Asian Bowl — Restaurant in New York

Went with a friend on a Sunday afternoon because we’ve never tried Burmese food before and kept seeing videos online, including one mentioning Asian Bowl. We heard about the fermented tea leaf salad (#37 Latphat Thoke, on right) that’s a must try and also the noodle salad (#34 Shan Khauk Swal Thoke, on left) that they make with rice noodles. We also were interested in the fish noodle soup (#11 Mohinga, top and bottom) which sounded really good.

One of the owners serving the front of house was very friendly and patient while we ordered. There was another pair of diners at the table next to us and they seemed to be regulars who came specifically for the Mohinga and the owner was chatting with them too. There was a reasonable wait time and the food arrived nicely plated

The components of the Mohinga were on a separate plate from the soup base to prevent them from getting mushy. Some of them were crunchy so that was a conscientious decision on their part. Also my friend who doesn’t like cilantro was happy to see that they didn’t mix it in, so you can separate things if you wanted to. For a warm spring afternoon, the room temperature nature of the Latphat Thoke and Shan Khauk Swal Thoke was very refreshing

The taste of the food was really what made me want to write a review! As soon as I mixed the Mohinga and served some in my bowl, I took one bite and said oh my god it’s so good 😭😭😭 It was on the thicker side and so umami. Not fishy tasting at all.

I tried the tea leaf salad next and the flavors were incredible 😭 Savory, tangy, a little spicy, just really full of flavor and well rounded. They weren’t kidding about the different crunches too, which included peanuts, cashews, broad beans, and I think moong dal as well. There were some Thai chilies on the side but if you don’t want spice you can just remove them

The noodle salad was once again delicious too. Loved the peanuts and sesame and pickled greens and bean sprouts. Honestly it was even better when you mixed in the tea leaf salad. Not one aspect was overpowering and I feel like it was a very harmonious experience flavor wise and texturally. I think I told the owner how good I thought everything was at least 3 times. And my friend had to listen to me rave about it for the whole meal too. But she also shared the same opinions 😂

There are some foods you try once and then can’t stop thinking about them. For me this is definitely one of them and I absolutely have to come back and try the Gin Thoke (ginger salad) and whatever else they recommend. Portions are generous, prices are reasonable, and the location is accessible. Burmese food really is a treat and if anyone reading this hasn’t tried...

I was years since my original review, below. Since then I have been back alone, with my wife, with wife and kids, and with wife and in-laws, multiples of times. We have NEVER had less than a great meal. Asian Bowl is small, but comfortable. It's family run, and I give the service 5 because across all visits- whether just before closing, with a surprise group of 6 guest- the service is NOT fancy, but it is always happy, friendly, personal and direct. Asian Bowl has built a following and it is a small place- don't provide a huge crush!

It has been way too hard to get Burmese food in NYC, for way too long. The pandemic may have killed off a few contenders hoping to start up or expand- but it has been a well-used opportunity for Asian Bowl to shift from their original pan-asian menu with a few Burmese items into mainly Burmese offerings. They are very well-prepared and delicious offerings. As well, the owners chose to expand what had been a common single table walk-in, pickup, and leave storefront- into a non-fancy (but I do like the ceiling) comfortable place to sit and eat some lovely meals in the company of other pleased-looking diners.

The service is friendly and quick, and the dishes are delicious. Americans often find out about Burmese food by ordering Ono Kyauk Swe- a turmeric golden chicken coconut milk onion and shallot based soupish-stew, and Asian Bowl's is very savory. Be sure to add in the amount of lime and cilantro you want from its' condiments. Burmese recipes toy with combining the senses, and the sour shrimpy salty soft-greens and bamboo Chin Baung Kyauk is one of our favorites. Beware that Asian Bowl is not shy about serving spicy dishes. Many Burmese dishes are intended to be hot, and Asian Bowl...

Before getting in depth with my review, I only came to try the Burmese dishes. Growing up eating home cooked Burmese food, I wanted to see how close to home the food was. So of course, there aren’t many well-known Burmese dishes so it’s a fusion of Thai and Chinese food as well. You can see that on the menu. Each dish came in large portions that can be shared. I got the mohinga (Burmese fish noodle soup), kyay oh, and latphat thote. The latphat thote comes spicy but it didn’t taste spicy to me. Maybe because I grew up eating it. So just keep that in mind when ordering. The mohinga was delicious. A little sweet. I don’t remember the dish being sweet, but it wasn’t overbearing - just a hint of it. The kyay oh with flat noodle was a good balance of noodles and vegetables. They didn’t put too much of one thing and didn’t skimp out. I would love to try the ohnoh kawt swe (coconut noodles soup) since that was a staple in my house as well, but too much food so next time. The pricing is affordable and service was ok. I guess the host/waiter is used to the locals more? During checkout, there are small bins of some of the food items they sell so you can make it at home. Some things I saw were the fermented tea leaves for the latphat, the crispy split chickpeas in mohinga and ohnoh kawt sue, and malachan. If you’re looking for south East Asian cuisine, go...