Review During Covid:
Ok, let's be real, Natomas has no good authentic Southeast Asian restaurants. The majority of the restaurants in the area are chain restaurants. Do we really need multiple Chipotles, Panda Express, and In & Outs just down the street from each other in Natomas? Anyway, the majority of the good Southeast Asian restaurants are all in South Sac. I am so glad I discovered Asian Cafe which is on Norwood, but that is so much closer than driving all the way to South Sac.
Asian Cafe is located in what appears to be the hood, but then again, a lot of good restaurants are hole in the wall places in the hood. The place is a little rough looking on the outside. The private parking lot is shared with other businesses and definitely needs to be repaved.
However, the inside is decorated just like any other Southeast Asian restaurant. Upon entering, I was immediately greeted by a male staff who was wearing a mask. I didn't actually have time to sit down and have a meal. I was picking up an order to go so I can't comment on the service.
All the food was packed nicely and no issues with spilling anything in the car even though they do pack their hot soups/broths in those styrofoam containers with the plastic lids that normally spill all over your car.
I ordered the Papaya salad with fermented fish, Khao Piak Sen, Lao Sausages, Beef Larb, Khao Poon Noodles, and the Nam Khao.
When you order the Papaya Salad, you can order it with the fermented fish, or fish sauce, or salt with lime juice. It is all preference. I personally like the fermented fish version just because that is what I am used to and what I ate growing up so I have yet to try their other Papaya Salad versions. Their Papaya Salad with the fermented fish is definitely one of the better Papaya Salads I've had. I'm kind of picky when it comes to my Papaya Salad and I would have to say that no adjustments have to be made to their Papaya Salad. This is definitely an item to order. However, just keep in mind that fermented fish is an acquired taste. Some people hate the smell of it and won't even try it. The Papaya Salad does come with vermicelli noodles, and iceberg lettuce. It is made the traditional way with a mortar and pestle.
The Khao Piak Sen, if you've never had it before is basically like the Southeast Asian version of chicken soup. Their Khao Piak Sen does come with fresh made rice noodles (Lao Udon Noodles), chicken soup broth, pork blood cubes, topped with grilled onions, cilantro, green onions, and black pepper. I personally am not a fan of pork blood cubes so I normally ask for them to exclude that item. As for the chicken meat, they are kind of stingy with the protein so you'll only get a few pieces here and there. The flavor of the broth is good alone, but if you want to elevate it, definitely add the hot chili pepper oil. I did enjoy their Khao Piak Sen and would order it again.
The Lao Sausages were made out of ground pork, white onions, lemongrass, chives, sugar, fish sauce, salt, and kaffir lime leaves. I thought they were just okay. They weren't bad, but they were also not the best.
Their beef larb was also just okay as well. It wasn't bad, but also wasn't the best I've ever had.
Normally I am not a huge fan of Khao Poon because I don't like my soups being on the sweet side. However, I really enjoyed their Khao Poon Noodles. I thought the broth was perfect by itself and didn't need any adjustments. Their Khao Poon Noodles came with vermicelli noodles, chicken broth sauteed in coconut milk, red curry paste, kaffir lime leaves, ginger, galangal, pork blood cubes, and served with bean sprouts and shredded cabbage. Once again, I asked them to exclude the pork blood cubes, and also they're kind of stingy on their chicken meat. Other than that, I actually liked their Khao Poon more than I liked their Khao Piak Sen. If you want to check out Asian Cafe, I definitely recommend ordering their Khao Poon.
Their Nam Khao I thought was just okay. This was another one of those dishes where I thought it was good, but I've had better elsewhere. It wasn't as flavorful as other Nam Khao I've had.
Overall, Asian Cafe offers affordable authentic fresh and delicious Southeast Asian cuisine. I highly recommend checking the place out! There are definitely other items on the menu that I still need to try which includes the Pad Thai and the Pho! read more