Asia Restaurant & Bar — Restaurant in Halifax

Ate at "Asia" at the Halifax Waterfront 2 weeks ago with my mom.

Since they opened I wanted to go as the seating outside looks so nice and its usually not so crowded. The menu looked alright.

We had the hakka noodles and the calamari to start.

Hakkah noodles were good. Calamari was the worst I've had. All batter. Nothing much inside. No actual calamari.

For our "entree" (server said they dont actually have appetizers, or entrees, just small plates for everything) my mom had the eden valley chicken and I had the lamb korma.

My mom did not like her dish at all, said it tasted like rose petals (they garnished both dishes with it) and only had a few bites. When she told the server, the server kind of spoke over her and quickly said she could pack it up for her, but when my mom spoke up again and said she didnt like it, the sever offered to take it off the bill.

I asked if my dish came with any bread, and I was told its an extra $7 to add it seperately. (This was later on while eating) I assumed it came with naan. I didnt order the bread as it would've taken my meal alone to over $60. So I was just eating the sauce with a fork. Lol. Was not worth the $54 at all.

The service was not good at all.. waited a long time to order food, and they didnt appear to be busy. Very warm watered was served, I asked for ice cubes. I stepped away after ordering to watch the cruise ship coming in, and when I came back the food was there. My mom told me the host came and took our "appetizers" away and brought the main dishes. Our sever never once came and asked how they were. She came once to ask how the mains were and to fill water. I asked the host who was standing nearby us if he had any wet towelettes as the bathroom is all the way upstairs and didnt wanna go up to wash my hands. He said yes and he went to bring them. 10 minutes later, nothing. Our sever came and I told her that he went to go get us wipes, she said they have none. He came back to his host stand, and not a word about it. Lol. Easy to say "sorry, we actually don't have any" Good thing I didnt wait for him and found my own in my bag.

Total was a little over $100 with her meal removed.

I tipped $5 because the service was awful....

Haven’t been this disappointed in a while. Food is simply not good yet pretentious and service was not great. TLDR; waited 20 for drinks, an hour for food, then another 20 for the bill.

Our server forgot my drink for 20 mins, which isn’t a big deal; however, the mocktail she recommended was so bad that I resorted to water instead. We were sat before the tables next to us but our food never came (meanwhile both our neighbouring tables got theirs fairly quickly) so when they finally came to check on us nearly one hour later, I informed them of the situation and asked them to take anything that isn’t already being made off our bill. Honestly, it was already disappointing because we had intended to have the food with our drinks but A) my friend had already finished his and B) mine was gross (so was his; he ordered sth inspired by his hometown and was immediately appalled, but he is the kind of person who would even drink rubbing alcohol). We were still eager to try the food but we were met with more disappointment. The eggplants were flavourless, dry and extremely burnt underneath. Later came really bland edamame (I don’t understand why it took over an hour to cook edamame…or eggplants for that matter). The cebu was actually not bad in comparison but the rum flavour was overpowering and my friend (who loves rum) wasn’t able to get much down because it was too dense/heavy. The manager was nice enough to check back on the food but I admitted that it wasn’t the best and asked for the bill. She made a comment that the edamame and eggplant are “made to taste traditional” but then I think she realized/remembered that I’m actually Asian and quickly backtracked before I even said anything and left to grab us the bill… which never came even after 20 minutes. Meanwhile, the table to our right got their whole meal comped even though they got their food at a reasonable time but their server offered to comp everything after seeing their other dishes took longer to arrive. I reminded our server that we were still waiting on our bill and she didn’t even offer to comp my drink (which was clearly still full). Will definitely not be returning. The $160 mp pekin duck should’ve...

As an Asian foodie, I’m always skeptical about Asian fusion restaurants, especially when it comes to dim sum. We went for dim sum Sunday to give Asia a try and it did not disappoint(mostly). The dim sum Sunday menu gave us the ability/creativity to mix and match so we could try what we really wanted at a lower price point compared with their set menu.The dim sum was not only beautifully presented but also packed with authentic flavors and creative twists. Our favourites were the prawn toasts/turnip cakes/scallop Siu Mai.

The crispy green bean tempura had the perfect crunch, and the lightly spiced seasoning enhanced its natural flavors.

The black vinegar squid dish was deeply savory and I liked it overall. However, I wish there was something to pair with it such as jasmine rice or some traditional Chinese bun to enhance the experience.

The one dish that disappointed me was the duck spring rolls. I was expecting some fresh ones like traditional Peking duck rolls with a twist but they came as deep fried. Also the stuffing inside did not have a duck taste as I was expecting.

The cocktails were just as exciting—especially the Dalian drink. It gave you a traditional Chinese experience because the base alcohol was Baiju.

Beyond the food, the ambiance was modern and inviting, with stylish decor that elevated the experience. If you’re looking for a unique experience for dim sum, this place is a must-try!

The underwhelming duck spring rolls and no water refill until we paid our bill were the reasons why the overall experience was 4 stars. We will likely be back for dinner when the...