Review: Asiatique

Awhile back I bought a Groupon, (yes again) for Asiatique located in West Chester.  I didn't really know anything about the restaurant so I thought I'd give it a try.  My husband and I were in the West Chester area for a work party, so we thought it'd be a good time to try it out. 

Asiatique is located on the same street as Stone Creek and the Wise Owl, so I kind of knew where I was going, but if you don't know, it could be easy to miss.  The building is a big white buliding and the name is hard to see.  The restaurant was very modern on the inside and very open.  There was a band playing when we arrived which seemed kind of loud to me, especially because the acoustics inside made the music echo throughout the main room.  It wasn't very crowded, so we were seated right away.  As we were taken to our seats, I realized how big it was inside.  The restaurant just seemed to keep going and going with many rooms.  I didn't love the feel of the restaurant.  It was somewhat "industrial" like and being in the other room we couldn't hear any of the music at all. It was almost too big....especially since each room had about one or two tables sat at the time.

The menu is about 6 pages long with about 4 of the pages devoted to drinks.  There are many specialty martinis, mixed drinks, wine and beer.  I started with a martini and my husband ordered a glass of red wine.  Both our drinks were very good, most drinks are $8 or more.  Our waitress proceeded to tell us about some of the specials for the night and also mentioned that there was a deal this month in which 3 courses, any soup/salad/appetizer, any entree and a dessert for $25.  Our waitress was very nice; however, a bit awkward.  She seemed too worried about memorizing the specials, was very formal, and never smiled.

We decided to do the 3 course special.  I started with crabmeat and goat cheese spring rolls that were served with a spiced miso aioli.  These were pretty good!  A nice twist on the traditional spring roll.  I definitey was able to taste both the crab and the goat cheese without either ingredient being too strong.  The sauce was a bit spicy withought being overpowering as well.

Ross went with the shrimp and pork dumplings served with a ginger/soy dipping sauce.  These were also very good.  We both liked these as well.  They were a good portion and the sauce was very tasty.

For my entree, I ordered the grilled pork tenderloin chop served with fresh strawberry garlic sauce and string beans.  This was very delicious.  I loved the strawberry sauce and the beans had a nice sichuan sauce on them that were a great side dish with the pork.  Our entrees were served with a side of brown or white rice as well.

(This picture doesn't show the whole serving, I had forgotten to take a pic before I dished it out, there were two pieces of pork and many more beans).

Ross had never had ahi tuna before, so he decided to try something new.  This was a seared triple crusted tuna served with wasabi sauce.  I had never had ahi tuna either, but we both thought this was very good.  The wasabi sauce was a bit too strong for me, I would have liked a different type of sauce for the tuna, but Ross liked it.  This came with a vegetable medley and rice. 

As for the desserts, we were served a plate of petite portions.  There was a chocolate cake, creme brulee, cheesecake and a "sherbert" type dessert.  All of these were just okay. I thought the chocolate was way too chocolatey and I didn't care for the sherbert. 

Now, for the disappointing part of the night for me.  Before our waitress brought our bill I gave her my Groupon, which she proceeded to tell me could not be used with the 3 course special.  She said that we were supposed to have shown her when we arrived, (which I believe it says on the coupon) but I just hadn't thought about sitting down and immediately presenting her with the coupon, it wasn't on my mind when I first sat down!  Our waitress was apologetic, but I still was irritated because we would have never ordered two appetizers and those desserts.  Therefore, we had to pay for each item indvidually then take off our Groupon.  So, it wasn't as good a deal as we had anticipated at all.  This really made me very sour, even though I know many places don't include specials for Groupons, but I really hadn't thought about it when ordering.

So, all in all, I didn't love Asiatique.  I thought the food was good, but I don't know if I would ever go back.  I didn't care for the ambiance or service of the place at all.  Like I said, our waitress was polite and prompt, but just made us feel uncomfortable. She seemed new, very nervous and almost scared. There weren't very many people here either, which says a lot about a restaurant in my opinion. 
~Kate

Food: 3.5
Service: 2
Overall Experience: 2