Asia Nora

Ate at Asia Nora the other night... N and I shared two appetizers, the Ahi Tuna Tartare with Crispy Nori Tempura and the Thai Style Beef Carpaccio with Lime, Chilis & Fragrant Herbs. We agreed that the tartare was the clear winner (but also agreed that if stranded on a desert island, if we had tuna tartare and a bunch of books, we'd both be happy for quite a while, so tartare might always be a clear winner). What made this tartare even better was the sheets of nori tempura on which it was nestled. Others have written about the chef's abilities with tempura, and they're right -- this treatment of the nori brought out the subtleties of nori's flavor, with the crisp lightness of perfectly-done tempura. The carpaccio, on the other hand, was forgettable. The flavor of the lime and chilis got lost someplace between the kitchen and our table.

For mains, we shared the Pan Seared Wild Sablefish with Tamarind Rice Noodles and Green Curry and the Seared Day Boat Scallops with Baby Bok Choy & Yuzu-Sake Butter. I thought both were great, if not quite excellent. The sablefish was moist, and perfectly seared to have a light, crispy, airy crust. The accompanying noodles were, to my taste, a bit salty (but N didn't seem to mind them one bit). The scallops had that texture that only a perfect scallop has -- plump and soft, with a slightly seared outside. They sopped up the delicious yuzu-sake sauce well, and were nicely accompanied by a turnip mash. And I don't know what it is about bok choy, but I love it, and last night was no exception, and I definitely ate more than my half.

On our waiter's recommendation, we had a bottle of the Wittman 2004 Spatlese Riesling. It was sweeter than we wanted, and I regretted not sticking with my original idea of a Gruner Veltliner.

The space attempts to evoke Asia, but to my mind is a little too cluttered to do so cleanly. I felt cramped, and I'm unsure whether it was the low ceilings, the proximity of other tables, or the sheer number of decorative touches. I thought fewer wall-hangings would have given the eye comfortable resting-places; as it is, I found my eyes darting from piece to piece, unsure of where to pause. (N pointed out that he found the restaurant open and spacious, because his seat faced into the open center area. So it may be that I just got the unlucky seat!)

All in all, a pleasant and tasty meal, although I'm not sure the experience as a whole lived up to what I wanted it to be. (Perhaps a problem of unreasonable expectations.) I'd go back, but it doesn't join my list of favorites.

Asia Nora
2213 M Street, NW
202-797-4860