gifts, be generously spendthrift, oh and of course, avail all the special
offers available.Earlier this month, I was invited for Women’s Day bloggers
meet at the recently opened Asian Street Kitchen; “Women Bloggers Only”.
Asian Street Kitchen is placed very boldly opposite
Chowpatty, Charni Road, even the local superheroes with bad eyesight cannot
miss this one.Rising from the next generation of Cream Center, ASK believes in bringing forth
the authentic taste of pan Asian Street eats to our very own aamchi Mumbai. At
first instance, this sounds like any regular Chinese food joint, but a quick
glance at the menu spells out a lengthy spread of the “global” Asian foodscape.
A white themed interior, covered from the walls to the dim
milky lights, the signs of fine dining are clearly visible. However, if you
intend to present street food, a minimalist street themed décor would set the
mood. The elders say “Do not judge a book by its cover”, so, moving on to
fooooood.
Som Tam Salad: An authentic Thai salad which is originally
made of shrimp is effectively replaced by mixed veggies, green papaya shredded
into thin noodles, tossed in sweet chilli oil, tamarind sauce, coriander roots
& crushed peanuts. The sweet, spicy, tangy and crunchy flavors explode in
the mouth generating an urge to devour more of this delicious bowl. If the
course beginner was this lap-lapalicious, I couldn’t wait for the rest of the
course.
Next up was Tom Kha; another Thai cuisine. Tom Kha is a soup prepared using (meat
originally) coconut milk, veg stock, ginger, lemongrass, basil & cilantro. The
mixed veggies played a dominant role in this bowl of sour, sharp and spicy
flavors. The different flavors are the reason I nicknamed this the Thai
twister.
I wiped the bowl clean in 3,2,1 and touchdown. With a bit
of hesitation, I slowly lifted my eyes to check on the other ladies and it
seemed I wasn’t the only one going for the bottoms up.
After two Thai beginners, Veg beginners to be precise, I gained a measure of
confidence in ASK from the fact that in spite of being a veg kitchen, the
dishes should get remarkably better as the night goes on.
With no time to spare we were quickly served Three
mushroom dumplings. Three types of mushrooms packed with flavours, in
seamlessly thin wrappers and steamed to perfection. Moist and soft, the
dumplings were unlike any other I had tasted before. Precision cooking ensured
the dumplings didn’t turn soggy too soon.
Pan Fried Potatoes: Golden fried potatoes garnished with colorful
veggies and served with sides of fine strands of vermicelli fry were colorfully
eye pleasing and tantalizing; for sure a crowd pleaser.
Crispy corn and chestnut:
Crispy corns, chestnuts, roasted peanuts tossed in oyster sauce topped with spring
onions & peppers were served up as a mind boggling appetizer. This plate
full of colors was lip-smacking yet had this unique feature which did not let
you feel bloated.
Already gleaming with excitement in anticipation of the next dish we were served;
Penang Laksa: This rustic soup brought back faint memories
and even instant comparisons against the wicked soul’s favoured Khowsuey. Soft
slippery noodles, crunchy bean sprouts, Gari, mint & spring onions all
doused in a thick coconut soup. Wonderfully aromatic, the creamy coconut milk
and strong garlic flavors arising from the Penang Laksa, this one stole the
show, hands down.
Next was Nasi Goreng Rice, an Indonesian street food fried rice originally served
with (prawns,eggs,chicken) & topped with fried egg.
At ASK, Nasi Goreng was served on a warm black slate, a mound
of fried rice topped tofu scramble, and sides of veg skewers with Peanut sauce
& rice wafers. The dish scores high on presentation and visuals, however the
overpowering creaminess of tofu &
peanut sauce in this dish made it soggy and the least favorite on the night. I
would recommend skipping this dish entirely.
Soba stir fry buckwheat noodles, silky soft tofu tossed in
Korean chilli sauce was an average when came to taste-o-meter and nothing noteworthy.
Post a wonderful start to the evening and a couple of
mediocre claims, the dessert could either be gulped down a hero or just stay
idle on the table to become the villain. (the dark knight parody 😉
The GPS on your google maps would indicate that you are at
an Asian food house; not trying the honey noodles while you’re there would be a
waste of all the efforts spent in reaching here.
Honey Noodles & Ice cream: A classic Chinese dessert;
fried wonton noodles drizzled with honey, sesame seeds and rich vanilla Ice-cream
is an absolute sinful combination of crunchy and smooth adjectives.
Red Velvet cake with Mandarin
With every pocket of air in our stomachs yelling to stop,
we had one last bite; a small rectangular shaped Red Velvet cake with
Mandarin Orange sauce. This was the first time I had tasted a mandarin and red-velvet
combo and I must say, this was a stroke of genius. With our stomachs bulging,
our hearts cried out for one more bite of this secret protector. (Another Dark
Knight reference)
Overall it is a decent restaurant to dine on Asian
cuisines. The starters were near perfect and the desserts above average. The mains
still remain a cause for concern and could do with some tweaks.
Starters ranging between anywhere in 200-300 & mains
starting from 350 would fall at 3.5/5 for VFM as the quantity is less for the price.
In general, the service was quick; the staff, courteous
& well versed with the menu and relevant knowledge.
LipsmackingMeter 4/5
Until next time,
TheWickedSoul
Asian cuisine is famous for its taste and variety of recipes, and some of the starter foods are simply amazing. If they are presented using slate starter plates, they will additionally impress your guests.