Restaurant Review: Asia Republik

372 Bloor St West ( at Spadina) 416.921.6787

It was a cold windy rainy day. Bea and I were heading along Bloor St. looking for a place for lunch. We stepped inside because the place was near and we were cold. What a discovery! They get full points for the décor. The presentation and ambiance would be a winner in a high end restaurant. The walls are plain and a lovely grey color. It contrasts with the stark white lines of the furniture. The clean lines and simplicity offer an immediate feeling that you are going to dine in style.
The service was warm and pleasant. We were delighted with the Thai/ Vietnamese food. I can’t believe the prices. We ate so much good food and our bill was amazingly low in price. This is truly a find. The menu is extensive and you will have no trouble finding something of delight. The main problem is choosing from the extensive list of appealing choices. I wanted to warm up and was interested in soup. Pho is the name for the rice noodle soups. There are many choices. I ordered the Pho Tom Yam Veggie. I can’t believe that for $5.95 I was served a giant bowl so full of goodies I couldn’t eat it all. The noodles were tasty. The broth was flavorful. The mixture of snow peas, broccoli and green beans made it a healthy gourmet delight. I loved it. There were ten other choices for this Pho delight. If you prefer a smaller soup there are so many choices. The Sezechuan Hot and Sour combines tofu, fungus, bamboo shoots, mushroom and egg.($3.50) Vietnamese Wonton offers chicken filled wonton and fragrant chicken stock.($3.50)
Even in the Spring Roll section there are creative choices. How about Avocado and Crab Meat; Tuna and Capers or Grilled Lemongrass Chicken? The Spring Rolls are made with rice paper, Asian herbs, cucumber, red peppers, carrots and vermicelli. They vary in price from $4.95 - $5.50.
The chef’s exclusive entrees would make a great lunch or a filling dinner choice. Garlic Butter Shrimp combines tiger shrimp, thyme and garlic butter with white wine sauce on a bed of vermicelli.($12.95)Pan Seared Salmon is served with pineapple orange salsa.($13.95) Soft Shell Curry is a yellow curry with lightly breaded soft shell crab. Green beans and sticky rice compliment the dish.($12.95) If you are a fan of noodles you will delight with the choices available. Spicy Curry Pad Thai offers tofu, scallions, bean sprouts in a curry paste.($7.95) Add veggies, shrimp, chicken or beef and you have a complete meal. Malaysian Noodles are served in a spicy balachan sauce.($7.95) The Shanghai Express is made with wheat noodles, shitake mushrooms, scallions and spicy hoisin soy sauce. ($7.95) My friend Bea ordered a Pad Thai for lunch. The bowl was enormous. It also came with a spring roll/ It is a lot of food and very delicious.
If you like noodles or rice you can be assure d of choices with a variety of vegetables, meat, shrimp or chicken. There are sections for Fried Rice specialties. The Fried Noodles section is extensive. From the Wok and Vegetarian suggestions are numerous. This is a lengthy menu.
You can dine in style in the restaurant. You can do a take out order. This restaurant is a great discovery.
The food was so good on Monday that I returned on Wednesday. Once again I was delighted with good food and excellent service at the most reasonable price.