Asian Station May (Surprisingly) Be A Midtown Lunch
I’ll admit I completely dismissed Asian Station, the new semi-chic looking Asian restaurant that opened over a month ago next to Bombay Bistro on 52nd btw. 3rd+Lex. Aside from it being a little too cool for school, they didn’t have a menu in the window- and from the looks of it, there was no way it was going to be cheap enough for Midtown Lunch’ing purposes. I do love Asian food though, so I was excited to hear yesterday that their lunch specials are actually well under $10! That’s the good news. The bad news is, they serve Japanese, Chinese, AND Thai food.
Lunch’er Joe was kind enough to transcribe the menu for us. It’s after the jump…
Lunch comes served with soup or salad — white or brown rice
Crispy White Meat Sesame Chicken $7
General Tso’s Crispy White Meat Chicken $7
Szechuan Crispy Shredded Dried Beef $8
Malaysian Sambal White Chicken/Prawns $8/9
Basil Chicken $7
Ginger Chicken $7
Pad Thai Noodles with:
- Vegetables $7
- White meat chicken $8
- Jumbo Shrimp $8
Fresh Broccoli in Brown Sauce with:
- Vegetables $6
- White meat chicken $7
- Beef $7
- Jumbo Shrimp $8
Baby Eggplant in Garlic Sauce with:
- Vegetables $6
- White meat chicken $7
- Beef $7
- Jumbo Shrimp $8
Mixed Vegetable in Brown Sauce with:
- Vegetables $6
- White meat chicken $7
- Beef $7
- Jumbo Shrimp $8
BENTO BOXES:
All served w/california roll shumai, soup, salad, riceChicken Teriyaki/Salmon Teriyaki $8
Beef Terriyaki/Shrimp Teriyaki $9
Beef Negamaki $8
Shrimp & Vegetable Tempura $8
Sushi/Sashimi $10SUSHI BAR:
Sushi Lunch (6pcs & california roll) $10
Sashimi Lunch (12 pcs) $11
Sushi/Sashimi Lunch (4pcs sushi / 7pcs sashimi & spicy tuna) $15Maki Combo: two rolls = $8 three rolls=$10
I’m not going to list all of the roll choices, but there are 18(….remind me next time not to transcribe the menu….)
Joe… you’re a good man! So, reading over this menu I have conflicting emotions. I love Asian food… but hate 3 kinds of Asian food under one roof. I love General Tso’s chicken… but I’m weary of a place that advertises their “white meat”. 3 sushi rolls for $10 is a great deal… but do you really want to eat sushi from a place that also serves Pad Thai and General Tso’s. This place use to be a fairly mediocre cheap Chinese food take out place (called Asian Bowl) that also served weird looking sushi and bad Thai food. If it’s the same exact food, in a redesigned space that does not bode well…
All the signals point to no, but my Asian food loving stomach points to yes (and you know who always wins in that battle.) If only my brain and gut could get together on these decisions. Clearly I’m going to end up going and trying this place. Any early adopters been to Asian Station yet? Let us know how it is in the comments…
Asian Station, 155 E. 52nd St (btw. 3rd+Lex), 212-752-1142
Posted by Zach Brooks at 10:15 am, May 7th, 2009 under 52nd btw Lex+3rd, Asian Station, Chinese, Japanese, Sushi, Thai.
16 Comments | RSS comments feed for this post
16 Comments
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i’d be shocked if this place was better than the lunch special at Fusia on 56th at Lex. someone needs to do a comparison and get back to us. prices are about the same (fusia = soup or soda w/ special and asian station = soup or salad).
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I second the Fusia lunch sp.–everything I’ve had from there has been solid.
I will even splurge for their massive Chirashi lunch special once in a while (~$10)…suprisingly good fish for a hybrid asian joint.
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What do you folks like at Fusia? I work on the same block and went once to get the Sesame Chicken that a profiled luncher recommended but I was disappointed.
Do you recommend the thai food, japanese food, or chinese food?
Or are there any specific dishes that you recommend? -
Definately not the same food as Asian Bowl. I prefer Fusia.
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Walked by here yesterday- the place was dead, but they now have menus outside. Also might be of interest that they have happy hour specials 4-7 on beer, sake & well drinks.
Might give it a shot later this week/next.
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While by no means authentic Thai food (they owners are Chinese), the Red Curry w/ beef is delicious in its own right, and big enough for two meals.
The chirashi’s also good and filling, and a deal w/ soup for $10 bucks. This is coming from someone who never feels quite full after a sushi lunch.
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Dylan: that’s Fusia you’re talking about, right?
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I will never forgive them for destroying the bad-Chinese food greatness that was Master Yap’s. RIP roast pork noodle soup and mediocre American-Chinese steam table. :(
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yea, Fusia.
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Just got the sesame chicken lunch special from asian bistro..
For 7.50$ it’s a pretty good deal.. the chicken is pretty good… (not 50% breading like some other places) and it comes with a good portion of miso soup (option of egg drop and wonton i think) It’s not really “crispy” but for what it is.. it’s pretty good.. I agree that Fusia might be a better option, and this won’t replace Master Yap’s.. but for decent cheap chinese… it’s not bad (we here on the east side have had all our cheap chinese options close on us… so it’s second best..)
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i meant asian station.. not asian bistro….
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I was very surprised at the Great HAPPY HOUR pricing at $2 a bear and $3.50 for large sake. It is very hard to find Sake on any happy hours. They also have a Happy Hour (4-7) food menu that was delicious. Their home made dumplings are delicious. The staff is very friendly and Mike the manager is a hands on kinda guy. Very pleasant atmosphere. I now have a new favorite Japanese restaurant. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
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Went here with a friend for lunch today and we both very much enjoyed it (although I too was suspicious of the thai/japanese/chinese combo at first). She got a red curry lunch ($8 and comes with choice of brown rice and soup choice of hot & sour, wonton, or egg drop). I got the salamon teryaki bento box for $8 which included 4 pcs california roll, 4 pcs shumai, salad, brown rice, and steamed veggies. The food was really very good, and the price is unbeatable! There was no wait for a table for lunch at 12:30 — possibly word hasn’t gotten out yet. On the whole we decided we’d both be back soon. Great value!
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Asian Station: Wow! I’m so happy to finally have a great Sushi restaurant in the neighborhood, and you cannot beat the prices! They have Thai and Chineese dishes as well. I’ve been eating here minimum 2 nights/week and everything from the sashimi to chinnese dishes is FABULOUS! I hope this place is around forever. They have great lunch specials from $6-11 dollars and the best happy hour from 4-8pm it’s half price drinks and dirt cheap appetizers. The staff is very friendly and they play upbeat music during happy hour! Sometimes it takes a bit to get a drink as they have many freshly made martinis that take a while to make but they are worth the wait!
They are willing to modify anything on the menu to your taste as well. I get my rolls with brown rice instead of white…delicious!
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They charge me $1.62 for a can of diet coke. Inflation I say! The food although is pretty good and I love their curry chicken. It’s really chaotic there around 12-1 as the line takes up the whole entrance. The front desk lady doesn’t like me cause I asked her where my order was and she said it wasn’t ready…however the other lady found it on the counter behind them and blew up her spot. Pretty exciting lunch day if I say so myself!
Hehe you said too cool for school…
Well — according to Shaw’s Asian Dining Rules, good food can be found even in these weird hybrid places that just want (need) to turn a profit so they try to appeal to a wide audience… perhaps a chat with the owners/workers to determine what ethnicity they are and what cuisine they feel most comfortable pushing?
With those prices, I’m going to take a stab and say it’s Chinese ;)