KATHY MADER--Dining Review

Have I got news for you! In the short series of articles on hidden

gems in the area, I have found another (though I am clearly not the

first). Yet for some, it isn’t the great food that is the secret, but

just where this place has been hiding.

Asia Cafe, on Newport Boulevard and Wilson Avenue, is owned and

operated by Andy Dao and Long Tran, formerly of Asia Bistro on Coast

Highway in Newport Beach. Now, if you have eaten there, you need to read

no further, you know the food is great. But if you haven’t heard of

either, it is time to start taking care of yourself.

With Dao as the front man, you may feel comfortable going in alone. He

remembers everyone’s name and everyone’s previous order and treats you

like you’re a guest at his house. Tran does the unseen labor and then

comes out for a brief chat to make it look easy.

These two men enjoyed success and customer raves at Asia Bistro, but

their partner had to sell. So they went off to start anew and a little

smaller--a lot smaller actually. But this is part of its charm.

Open for just six months, the word is already getting out. In a

nutshell, this restaurant has made mine and my husband, Brian’s, list of

regulars--so much so that Dao might even get a chance to learn our last

names.

Speaking of names, there are many unfamiliar dishes on the menu, and

the definitions aren’t always printed. But feel free to ask.

Begin with the Vietnamese egg rolls ($4.99). Served crispy and hot

with fresh lettuce leaves, carrot slices and mint sprigs to wrap around

them, plus a tasty, vinegary sauce for, as my 2-year-old nephew says,

“dippin’.” These egg rolls are awesome.

As a side note, in a past gastronomic exploration by a restaurant

reviewer, these chefs came up No. 1 in the search for best egg foo yong.

That is no small achievement. I did not know this before I ordered, or I

would have eaten myself silly. What an excellent reason to go there

again.

The soups are hearty and delicious. My favorite so far is the o7 mien

gaf7 ($5.49): clear cellophane-like noodles in a rich chicken broth

with fried red onions, scallions and parsley floating on the top. The

flavor would lift anyone right off the sick bed. The other chicken-noodle

soup is served with fresh cilantro and sliced carrots to top it off. Each

soup is a meal in its own right, but you would be a tad foolish to forego

the egg rolls.

Asia Cafe offers several variations of bun, the Vietnamese word for

rice noodles. These dishes just may be the unnamed house specialty.

The bun dishes begin with a pile of rice noodles on top of shredded

lettuce and sprigs of fresh mint. Your choice of meat or seafood--I had

the shrimp--marinated in a delicious garlic-soy sauce is piled on top

with more grated carrots and crushed peanuts. This is served with more of

the same egg roll sauce. Since being introduced to this restaurant, I

have had this meal once a week.

Because this is a “multi-Asian” cuisine, you will find some of your

very favorites on the menu. Chinese, Thai and Vietnamese dishes all make

a showing, but I have found that the Vietnamese dishes are my favorites.

They are light and fresh with the flavor of a megameal. How can you beat

that?

Asia Cafe has a whole page of lunch specials that include kung pao

beef, various chow meins and moo goo gai pan, all for between $5 and $6.

Take out and catering are also options.

Beer and wine are available and you may ask Dao what he recommends

with your order. Hot green tea is always served at your table.

Nothing is expensive here, and everything I have tried has been just

great. I understand there are many of you out there who agree.

My editor asked me several weeks ago to look into this place, and I

put it off. I just wasn’t sure how exciting Asian food served in a strip

mall restaurant could be.

It surprises me how small my mind can be with an appetite so large.

FYI

ASIA CAFE

2360 Newport Blvd., Costa Mesa

Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, closed Sundays

How much: Inexpensive

Phone: (949) 548-8366

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* KATHY MADER’s dining reviews appear every other Thursday.