. The food is delicious. I don't think there's anything I've had there that I didn't like, and I've been going there for about five years now.
The one problem is, how the hell do you pronounce their name? I still don't know.
I love this W Village joint. It's cute and quirky, and they serve great food without the usual W Village hype.
The restaurant's quite small and cozy, maybe 8 tables, and the service is friendly.
Try the rice clay pot, it's worth the added wait, and you'll find yourself scraping the bowl to get at the crunchy bits of rice -- think tadig if you know Persian cuisine.
But before the rice, start off with their duck rolls, which are delicious!
I wasn't super hungry when I came here, so I only had the egg rolls. However, I also tried some chicken and tofu and other random things, so I got a good idea of this place. It's ok. That's really the only way to describe it. Not great, not amazing, not bad, not horrible, just ok. So 3 stars.
over battered fried squid, flavorless beef cube. I was starving when I ate there and they still don't taste good.
I went to dinner here Saturday night. Don't be deceived - it looks TINY from the front but it extends all the way in the back where there are tons of tables/seats and it's like a patio where it's open air and cozy.
I actually didn't even know what type of food this was but based on the menu and the decor in the bathroom, it seemed to be southeast asian countries that were colonized by the French? I dunno.
As for the food, I tried the Fun See which was glass noodles, chives, veggies - it had the sweetness of a Pad Thai, so if you dig that, you'll love this. Glass noodles are delish. I also tried the Mee Goreng, which, as a Malaysian, I thought was just okay. Not great. Just okay. I DID like the Clay Pot though - rice, chinese sausage, scallions, etc baked in a pot so the outer edge of the rice is crispy. Yummers!
I came in a big group and the service was fine. The only annoying thing is it's cash only. Ugh, why do Manhattan restaurants insist on doing that?
Minus one star for cash only.
Otherwise, I was in love with this meal. Shared the duck rolls and calamari as appetizers, both were delicious and served with great dipping sauces. Then shared the red beef curry (with pumpkin, yay pumpkin!) and the clay pot rice, both of which were so good, I had a hard time deciding which one I liked more. I think the clay pot rice won in the end, though -- the crispy rice we scraped off the inside of the pot reminded me of dolsot bibimbap (or paella, even) and the flavors were great. Waitress was great, atmosphere is dim and cozy and cute.
What a great place! This is the perfect place to have a nice meal with excellent food and comfortable ambiance for an affordable price. My friend had recommended this place to me, and I finally made it there yesterday. I sat in the garden which is a really nice space- note the amazing chocolate brown tree that is protruding from the dining space! We started with the steamed shrimp dumplings, and I had the Poh Teak (seafood and thin rice noodles in spicy broth) for my main. My friend had the green curry with shrimp. The food was very flavorful and fresh. It was such a treat. Perfect Tuesday night dinner. I'll definitely be back.
ducked in here for a quick bite before some bar trivia at Treehouse. kind of a budget interior with paper lanterns on the ceiling and metal tables.
skip the dumplings. probably skip the weird meatballs with "american curry" (slightly curried tomato chutney type sauce.) good but small.
The summer rolls were big and delish! the special was a soft-shelled crab with mango and chili sauce and the duck roll had lots of meat and was huge. The sauces were different but both tasty with some heat.
I'm going to remember you, DUCK ROLL. you and the delivery guy with a helmet completely wrapped in tin foil who kept coming and going. he is safe from aliens.
Consistently good, authentic, Asian fusion/Vietnamese food. I had a tofu dish last time and while I',\m always apprehensive ordering tofy it was delicious as was the shrimp spring roll. Not the most comfortable place if that matters to you.
Food here was just OK -- everything tasted fine, but nothing was memorable or worth coming back to have again. I ordered the Goeng Kheow -- no guarantees that I spelled that correctly! -- a green curry with shrimp and vegetables in a clay pot. In a $17 entree I had three shrimp and the most random assortment of veggies for a SE Asian dish. (Cauliflower? iceberg lettuce? chard? Yes, yes, and yes.) It wasn't bad, just odd to go exploring in a claypot and come up with the better part of a house salad.
Aside from the food, the service here was really great and the staff seemed to genuinely appreciate the business. Even during a dinner rush when the place was pretty crowded, we had our waiter and two additional staff coming by very regularly to make sure that everything was good and that we didn't need anything. The atmosphere was so-so. We sat outside in the back patio, which was initially sealed up from recent rain. Hot + humid greenhouse does not make for good dining, but after they opened up a few roof panels it was comfortable.
Damn good southeast asian food right here! I had the balinese chicken dish and it was DELISH! omg... I was seriously thinking about it for the rest of the night and the next morning and later asked an Indonesian friend for the recipe cause I just cant get enuff...
My friends were all happy w/their dishes and drinks as well, so this place is a keeper. Not to be confused w/all the other poser asian/fusion restaurants in the city.
Everything was just as flavorful as the real deal you would find in southeast asia...
Service was a bit slow but def worth the wait!
I have been here about 12 times. My first experience was mixed. I ordered the Mee Rojak (egg noodles with vegetables and tofu in peanut lime sauce). My friend ordered the Mee Goreng (indian style stir-fried egg noodles with shrimp, tofu and bean sprouts) sans shrimp. My friend's dish arrived first, took a bite - it was superb. Some of the noodles were nicely browned from the pot, the spice level was perfect and the tofu mixed in is just so delicious (unlike any noodle dish I've has before). I was excited to see what I had in store...
As my dish came out, I refused to believe that the plate in front of me was for me. It looked like a bowl of undrained noodles with a few cooked veggies sitting on top. The peanut sauce was on the side. That's it. I tried to not be too discouraged and dug in. YUCK! While it takes a lot for me to send food back (time constraints and preference for avoiding spit in food), I had absolutely no choice. I asked for the Mee Goreng instead arguing that the menu did not correctly describe the dish. Although they were not delighted to accommodate, they eventually did. I proceeded to enjoy one of my favorite noodle dishes. And from that day on I often crave that dish, which has never disappointed. Also happy to report that I have recruited many Mee Goreng followers.
I arrived at the Southeast Asian restaurant to a packed dining room seating maybe 30 people.
To get started, I ordered a hot sake. For my meal, I had egg noodles with vegetables and tofu covered in peanut lime sauce. The name of the plate escapes me as it was highly unusual.
Overall, the food was ok. My meal arrived in a big, white bowl. It featured two huge chunks of fried tofu with mixed vegetables, including two half slices of tomato, green beans, and carrots laid atop egg noodles. The peanut lime sauce was good, but I could not taste the lime and the server did not offer any. The tofu was great, oversized, and fluffy. Prices were cheap for the Village; my meal was only S10.50.
Space was cozy and the ceiling was littered with different colored Chinese lanterns. I doubt I will be back despite some of the appetizers looking very tasty. Although the restaurant was cute, the food was decent, and the server was attentive, nothing was noteworthy enough to warrant my return.
Amazing pan-asian place. Pretty much no complaints. We had the Malaysian curry coconut chicken; a beef dish on the daily specials menu; a noodle dish with lime peanut sauce, tofu, and a hard-boiled egg; and an order of sticky rice. All that and a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc came to less than $29 per person for 3 ppl. And such good food! There was something distinctly fresh-tasting about the food, which is unusual in asian places I go to. Plus, the noodles weren't rubbery, the meat wasn't too tough, the sauces weren't too oily or greasy, nothing was too spicy [or bland], and there was a good amount of sauce with each dish so that the rice could be put to good use, to sop it up.
Only problem is that the back part of the restaurant - which apparently is "outdoors" in the summer - was inadequately heated by heat-lamps when we went in late February.
I LOVE THIS PLACE!!! I've been frequenting Cafe Asean from my NYU days. I love the tiny space and their charming backyard. The food is delish and hasn't really changed from 12 years ago. Mee Goreng is my favorite as well as the pork chops and during the summer they have a cold noodle that is really refreshing. I live in HELL AY now and miss Cafe Asean soooooo much! When I went back to the city earlier this year with my nyc virgin bf...... we made a pit stop at Cafe Asean and he was in LOVE!!! the food and price is the perfect combo for any day any season any time!!!!
two thumbs up for me.
I would recommend you to avoid Friday nights. Arrive a little later or early. It can get very crowded for dinner with limited sitting. Its puny but delicious place.
I went there twice, once with friends and another time alone. In both cases, the waiter/waitress was amazingly charming and nice. The hun tieu and the bo luc lac were good. I love the dessert mango + flan
Came here on a really hot, humid day with friends and ordered the $12 hu tieu (broad rice noodles with chicken, basil, and bok choy). We took a seat in the outdoor garden area, but that probably wasn't a good idea since it was too HOT to be enjoyable. The noodles were tasty but not spectacular although it came with a spicy, garlicky, sweet & sour dipping sauce which gave the noodles and chicken some jazz. The prices were okay, but not really a place to go if you're looking for a deal.
I would go back with friends to try some of the other items...Definitely would only sit outdoors on a much cooler day...
They serve wet scallops!! I was SO disappointed. My monkfish tasted like it was treated with phosphate as well, and overcooked.
I feel like if you don't serve fresh scallops there should be a disclaimer of some sort on a menu telling you 'we treat our seafood with chemicals'.
So, why am I giving this place 3 stars? First it's very cute. Our duck spring roll appetizer was delicious, as was the dipping sauce it came with. My friends food (noodles of some sort with lime/peanut sauce) was really good, and finally the sauce on my dish yellow curry/saffron was great, as was my bok choi.
It's entirely possibly that this place is good for everything but seafood... but seafood is what I happen to love, so I was pretty sad!
I might give it another shot and order something else if I am in the neighborhood.
This place has a strong Brooklyn vibe- the charm, reasonable prices, tiny indoor space, outdoor garden, and hipster servers. I have heard plenty of good things from friends and decided to stop in for dinner last night. All indoor tables were taken, so we sat outside on the patio.
Asean was good- nothing worth leaving your neighborhood for, but tasty. We kicked off the meal with the steamed mushroom dumplings (i liked the spicy sauce and flavor- dumplings were a bit rubbery). For the main meal, I ordered the seafood with rice noodle soup (hit the spot and warmed me up- was exactly what I was craving, but could have used a few more scallops). My date ordered the curried chicken with potatoes and veggies (he enjoyed it, but I thought it could have been better- perhaps Asean should consider serving this entree in a pot and adding a few more veggies).
By the end of the meal:
1. my lips were swollen from all the spicy flavors
2. The bill was less than we both anticipated (a pleasant surprise)
3. Our bellies were filled.
sunday night success
Solid little place in Greenwich Village for Pan-South Asian cuisine. A little Vietnamese, a little Malaysian, a little Thai if you're in the mood. They get major points in my book for going with a rustic decor instead of a faux-chic one (are you listening, EVERY mediocre Thai place in NYC!?). It makes the experience much more enjoyable.
I rolled up last night with Ms. Chantelle K and a friend. We snagged a table on their outdoor back patio and dove in with some shrimp and crab dumplings. Yummy. I followed it up with a dish of rice noodles, shrimp and sausage, which, believe it or not was very light as well as tasty! Prices aren't too bad, service was solid. Seems like a great neighborhood take-out place or somewhere to stop in for a good meal. Thumbs up.
This is actually one of the first places I came to when I moved to the city over 2 years ago. I always remembered it being really good Vietnamese at an incredibly affordable price with .... a back patio!
Because it was rockin weather-wise last night, grabbed D and Sam P. and hit it up for another try. I remembered right! Affordable, tasty food and super easy to grab a seat on the patio. The apps all looked amazing and at around $6 a pop I'm surprised we didn't order more. We tried the crab and shrimp fried (obvi) dumplings and D also got an order of the duck spring rolls which were pretty big and looked incredibly fresh and the spicy long beans - of course, they were more like spicy short beans (False advertising! But isn't it always, ladies? Hehehehe) Delish! I got a peanut lime tofu egg noodly dish which was super good and washed it down with 2 Tsing Tao beers. Annnd, I can't remember what Sam got (though he did give me a bite) but I'm sure he'll Yelp about it.
Definitely going to hit this place up again over the summer for when I feel like a spicy Asian casual dining outdoor fix. One note - it is cash only so come prepared or get ready to make a run to the joke shop on the corner to use their ATM.
Food was good but not amazing; cash only is annoying. Nice decor, nice atmosphere.
Great food. Good service. Nice atmosphere.
A high three.
Cute garden--eat outside if you can.
The food is good, but not outstanding. The mee goreng--the mee goreng is outstanding.
Warning: The prices here are higher than Time Out's Eating issue 2008 reported. Not sure if they raised them or if TONY was wrong, but I wouldn't call Cafe Asean "cheap."
Decided to check Cafe Asean out after shopping and reading the reviews in NY Magazine- it's definitely worth it! Sat in the back with the open roof...it's small with a cool, cozy atmosphere.
The food was so very good. We ordered a spring roll appetizer to share- good portions and great flavor, crispy. I ordered the Xao Xa Ot Ga/muc/tom it was really savory and I ate way more than I should have. My friend ordered a vegetarian meal that she was very happy with. Great price, great food, just remember to bring cash or you'll need to visit the ATM around the corner.
I love this place. Even though they only take cash, Cafe Asean has great, inexpensive food, casual yet romatic decor, friendly staff, and is centrally located in Greenwich Village. This is my go-to 3rd date restaurant in NYC.
Oooooh....
All the elements that make up a lovely, casual dining experience come together here...cozy, inviting ambiance; friendly service; beautifully presented food, outrageously good smells emanating from the kitchen...
My delicious main course was a special that night--duck with some kind of whacky, green japanese eggplant, avocado and creamy curry sauce. It was a teeny bit underseasoned for my taste, but I threw a pinch of salt on there and have been dreaming about it ever since.
I tasted both of my companions' dishes and they were also excellent.
The fifth star is missing due to the prices, which seemed high for the small portions. I was a little surprised when the bill came and I owed $30 for a shared appetizer, main dish, and a Coke.
That being said, I will definitely return to Cafe Asean to bask in those other 4 stars.
Went here for dinner with a friend and it just absolutely killed me to totally overpay for these noodle dishes here. We had salt and pepper calamari to start off, which was really bland, there was hardly any salt, or pepper! I had the mee goreng, and my friend had the hu tieu. Both were good, but the hu tieu dish in no way tasted vietnamese. If im in the area maybe ill return but next time ill head down to chinatown where dishes are half the price and they dont downplay the flavors.
I almost want to give this place a bad review so it doesn't get crowded and us old-timers can always be assured a seat. However, I can't do it. This is my favorite place in New York City and I have been known to leave JFK in-between connecting flights to get a bowl of Mee Rojak. Mmmm.
The staff is great and generally seems to be the same people over the years, which is a nice bit of familiarity in a city where restaurants change names every three months. The food is delicious, reliable, and unique -- I travel a lot and I don't run into bee hoon/mee rojak very often. The wine selection is a bit limited but I've always found a decent red for around $30a bottle.
Seating is limited, but the backyard garden area is just fantastic. Hard to fit a group, but they will accept reservations for groups and get the tables together ahead of time.
They are CASH ONLY. Every time I'm there, I see people try (and fail) to pay with credit. Bring cash.
I couldn't find anything interesting on the appetizers list, but my entree (some sort of peanut noodle thing) was freakin' awesome.
Glad I found this place, it rules.
I've been coming here for about 4 years. Their food is fantastic and tasty for the price. The ambiance is great and colorful and quaint. The service is always good. Their flat noodles and curry chicken are very good and it's a nice change of pace from similar thai food. They represent a lot of southeast asian areas and flavors are fantastic. They have an outdoor patio too. It's a great date spot or to catch up with friends.
Cafe Asean was a welcome find after a tiring stroll to find some place to eat in Greenwich Village (actually was looking for 'Snice). Let me be right with it--the food is mediocre. I don't even remember what I had. L.A. simply kickboxes the balls of any city when it comes to great Southeast Asian food. Judging from the gap between the reviews and my experience, New Yorkers are a deprived lot.
Major annoyance: Southeast Asian for this restaurant excludes the second-most populous, the Phillipines. Another demission for this restaurant. If you're gonna call yourself Asean, know that the founding member of the ASEAN group is the Philippines. Cafe Indochine would've been a lot more appropriate a name.
Great surprise to me was the outdoor patio seating. It was a nice day in New York so I lucked out to see this rustic shack-like space with an open roof underneath a canopy of trees. The deco works really well with its surroundings. Staff was friendly and attentive. If only the food works just as well.
Everyone who ate the extremely jaw tiringly chewy old calamari went to the bathroom that night. The rest of the food was not memorable. Bad luck?
However, really cute outdoor garden seating area in the back.
For most people, Cafe Asean will be a solid four star restaurant. It's good food, great atmosphere, moderately priced, speedy service, and all around a great experience. But for some reason, I really like this place; despite the fact that the food isn't the best I've ever had, I keep coming back here again and again. Call it an inexplicable attraction, but I'm in love with this restaurant.
Don't get me wrong, the food is quite delicious. The fare is Pan-South Asian, and considering how overplayed that cuisine has been in recent years, it still makes things original and delicious. And though there hasn't been a disappointing dish, the people that I brought along never seemed quite as impressed as I was.
Appetizers:
-Shrimp and Chives Dumplings: These dumplings were tiny but potent in flavor. The chives overpowered the shrimp a bit, but the dumplings were delicious anyways. I really like the ginger lime dipping sauce as it has quite an unexpected kick.
-Salmon spring rolls: Because they were on the long and skinny side, the spring rolls didn't allow for the salmon to really play out. They were perfectly crispy, but the meat was so insubstantial. But I really liked the mint and basil dipping sauce that it came with; it was absolutely delicious.
Entrees:
Generally speaking, I found out that you're much better of getting the meat or fish dishes from Cafe Asean than the noodle, rice, or curry dishes (I ate them off of my friends' dishes, so I won't be reviewing them) that you can get anywhere else. The noodle, rice, and curry dishes are good, but I do believe you can find better elsewhere. But with that said, I think their talents lie in making different flavors work with the meat.
-Grilled whole sea bass: This was probably the best take on a fish dish by a Southeastern Asian restaurant I've ever had. It was a moderately sized whole sea bass perfectly cooked. The skin was slightly crunchy and delicious and the meat was flavorful but delicate nonetheless. I also really like the vegetables and spices that they pile onto the fish. It adds a spicy kick to the fish without taking away from the sea bass itself. I definitely recommend this dish to anyone.
-Hangar steak: I adore this dish as well. The first time I went to Cafe Asean, I sat next to a really sweet couple with whom my friend and I talked a bit. One of the guys had gotten this dish, and because it looked so good, I asked him about it. He told me what it was and that even though he's a regular at Cafe Asean, this is the only dish he gets. I can totally see why. I admit that the meat was a bit tough (if you're a steak purist, you might be disappointed. Though, what are you doing ordering steak here?), but it was so flavorful. They doused it with this sweet soy and lemongrass sauce that despite not being heavy, was intense.
The only thing I can complain about their food and drinks was with their Vietnamese coffee as they use evaporated milk instead of condensed milk. That hurts my heart a bit.
But I think more than anything, I love Cafe Asean because it's such a gorgeous little restaurant. There's two seating rooms, the dining room in the front and garden seating. The garden seating is under a make-shift greenhouse sort of structure. It's well lit and intimate. Candles sit on every table. There are antique looking mirrors hanging from the wall. There's even a large tree growing in the back. But more than anything, I love the small dining room in the front. It's a tiny cozy room lit by colorful paper lanterns that hang above. The tables and chairs have the intimately worn feel with rubbed out pastel paints. I like how the hallway has a wallpaper made out of old Chinese schoolbook pages. I even like how they use antique iron for a doorstop. And I adore the fact that when you come to the restaurant early enough in the morning, you can still smell the incense that they had been burning all night.
Even though they may not have the best dishes for everything, I find myself coming back again and again. Even though they don't use condensed milk, I'm willing to overlook that. Patience and forgiveness from me? Call it what you want, but I think I'm in love.
so adorable inside! the paper lamps, dim lighting, and rustic look made me fall in love. the whole atmosphere made me realize how different NY is from CA.
the menu was pretty simple and reasonably priced and the food was tasty. i had the steak and broccoli which was very good, but incredibly spicy! the dessert was to die for (the flan with fresh cut mangos).
the service was a bit slow at first but overall friendly wait staff. we stayed in there chatting til it closed.
My dining companions seemed five-star gung ho about this place, which I wasn't. The garden out back is very pleasant at twilight on a warm day, but it's tricky to eat family-style on a table for four there. There was a lot of clanging and occasional dropping of food.
The food was good, but for some reason blew less of me away than my friends. Decent, but nothing more. One of the pieces of chicken looked a little rare, but we ate around it and felt fine the next day.
Three words: Salmon Spring Rolls! Five words if you include the mint sauce served on the side. The other selections at Cafe Asean are okay---mediocre on an off day. So, truth be told, the spring rolls are the only reason I keep coming back. Yeah the restaurant is on the small side, but there is the option of dining outdoors in the warmer months (colder months too...if you're an Eskimo tourist looking for a decent coconut curry). The outdoor set up is rather quaint. Unless you're afraid of bugs, in which case the little white caterpillars that periodically fall from hovering trees will send you screaming like a little b**ch right back into the restaurant. I'm serious, on several occasions that b**ch was me. I'd say the service is good, and that one waitress is kind of okay looking.
Warning: No credit cards
Biggest complaint: Sold left kidney to pay for extra Spring rolls
I have officially fallen in love with a NYC restaurant. I love southeast Asian cuisine, and Cafe Asean delivers. The appetizers are all under $10, and the portions are big enough to share. We ordered the bo luc lac (beef cubes with tomato and onions, otherwise known as AMAZING for around $15) and the green coconut curry with shrimp $14. I am quite certain I died a little death, as the French might say. Oh, if you get a bottle of the Asian pear-infused sake, be prepared to leave very drunk.
Neighborhood: West Village
Category: Community Service/Non-Profit
Neighborhood: West Village
Category: Asian Fusion
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Category: Vietnamese
Neighborhood: Little Italy
Category: Asian Fusion
New York, NY
Category: Restaurants
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