Something was amiss during our return trip to New Trieu Chau. Pulling up to the restaurant located at 1807 Washington Avenue in South Philly, something was different. At first, I thought it was me: Did we drive by and miss it? A second lap around the block proved that we hadn’t. The hole-in-the-wall spot offering great Southeast Asian food had been usurped by another! After some quick deliberation, we decided to give the replacement a shot.
Honestly, we’re not sure of the name of the new restaurant. A Taste of Asia, Tasty Asia or some sort of derivation. If you can’t tell, this isn’t a traditional PhillyFoodGuys post. Normally we only suggest spots worth going out of your way for, but we had to tell this story.
Sitting in one corner of the restaurant, the four of us relaxed as we waited for our appetizers to arrive. A large TV displayed Disney Channel programs while some light music played in the background. “I haven’t heard that one since the 70s!” Tushar chuckled. Straining to listen, I agreed, but something was different. Our food server soon approached with our appetizers and began to distribute the dishes and tableware. Again, the background music grabbed our attention; something was wrong. I looked at the waitress for some sort of acknowledgement, but she just returned a blank stare. We must be imagining things.
A few moments later, with mouths full of Curry Seafood Soup we erupted in laughter. A loud, dissonant wail had built into a crescendo erupting from the other side of the restaurant: Afternoon Karaoke! Unbeknownst to us, there’s a Karaoke bar above the restaurant and two patrons were the source of our confusion. Off-key, heavily accented, loud, hilarious. Each of us knew something was amiss, but couldn’t quite put a finger on it until the “auditory eruption.” It was one of the best laughs we’ve had in quite some time. If you want a sample, check out the podcast.
For the record, A Taste of Asia is good, but doesn’t warrant a PhillyFoodGuys recommendation. The Salt-baked Squid and Curry Seafood Soup were particularly good, while the Fried Dumplings and Whole Tilapia in Black Bean Sauce were only fair. I did fall in love again with Vietnamese Coffee, Cafe Sua Da, and recommend it highly.
Obviously, we took a chance on A Taste of Asia and it didn’t work out. Regardless, those that frequent lesser known restaurants understand that the results are often unpredictable. That’s what makes it fun. Thankfully, even if we can’t endorse the restaurant as a whole, A Taste of Asia still offers some good food and a twist that will give anyone a good laugh.
Tags: karaoke, Philadelphia, Podcast, South Philly
