My spouse and I visited Asia Oriental Cuisine along with two
family members for dinner on a Saturday evening in mid-May 2017. Asia is open
for lunch and dinner Mondays through Saturdays (closed Sundays except for
private parties). We recommend that you telephone the restaurant to make a
reservation; otherwise, wait times can be lengthy (and the space offers nowhere
to wait indoors). The restaurant has been listed several times on the list of
the top 100 Chinese restaurants in the United States, and the chef/owner has won
medals at Chinese culinary competitions in New York City. (He and his wife
previously operated a carry-out and catering business in Saucon Valley called
Oriental Gourmet.)
Asia opened in 2007 on the ground level of a two-story
formerly private home on East Susquehanna Street between Fountain Hill and
Allentown. (It is unusual to find a sit-down, stand-alone Chinese restaurant
instead of a take-out storefront located in a strip mall shopping center.) You
can park in one of two dedicated parking lots: one lot is located in front of
the restaurant and is accessible directly from Susquehanna Street, and the
other lot is located behind the restaurant and is accessible from Fairfax
Street. At least with one handicapped parking space is available, and we saw
one patron dining in a wheelchair, but the restaurant space is a bit cozy. About
70 patrons at a time can dine is what was likely the former combination
living/dining room. A window in one wall provides a glimpse into the small kitchen
area, while another wall contains built-in shelving that displays Chinese knick-knacks
and decorative objects. Asia offers snug seating at both booths and tables;
some larger round tables feature a turntable/lazy Susan in the center so that
diners can share the family-style dishes.
When we sat down, the owner/manager brought us a pot of hot
tea, some crispy noodles, and two dipping sauces (one hot mustard and one
duck). She also opened our wine bottles and brought us appropriate glasses.
(The restaurant is BYOB and does not charge a corkage fee.) Our server
presented each of us with two menus: one listing authentic dishes (such as cumin
pork, jellyfish, and cold beef shin), and the other offering more traditional
fare (such as beef with broccoli, lo mein, and eggrolls). We shared two traditional
appetizers: the seafood tartlets and the pork pan-fried dumplings. As entrees,
we ordered two dishes from the authentic menu (Mongolian beef and lion’s head
[which is pork meatballs surrounded by braised bok choi]) and two dishes from
the normal menu (Thai fried rice, and crispy ginger shrimp and scallops). We also
split a communal serving dish of fluffy white rice. When our server brought our
check, he also delivered fortune cookies and a dish of orange slices as a small
dessert.
We enjoyed our dinner at Asia - we have been trying to dine
there for a long time!
