Restaurant review: Asian Mint
Drive-up appeal won't persuade you to try Asian Mint. But maybe I can.
Judging from the outside, this charming cafe and dessert-coffee bar could be just another neighborhood java joint, noodle house or bakery. The strip-center front belies what happens when you walk through the door, at least after dark.
Cleverly done, the stark interior (sparked by chameleon-in-a-mint-bed green) soothes, while the menu generates anticipation. Near the entrance, twinkle lights, usually trite, glow soft and warm. White bamboo poles accent the coffee bean-hued room divider separating the dessert bar from the dining room. Mint leaves of a size and intensity to shrink Shrek and coffee beans the size of footballs (painted on large canvases) foreshadow what's to come.
Though appointments are spare, the nighttime effect turns day stress into evening bliss. But anytime's right, from workday noon to weekend wee hours, for the enticing menu, especially the refined, innovative desserts that blend Asian flavors with European pastry techniques.
The cumulative ambience is more than the sum of such individual elements as cafe chairs, wall banquettes and a utilitarian bar. And the food takes you higher: Heavy on Thai with ample Chinese selections, the fusion menu generally lives up to the high hopes it inspires.
Let's start, then, with the January soup special ($8.95) since the month's almost gone. This masterful bowl contains two kinds of pork meatballs (one crisp, one chewy), fried tofu strips and noodles in a translucent broth. It perfumes the palate with just a hint of sweet to make it a lovely foil for a dollop of ground red chiles and/or jalapeños. You know, the sweet-hot thing. Spiced up or down, pad kee mow, wide rice noodles stir-fried with Thai chile-basil sauce and beef, pork or chicken ($6.95 lunch, $8.95 dinner), is good enough to knock pad Thai out of its spot as everyone's Asian pasta favorite.
Grilled salmon in ginger sauce ($11.95 lunch, $13.95 dinner) was as subtle as the noodles were assertive. The light ginger- and lemon-grass-laced broth pools around a fresh salmon fillet cooked to perfect medium doneness. This dish way exceeds what's expected for the price.
An appetizer that could easily be an entrée, fried soft-shell crab on a bed of greens ($8.95), gets a topping of crab salad in a spicy, very creamy mayonnaise-style sauce. Downside: The waitress said it was "crab stick," which I interpreted as faux crab.
Garlic quail ($14.95) had little garlic flavor, but the flash-fried game bird made an impression nonetheless.
Save room for dessert. Pa tong ko (Asian beignets, $1.25), served in a small mound from the deep-fryer with a cup of thinned sweetened condensed milk as a dipping sauce, demand a cup of coffee, latte or espresso. Think this place isn't serious about coffee? High-end Illy is the brand.
But don't stop there. Mandarin orange cake with pineapple whipped cream icing ($2.95) is perfect with a glass of Muscat wine ($6.95). The brief wine list has a couple of selections, particularly a Riesling, that complement the Asian dishes.
Green tea ice cream cake with white icing ($3.95) is just the thing for those who like their desserts not so sweet. Layers of green tea cake are sandwiched with green tea ice cream.
The Thai dessert sampler ($5.50) offers three desserts, including golden threads "for luck," said the waitress. Bright yellow-orange strands of cooked egg yolks look like shredded wheat. A light sugar glaze gives some flavor, but this dish is more novelty and tradition than knockout. Coconut ice cream on sticky rice ($3.95) just about took our breath away, however. Thai-style coconut custard was similar to bread pudding and almost as good. A la carte jasmine crème brûlée ($3.95) was flawless.
Besides soups, noodles dishes, stir-fries and desserts, Asian Mint offers fresh and artfully arranged sushi.
Staff is members are helpful and accommodating. Service sometimes slows, but that hardly detracts from the overall lovely experience. Asian Mint offers a fragrant garden of flavors and aromas. Turn over this new leaf.