Asian Court

Craving a local dim sum place since the demise of Jesse Wong's Hong Kong? In the market for a favorite everyday Chinese carryout or eat in place? The Asian Court restaurant in the Chatham shopping center on Route 40 fits the bill. The Asian Court location has gone through many owners and levels of quality over the years, but the current management has been in charge for about one year and the results are good news.

First of all, Asian Court offers the only dim sum for many miles around. They serve dim sum seven days a week from a menu, but on weekends and holidays from 11:00 am - 3:00 pm you get the proper rolling cart service that lets you pick and choose by sight. On a recent Saturday the place was crowded but not packed, with a high proportion of Asian families which is a good sign. The dim sum choices were fresh and tempting, with lots of choices of buns, rolls and dumplings. Our favorites were most anything with shrimp, especially the Har-Cheung (rice noodle sheets filled with shrimp), and the Char-Siu-So baked BBQ pork pastry. I would like to see a little more variety of meat and vegetable alternatives on the carts, but you can always order off the regular menu, too.

And that's the next pleasant surprise. The regular menu offers the typical Americanized Chinese dishes, but also has a good selection of "Delicate Dishes" that cater to more adventurous diners and an impressive set of noodle choices. Even the Americanized dishes seem to be made with a little more care and authenticity than usual. The Kung Pao chicken has a genuinely tasty sauce and authoritative kick from dried red chili peppers reminiscent of a long ago meal in Beijing. The Feel Good noodles are a home-style treat, especially when we substituted shrimp for the chicken.

Asian Court now has a full sushi bar too. We haven't tried it yet, but the selections at least promise to be fresh. I'm very happy to have rediscovered this long overlooked Chinese eatery. It may not be quite in the league of Grace Garden but it's a lot closer and more convenient, the service has been friendly, and the food is at least as good as any other Chinese restaurant in the county.



You can find some other informative reviews of Asian Court at Urbanspoon, Yelp, Chowhound, and the Dining Dish.