Welcome back! You seem to like this blog. Why not share your favorite articles with your friends on Facebook and/or give it a Stumble? Thanks!
Asiana Noodle Shop
A friend and I had lunch this week at this relatively new Asian restaurant located at 88 Church Street in Burlington, where Paradise Burritos used to be. It’s a basement restaurant just to the right of Bimini Bill’s hair salon. This is a nice addition to the casual dining options on Church Street and a welcome addition to the already well-populated Asian restaurant scene in town.
Asiana Bar
Asiana Noodle Shop is a cozy little restaurant with a surprisingly large menu and good food at decent prices. The decor is a mixed bag, and I think it needs some more work. On the one hand, I loved the soothing sage green walls with the stone foundation. But there’s no artwork to speak of, and blank wall space leaves little for the solo diner to look at while eating. Since it’s a basement restaurant, you also can’t look out the window and people-watch. Apparently, being in the basement also means it’s difficult to heat, because there was a space heater on the floor next to our table. The bar is tiny with two less-than-comfortable-looking stools to sit at, and certainly nothing to look at behind the bar except some wine bottles. Having said all that, I wouldn’t mind eating here alone since the food and service is good and so are the prices. I would just make sure I brought something to read while I waited for my food.
Golden Rolls
Speaking of food, that’s the most important part of the review, right? Just so you know, they do offer a selection of teas here, as well as wine and beer, though neither of us had any of those. Our place settings came with just chopsticks, no silverware. I don’t know if they will provide silverware upon request, as we didn’t request it.
I decided to sample from the appetizer menu for lunch, so I ordered the golden rolls, which are often called tiger rolls elsewhere ($5.95) and the vegetable spring rolls ($4.95). The presentation was excellent, with little tasty piles of sweet and tangy slaw in the corner of the dishes and sweet chili dipping sauce. The appetizers were just the right size for me for lunch; I walked away quite full. They were also very good. The golden rolls had a little more crab than I’m used to, but still plenty of cream cheese as well. They weren’t too messy, which is a plus. The spring rolls were terrific as well. It’s a good thing I ordered finger food, since my very limited chopstick skills are decidedly rusty. Watching me try to use them was good for a laugh.
Pork Egg Noodles
After sampling a couple of bites of my friend’s lunch, I realized I had made an error. I should have ordered an entree. She had the roast pork egg noodle dish ($10.95) which was delicious, with brightly colored fresh broccoli and red peppers, pork so tender it pulled apart easily, and a yummy sauce. The pork dish was big enough for 2 meals for anyone with a light to normal appetite. For this dish alone, I need to return to this restaurant.
Spring Rolls
This place is going on my list as a return spot. Is it on par with A Single Pebble? Hell no. Is it particularly solo-friendly? I’d have to say no. But it’s got good food, good prices, and good service. You get your money’s worth here, and these days, that’s important. Because of the atmosphere (or lack thereof), I wouldn’t recommend this restaurant for a special dinner out, but as a quick lunch spot, it definitely does the trick.
