Asia Cafe

Grub Scout: Multi-national Asia Cafe
represents variety of cuisine

KNOXVILLE — A couple of months back, I remarked on the trend of Asian-food restaurants serving the cuisine of multiple nationalities. So when I saw online that Asia Café—at the intersection of Central Avenue Pike and Callahan Road—offers Malaysian, Thai, Chinese, Indonesian and Japanese food, all under one roof, it was more than my curiosity gland could stand.

The Grub Spouse and I stopped in for dinner recently and discovered a menu that indeed seemed to cover a lot of territory, although it’s not always clear which dishes belong to which country. For example, some of the Thai, Malaysian and Indonesian meals are noted as such, while others are not.

Those craving Japanese food have a number of hibachi- and teriyaki-style dinners from which to choose (chicken, shrimp, steak, scallops, crabmeat, etc.), served in bento boxes, on plates and in combination platters.

Most of the rest of the dinners are divided among several different categories, including curry dishes, vegetable entrees and noodle dishes. Among the Chinese favorites are General Tso’s chicken, kung pao chicken, Szechuan eggplant and lo mein noodles. Beyond those borders, you’ll find the other nations represented through recipes like pad prik, sotong curry and Thai mee Siam.

The most notable section of the menu is the Special Exotic Delicatessen, where you can have a go at chicken feet prepared with Chinese mushrooms, green onions and carrots, or you might be in the mood for my personal favorite item—Asia Café Exotic Stewed Pig and Cow Internal and Body Parts—where intestine, bladder, tongue and ear are prepared just the way you like them.

I admittedly am not that adventurous, so I settled for the Malaysian Bak Kut Teh—barbecue ribs with Chinese mushrooms, garlic and Chinese herbs, served with rice on the side. The Spouse played it safe with the moo goo gai pan from the Authentic Asian Cuisine section, prepared with chicken, carrots, onion, mushroom, zucchini and snow peas.

We started off, however, with salt and pepper calamari from the appetizer list, which also features spring rolls, edamame, pot stickers, fried chitlins and crab rangoon. The calamari was delicious, deep-fried in a tasty breaded shell and served with grilled veggies and a soy-based dipping sauce.

Our main dishes followed, which is when I learned something important about the Bak Kut Teh that’s not mentioned on the menu. It’s actually served in soup form, in a large broth-filled bowl, with yu cha kuay (small bits of fried breadstick) for dipping. Spooning through the bowl, I felt like I was in an Indiana Jones movie as I watched small, meaty riblets and large mushrooms bob to the surface.

This dish was tasty, though challenging in the eating. I’m a chopsticks lame-o, so I frequently switched utensils as I found myself spooning the broth, using a fork to cut the mushrooms and eat the rice, and holding the small ribs with my hands as I tore the tender meat away with my teeth. And I did often have to extract small bits of bone from my mouth while chewing.

But it was all certainly worth the effort flavorwise, as was The Spouse’s moo goo gai pan and its traditional blend of chicken and semi-crisp vegetables. The portions were large, so we both had plenty of leftovers to take home.

Of course, we didn’t have the fortitude to sample dishes from all five nations, but that will just leave us something to look forward to next time around. Although I’m fairly certain the chicken feet and the cow tongue will be safe from my clutches.

Bottom Line:

You’ll definitely expand your horizons at this north Knoxville Asian-food eatery, which boasts cuisine from five different nations.









Now for sale in the restaurant and at your grocery: Asia Cafe Shrimp Sauce- Try some today!

Grub Scout: Multi-national Asia Cafe represents variety of cuisine KNOXVILLE — A couple of months back, I remarked on the trend of Asian-food restaurants serving the cuisine of multiple nationalities. So when I saw online that Asia Café—at the intersection of Central Avenue Pike and Callahan Road—offers Malaysian, Thai, Chinese, Indonesian and Japanese food, all under one roof, it was more than my curiosity gland could stand. The Grub Spouse and I stopped in for dinner recently and discovered a menu that indeed seemed to cover a lot of territory, although it’s not always clear which dishes belong to which country. For example, some of the Thai, Malaysian and Indonesian meals are noted as such, while others are not. Those craving Japanese food have a number of hibachi- and teriyaki-style dinners from which to choose (chicken, shrimp, steak, scallops, crabmeat, etc.), served in bento boxes, on plates and in combination platters. Most of the rest of the dinners are divided among several different categories, including curry dishes, vegetable entrees and noodle dishes. Among the Chinese favorites are General Tso’s chicken, kung pao chicken, Szechuan eggplant and lo mein noodles. Beyond those borders, you’ll find the other nations represented through recipes like pad prik, sotong curry and Thai mee Siam. The most notable section of the menu is the Special Exotic Delicatessen, where you can have a go at chicken feet prepared with Chinese mushrooms, green onions and carrots, or you might be in the mood for my personal favorite item—Asia Café Exotic Stewed Pig and Cow Internal and Body Parts—where intestine, bladder, tongue and ear are prepared just the way you like them. I admittedly am not that adventurous, so I settled for the Malaysian Bak Kut Teh—barbecue ribs with Chinese mushrooms, garlic and Chinese herbs, served with rice on the side. The Spouse played it safe with the moo goo gai pan from the Authentic Asian Cuisine section, prepared with chicken, carrots, onion, mushroom, zucchini and snow peas. We started off, however, with salt and pepper calamari from the appetizer list, which also features spring rolls, edamame, pot stickers, fried chitlins and crab rangoon. The calamari was delicious, deep-fried in a tasty breaded shell and served with grilled veggies and a soy-based dipping sauce. Our main dishes followed, which is when I learned something important about the Bak Kut Teh that’s not mentioned on the menu. It’s actually served in soup form, in a large broth-filled bowl, with yu cha kuay (small bits of fried breadstick) for dipping. Spooning through the bowl, I felt like I was in an Indiana Jones movie as I watched small, meaty riblets and large mushrooms bob to the surface. This dish was tasty, though challenging in the eating. I’m a chopsticks lame-o, so I frequently switched utensils as I found myself spooning the broth, using a fork to cut the mushrooms and eat the rice, and holding the small ribs with my hands as I tore the tender meat away with my teeth. And I did often have to extract small bits of bone from my mouth while chewing. But it was all certainly worth the effort flavorwise, as was The Spouse’s moo goo gai pan and its traditional blend of chicken and semi-crisp vegetables. The portions were large, so we both had plenty of leftovers to take home. Of course, we didn’t have the fortitude to sample dishes from all five nations, but that will just leave us something to look forward to next time around. Although I’m fairly certain the chicken feet and the cow tongue will be safe from my clutches. Bottom Line: You’ll definitely expand your horizons at this north Knoxville Asian-food eatery, which boasts cuisine from five different nations.



From the Knoxville News Sentinel With offerings of Malaysian, Thai, Chinese and Japanese foods, Asia Cafe brings a unique dining experience to North Knoxville. The restaurant sits in a small plaza off of Interstate 75 on Central Avenue Pike across from Weigel's. Open since July, the restaurant employees hope to be able to offer a portion of their future sales to community charitable organizations. "We are already looking ahead and making goals," said co-owner Phillip Lim, "and if we are as successful as I think we will be, after six months, I would like to give back to the community." The intimate restaurant features woodcarvings and eclectic artwork created by owner and operators Lim, his brother Jimmy, Jimmy's wife, Ni Mariyani, and Phillip's son, Shawn. Along with the many menu selections, the restaurant also offers free wireless Internet service for patrons. Phillip said he and his wife, Louise, a registered nurse, often would ride around town for hours on end trying to decide where to have dinner. "But often we could never decide and we would just end up in a fast food restaurant drive-through," Phillip said, laughing about the limited selections some restaurants offer. "Many restaurants offer one type of food, so we knew we wanted a restaurant that would appeal to many different tastes," he said. Using authentic family recipes and spices from his native home in Malaysia, Phillip said, "Patrons can expect the same flavors they find in a Chinatown restaurant in New York or San Francisco. We've brought those same authentic flavors and tastes to Knoxville. " The restaurant business has been a way of life for Phillip, who started as a dishwasher and worked his way up to a chef and then business proprietor. He has successfully created myriad restaurants in the United States and abroad. Phillip's extended family in Malaysia continues to run a number of restaurant concepts and other businesses. With many accolades, including being named Restaurant Entrepreneur in 1995 by the Melaka Tourism Industry magazine, Phillip said through all of his successes he has learned the importance of offering "great service along with great food at a great price." To view a menu or learn more about Asia Cafe, visit www.asiacafe.org. Chandra Harris-McCray is a freelance contributor to the News Sentinel.