Taste Of Asia is an Asian eatery located right in the heart of the CBD on Gawler Place. The dining area boasts magnificent high ceilings from the double storey height and it takes advantage of the floor to ceiling glass frontage which maximises the amount of natural light. Other than that, this place is very casual and is not too dissimilar to your local suburban Chinese takeaway joint. The menu is a combination of Thai, Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese. I’m not saying it’s impossible to cook all of these cuisines well, but it is slightly ambitious.

Today, I ordered the Pad Thai. The meal came 10 minutes after ordering and was nicely presented, although the serving size was a bit small. The noodles were well cooked with nice individual pieces, however they tasted watery, as though they weren’t drained properly. Chicken breast was used as the protein and the meat was tender and succulent. The vegetables were fresh and crisp, although I was surprised to see the inclusion of bok choy, capsicum, broccoli and cabbage. The bean sprouts and peanuts gave the dish a nice crunchy texture. The dish was more on the reddish side which indicated they didn’t add enough soy sauce. This was also evident in the taste.

My friend had the Thai Green Chicken Curry. She said it tasted good with no complaints.

The staff were friendly and the service was average. The atmosphere was relaxed and the pricing was reasonable. Many of their dishes, including the one I had, were $8.80. The serving size wasn’t huge but what do you expect for the lunchtime price? I felt they went on a bit of tangent with my Pad Thai and didn’t stick to the original recipe. I would consider visiting this place in the future but I certainly would be selecting a different dish.

WHERE: 94 Gawler Pl, Adelaide