First Impression

John: When I was in college, I ate a lot of Chinese food. Sure the restaurant was located in a seedy alley and didn’t have a food license, but that was offset by the fact that I could buy three days worth of food for ten dollars. The point that I think I’m trying to make is that I’m sure everyone reading this has had Chinese food. You know what I’m talking about: Lo mein, chow mein, sweet and sour chicken, Kung Pao shrimp, General Tsu. Well, Asia House has all that stuff, but they also offer something that’s not readily available in North Fulton: Dim Sum. Dim Sum is China’s version of the tapas restaurant. The Dim Sum menu at Asia house has over 20 items that cost only $2.50 a piece. Since Copsey and I are thrifty restaurant reviewers, we decided to sample some. As for Asia House itself, it’s in what I like to call the ‘Bermuda Triangle’ of North Fulton; if you don’t live within seven miles of it and you don’t know the area, you probably won’t find it. It’s in Alpharetta, but it’s only about 100 yards from being in Johns Creek. It’s in Fulton County, but it’s only about one mile from being in Forsyth or Gwinnett. If you type their address into Mapquest and your computer explodes, don’t blame me. Oh, and one more thing, the first thing you’ll see when you walk in is lobster in a fish tank. This is always a good thing at a restaurant that serves lobster.

Copsey: When I was walking up to Asia House, my first thought was: this is going to be the typical Chinese restaurant where you’re not really supposed to dine in. Thankfully I was completely wrong. Inside (past the lobsters), it’s a truly nice place, with a warm, comfortable feel to it. Of course, I’m sure it helped that the staff was exceptionally helpful as we struggled through ordering the Dim Sum. Almost every question of ‘what’s this’ was answered by a lesson on Cantonese and Hong Kong traditions.

John: A-
Copsey: A-

Appetizers

John: The first three things we ordered off the Dim Sum menu were: the fried sesame ball, the egg cake and the baked egg and milk bun. Now let me clear something up real quick, for those of you that have had Dim Sum, it was probably served to you in a cart. That’s how Asia House does things on the weekend. On Saturdays and Sundays, an employee will push around a cart with each dim sum dish on it. The cart has several benefits. You can look at the dish, smell the dish and then decide if you want to order the dish. On the weekdays there’s no cart, so you have to order the dish sight unseen. Since I explained how this worked, I’m going to let Copsey talk about the food. I will say this though, the three dishes I mentioned above all had a dessert like quality to them. If you have children, they’ll eat the baked egg and milk bun up.

Copsey: I’m not sure if I would classify these as ‘appetizers’ or ‘desserts.’ They could go either way and several seemed more like sweets than things to whet the appetite. I was a fan of the egg cake, which was a custard-filled pastry, almost like a tart. Same goes for the egg and milk bun. Then there’s the sesame ball. This looks amazing – a little fried ball dotted with sesame seeds. Inside is a jam-like substance that could almost make your teeth fall out. The combination of hard, crunchy outer shell and the gooey inside will make any child happy for hours.

John: B+
Copsey: B

Entrée

John: For the main course, it was more Dim Sum. I think we ordered about six dishes, but I’m only allotted so much space, so I’ll talk about two I liked and one I didn’t. The shrimp and scallop dumplings were fantastic. I was hesitant at first to order seafood from a Chinese restaurant, but the live lobsters at the front of Asia House show that the place is serious about their sea food. The shrimp and scallops had a very fresh taste, almost cilantro fresh. Being at a Chinese restaurant, I demanded that we ordered a pork dish, Copsey obliged and we ordered shrimp and pork (The shrimp worked so well in the first dish, I had to get some in the second dish). Bingo, another winner. The pork and shrimp are steamed, so there is no fried breading to steal away the great flavors. Don’t get me wrong, I love fried food, fried butter and fried Twinkies, but it was refreshing for things not to be fried. The thing I didn’t like: the beef ribs. The ribs are more like riblets (that’s 27-year-old speak for tiny ribs) and every time I bit one, I felt like the old lady in a 1984 Wendy’s commercial, “where’s the beef.” The ribs were the only lowlight of the meal.

Copsey: I enjoyed the steamed dishes much more than the fried ones. I’m not sure why. It could be like John said, there was no fried breading to hide the flavors. The bean curd dumplings were amazing. We were warned that Americans come down pretty heavily on one side or the other of bean curd (which has another name – tofu). But I loved it. Combine the intricate flavor with the fact it was a steamed dish, and you have an exceptionally healthy snack. The steamed pork ribs were very well seasoned and served in a delicious broth, but they seemed mostly bone, which I can’t help but dislike.

John: B+
Copsey: A

Desserts

John: For dessert, it was fortune cookies for everyone. My fortune, “Less is more.” That’s actually funny because my parents tell me that when I talk and my copy editor tells me that when I write.

Copsey: You can tell we’re running out of space for the article when John writes only three sentences and I write one. 

John: A
Copsey: A

Final Impression

John: Keep in mind that Copsey and I ordered everything off of the Dim Sum menu except for the Chicken with ginger. Besides the Dim Sum, Asia House has everything a normal Chinese restaurant offers. Now let me touch on the things they offer that a normal Chinese restaurant doesn’t have. First, they admittedly stole an American restaurant tradition by offering you a free meal on your birthday (up to $9.50). Unfortunately, it wasn’t my birthday. Copsey however, asked if we got a discount because it was Guy Fawkes Day. I had to explain to my British friend that we don’t celebrate the gunpowder plot in the states. Finally, Asia House has a huge dining room, something you don’t see too often in a Chinese restaurant. There was a party room (for businesses or birthday parties, I suppose) that looked like it could hold about 30 people. Wait, one last thing. Those 10 Dim Sum dishes we ordered, that only put us out $25.00 plus tax. My guess is that 10 Dim Sum dishes would probably feed about four people.

Copsey: If ever there were a hero to celebrate in the States, it’s a guy who wanted to blow up Parliament. Plus it’s an excuse to get drunk and burn things in effigy, two of my favorite pastimes. But back to Asia House. The chicken and ginger hot pot was a good Chinese staple, and we ordered it to see how items from the regular menu stood up to the Dim Sum. It passed the Dining Duo Test (that means we ate all of it and loved every bite). I think that can apply to Asia House in general.

John: B+
Copsey: A-