Asian Kitchen – Wellington

Was walking around town on a Saturday and wanted to try something that I had not had before or had for a very long time. I was tossing between this place or Tatsushi. Obviously, this place won out because, in the end, I felt like a Laksa. This place has been around for a while and the decor is very basic. It seems to do quite well and presume more people come here during the weekdays than the weekends.

Spring Rolls

Deep Fried Wheat Flour Pastry wrapped around mince chicken, onions and shredded carrot with dipping sauce

I have now become a sucker for a spring roll and my grandmother would not be impressed. It was great to see these were handmade and not store bought, but did lack the thickness I expect from a spring roll. When I bite into it, I was hugely disappointed. There was no shredded carrot, but there was plenty of frozen vegetables or carrot, pea, and corn. The chicken and onion were not even noticeable and there was layer upon layer of the spring roll pastry. This was a huge disappointment and not worth the money you pay.

Laksa

Egg Noodles with shrimps, fish balls, chicken, spring onions and bean sprouts in spicy coconut soup

I was surprised to see how white this laksa looked. There was no real yellow or red colour coming through from the curry paste or chilli oil. However, I was surprised to taste how good it was. It was very different from all the other curry laska’s in Wellington and has quite a strong coconut flavour to it. It is not overall that spicy but was hot temperature wise. The chicken was nice and the tofu was nice and soft from being heated up in the soup. The fish balls were to be expected and was nice to see spring onions on top. There were no shrimps just prawns that had no flavour and were meant to be disguised as shrimps. There were lots of bean sprouts but hardly any noodle, which I think was a gip.

All though, I liked the laksa there were many things wrong with it. The spring rolls were just damn right horrible. Instead of being an Asian eatery where the servings are generous and the price is slightly more expensive. This place is the quality and servings are below par and the prices are average or slightly cheaper. I am totally in two minds with this place. Maybe I need to just try some other dishes or maybe I should just go to my usual spots for food that is consistently always fulfilling my Asian food needs.

Address: 101 Victoria St, Te Aro, Wellington