Fresh Taste of Asia

For dinner last evening, I stopped at a new place for me, Fresh Taste of Asia in Salem. It is located in the heart of Salem and is a convenient location for those shopping, touring or otherwise in Salem. New Asian restaurants intrigue me, and this place has only been open about a year.

The restaurant is fairly large and even has several tables where you can dine outside. They have a bar with seating as well as a sushi counter. The restaurant was clean and inviting.

The menu is quite extensive with both Chinese and Japanese selections available. You will find much that is familiar as well as some unique dishes. Prices appear average and reasonable for this type of restaurant.

They do have a full bar plus wine and beer. To my pleasure, they also have several sake selections. I ordered a bottle of the Hakushika Junmai Ginjo ($17) which is one of my favorite sakes. The sake was brought in a pail with ice to keep it chilled. A nice touch.

Though so much looked good on the menu, I decided to order a few different items to get a general feel for the restaurant. I started with some sushi, a maguro (tuna-$4.95)) and anago (eel-$5.25). I also ordered the Idaho Maki, a tempura sweet potato ($5.50). The sushi appeared fresh, good sized and was tasty. The Maki contained good sized chunks of sweet potato, actually larger pieces than similar make I have had elsewhere.

I next ordered the Beijing Pavioli, pan fried ($5.95). This consisted of six large ravioli with a pork stuffing. It appeared to contain more meat than veggies. They were cooked well and tasted good.

I then ordered the Crispy Beef With Sesame ($12.95), which is listed on their menu as a “Must try,” plus some steamed white rice. This dish consisted of a large pile of crispy beef pieces in a brown gravy with sesame seeds. The beef had a very crispy exterior and the inside was fairly tender. I could easily cut the beef with a butter knife. I enjoyed the taste of the beef and the gravy. One of the better crispy beef dishes I have had.

Service was very good and attentive.

Overall, this was an enjoyable dinner. I only tasted a few items from their lengthy menu but it was sufficient for me to want to return there. I would recommend that you check them out. When I return, I will report back with more information.

Fresh Taste of Asia
118 Washington Street
Salem, MA
Phone: (978) 825-1388