Vietnamese influence is strong at Asian Gourmet: The result is a memorable meal | Review

My dining companion was going to save the rest of his salad for that night’s dinner, he said. It would go well with the remainders of his and my entrees, nicely reheated, he said.

What do they say about the road to hell? They’re paved with the good intentions such as those of a diner who really loved that salad and went back to it seconds after he announced his plan.

So it went at Asian Gourmet, the longstanding restaurant near the intersection of Harbor City Boulevard and Babcock Street in Melbourne, which may feel its age and may not be the most fashionable of boîtes, but more than makes up in food what it lacks in style.

Asian Gourmet is, it must be said, immaculate, and each glass-topped table covers a lovely square of needlepoint. The murals that proclaim its identity are sweet too. At the back of the dining room is what probably was a kitchen at some point, now home to a register, a refrigerator and things used to start or finish entrees or beverages. Service is immediate and on point.

The Vietnamese influence is everywhere, so, summer rolls with shrimp ($5.30), abnormally fat and exquisitely fresh combinations of Asian vegetables, rice noodles and herbs wrapped in rice paper, started us off.

Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.

They were just fine unenhanced — both D.C. and I remarked at how easily each aspect of the filling, including bits of mint, could be tasted — but the homemade peanut sauce with which they were served added something else again.

Said dining companion then was served that glorious salad ($16) a mound of julienned and sliced vegetables and herbs to which he added grilled shrimp and chicken, rendered slightly tangy-sweet by Vietnamese dressing. It truly is one of Brevard’s better salads, beautifully light and perfect for summer.

The fried rice ($14.95) also was something special, in this case, ordered with red rice ($3.25). This is not the fried rice you get at the Chinese joint around the corner from Publix, but a grand (and huge) mixture of Asian vegetables, a little fried garlic, house-roasted peanuts, shrimp and fat, earthy mushroom chunks. It was packed with flavor and bore half a dozen textures. I don’t know how he finished it that night.

I, on the other hand, wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity to order pan-fried rice noodle ($14.95), and it too was superb, another small mountain of crisp vegetables and perfectly done noodles with thin slices of chicken. He went home with its remnants too. He may finish it all by the week’s end.

We were absolutely, positively going to have the warm banana wrapped in sticky rice ($8.05) until we spoke to Lorie, the proprietor/server about the frozen banana “Nice Cream,” ($4.50). It's a ripe banana blended with some kind of milk substitute (coconut milk, maybe?) sweetener and coconut, served with a caramel-like sauce in a sundae glass. It is surprising, it is vegan and it is addictive. If you see it, order it.

Finally, let’s talk about beverages.

Dining companion has become something of an expert on Thai-style iced tea and I received the “This shall tell me something” look before he ordered anything else.

“Oh,” said he after the bright orange drink arrived. “Oh, this is good! Have some.” He was right.

I ordered hot ginger tea and that too was a revelation: a pot of the real deal, not bags that have been passed by a bottle of McCormick’s spice. It was good, strong tea with bits of real ginger floating on top. I’d visit Asian Gourmet again just for the tea.

Here’s the deal, as Mr. Biden would say: Asian Gourmet’s food deserves a slightly dressier environment because food that good deserves the best of environments. Regardless, we’ll be back again, soon.

Lyn Dowling is a freelance food and lifestyles writer based in Melbourne.

Asian Gourmet

Three and a half stars

Address: 459 N. Harbor City Blvd., Melbourne

Hours: Lunch, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; dinner, 4 to 8 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays.

Call: 321-255-6471

Online: www.asiangourmetfood.com

Also: Beer, wine and sake; lunch specials

About our reviews

Restaurants are rated on a five-star system by FLORIDA TODAY’s reviewer. The reviews are the opinion of the reviewer and take into account quality of the restaurant’s food, ambiance and service. Ratings reflect the quality of what a diner can reasonably expect to find. To receive a rating of less than three stars, a restaurant must be tried twice and prove unimpressive on each visit. Each reviewer visit is unannounced and paid for by FLORIDA TODAY.