Asie
3.5 out of 5 stars
437 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. Appetizers: $6-$12; entrees: $12-$22; desserts: $6; beer, cocktails & wine: $4-$12. 727-898-4300; asiepanasian.com.
One of my regular tasting companions is headed off to Southeast Asia in a few weeks to celebrate a friend’s special birthday. There’s a five-hour flight to the West Coast followed by 15 hours in the silver bird to Hong Kong — it’s 8,700-plus miles from home. Plenty of culinary adventures are in store as they continue the trip to four more countries on the South China Sea before the long return to the Gulf Coast. It’s the kind of journey that could make a food-obsessed guy a tad jealous. My feelings of gastronomic envy, however, are tempered a bit by realizing that I can get a representative range of the same food on the 400 block of Central Avenue. It may not be as strictly authentic, but there’s flavor to spare.
As any gastronome is aware, downtown St. Pete’s Central Avenue has exploded with new restaurants in the past few years. Chef-trepreneur Thuy Le’s La V established its Vietnamese street cred on the strip in 2012, after launching older sibling Thuy Cafe on 34th Street North in 2001. Now Le has expanded her reach next door to La V with Asie, a splendid pan-Asian spot with an extensive menu that helps to save you thousands on travel dollars if you crave these culinary treats.
Asie promises “sophisticated interpretations of traditional fare” with an eye toward the American palate. If you want tarantulas, bee larvae, horse meat or tuna eyes, you need to get a plane ticket. Otherwise, a trip to St. Pete will suffice.
Asie’s interior is a study in simple, Eastern minimalism. There’s a series of glowing pendant lights over the bar that resemble backlit jellyfish in an aquarium. At the rear, near the restrooms, is a large dining table teasingly located behind a curtain of what at first glance looks like beads, but upon closer inspection is spiraling metal. The wall is hung with a painting of a naked Asian maiden rising from the water, her back turned with a sideways glance, wrapped with a fierce dragon strategically placed to keep it all PG. Tall glass vases float red flowers and the table is strewn with rose petals. Otherwise, the space is spare. But don’t miss the bathroom walls; a series of humorous frames will brighten your visit.
As to food, the menu choices are seemingly endless — each accompanied by a lovely photo so you know what to expect. The kitchen pays lots of attention to detail and produces pretty plates. We can’t decide how to start. There are 10 preview dishes, six soups and six alluring salads, plus a range of sushi and poke options. In addition, six specialty cocktails are named after major Asian capital cities for $9 and “seven days of drinking deals” with rotating daily specials for spirits ($6) and Asian beers ($4).
We settle on sharing a sushi selection featuring the signature Velvety Shrimp, ultra-crispy shellfish tossed in a creamy sauce piled on top of a very tasty, spicy tuna roll. We practice our chopsticks skills to great effect — pinch, dip, taste.
The Gyaw-zah, aka dumplings, are beautiful, pleated, soft, steamed bundles of chicken enhanced with earthy enoki mushrooms. They sit in a sweet soy sauce with curled julienned scallions and carrots for punch and crunch. The flavors are subtle and delicious. In general, the kitchen produces nuanced plates, which we enjoy with vigor.
Perhaps the best example is the edamame. I don’t know about you, but I’ve had plenty of these soybean pods over the years — and they’re mostly the same: steamed, sprinkled with salt and pleasant, yet not memorable. Asie’s version knocks me on my ass. They’re simply superlative. The spicy pods are slightly charred and in a viscous soy-garlic sauce that’s as surprising as it is delightful. As if that weren’t enough, they’re garnished with tiny bits of crispy pork belly. They are not to be missed.
Our entree selections also show well. Ginger duck sautés organic breast slices that are fragrant with the fresh root sitting on a bed of colorful, crisp diced carrots, bright green peas, and corn nibs. Oblique-cut cucumbers are tiled in an overlapping leaf pattern that’s a feast for the eyes. It’s scrumptious.
More predictable, but just as tasty, is the iceberg fried rice that loads a fresh lettuce bowl with fluffy grains dotted with peas, carrots and sweet onions. Plump shrimp and juicy chicken strips snuggle with the lovely rice. It’s a big portion with enough for tomorrow’s lunch.
Short ribs feature tender beef falling off the bone with a complex umami-filled sauce, finishing with notes of deep caramelization and a hint of light chili. The perfect vegetable accompaniments harness the flavor that al dente asparagus, broccoli and tender mushrooms can muster.
The three desserts are not Asian or made in-house. They’re imported from the nearby dessert bar, (swah-rey). We skip the flan and focus on Chocolate Lover, a cake billed as “very smooth and fudgy — it melts in your mouth.” It’s dense and one-dimensional; not unpleasant, though not swoon-worthy either. The crème brûlée is standard issue, too. Both are fine, but neither creates fireworks.
Still, Thuy Le has done it again. Asie will satisfy all your Asian cravings — as will her other restaurants. And, please, don’t miss the edamame. You can thank me later.
CL Food Critic Jon Palmer Claridge dines anonymously when reviewing. Check out the explanation of his rating system, or email him at [email protected].
