BELLINGHAM - When we last reviewed AW Asian Bistro's eclectic mix of east Asian cuisines more than three years ago, we praised the level of excellence that the kitchen displays in Japanese, Chinese, Thai and Vietnamese dishes.
Nothing has changed.
You can still get your favorite Asian dish here, and it will probably be at least as enjoyable as it is in some other local restaurant that focuses on the food from a single nation.
I imagine this place often serves lunch or dinner to large groups of uncompromising diners-some of whom insist on sushi while others want phad Thai or General Tso's chicken. AW's lengthy menu enables everyone to get what they want.
On my first visit here three years ago I was skeptical. Surely the lack of focus on a single national cuisine would mean sub-par offerings across the board. Surely the effort to do too much would mean doing nothing well. But that just isn't the case here.
We made a lunchtime visit this time around. AW's lunch menu is almost as lengthy as the dinner menu, but with lower prices for portion sizes that seemed more than adequate.
We started with two appetizers that are familiar treats at many restaurants: crispy Vietnamese egg rolls stuffed with pork and vegetables, $4.95, and Chinese potstickers--$5.95 for four pieces at lunch and $7.95 for six at dinner. Both were no different in appearance or concept from what you would expect at a Vietnamese or Chinese restaurant. But both had a fresh and flavorful quality that made them significantly better than the versions I have sampled elsewhere in this area.
The hot and sour soup that came with our meals was also a cut above the ordinary stuff that many local restaurants seem to serve with little attention to its quality.
The same was true for the Vietnamese red curry with chicken-$7.95 at lunch and $10.95 at dinner. The chicken is mixed with lemongrass, sweet potato and onion in a sauce that provides a fine balance of spicy hot, sweet and savory flavors. To me it was as good or better than what one could expect at local restaurants that focus exclusively on southeast Asia.
Shrimp phad Thai-$8.95 at lunch, $11.95 at dinner-was also delicious, with a hot, sweet and sour preparation. (But my current favorite local phad Thai is the smoky-flavored version at Poor Siamese on Dupont Street.)
AW Asian Bistro dispenses with the "how many stars?" nonsense that so many other restaurants rely on to try to cater to a range of tolerance for fiery spices. I suppose many diners appreciate having a choice, and the regular patron of a restaurant can figure out how much fire to expect for three stars. But isn't it better to let the chef decide how a particular dish should be seasoned? For my palate, AW Bistro gets the balance of seasonings just right, with a hot pepper accent (where appropriate) that never blazes away at the expense of other flavors.
AW ASIAN BISTRO
Address: 1138 Finnegan Way, Fairhaven
Phone: 715-3028
Price range: $9-15
Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday; 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 or 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday
