Asian Café: Worth its Weight in Gold

Even on a Sunday afternoon, when the sports bar three doors down is hopping with rowdy football fans, the smell of Asian Cafe permeates the Food Lion plaza. Like a siren’s song, it draws me in, while I wonder how much you have to care about football to resist ditching it for the sake of better food. 

Asian Cafe is the definition of a hole in the wall. Halfway in between the ABC store and a self-storage facility on one of the few strip malls in Fluvanna County, it doesn’t exactly scream for attention. Even the sign is solid white lettering in the plainest font ever to grace my eyes. 

To me, though, this place is special. It’s been here as long as I can remember, and every time I set foot in it, I’m brought back to countless Sunday afternoon lunches with my family. When I walked in, it was calm but not empty. Since I grew up in Fluvanna, I recognized multiple people, which is to be expected. However, nostalgia is not the thing that brings me back. 

The service is nothing special. There is one waitress who knows just enough English to get by. She’s not much for conversation. As for the kitchen staff, I haven’t seen them once in all my years eating here. Though, I couldn’t care less if a dog was back there making my food – save for hygiene’s sake – on account of how darn good it is.

I ordered my usual, the hibachi steak dinner ($20.95), and something new, the Asian Cafe roll ($9.95). I was first brought their house soup, which comes with all dinner meals. After waiting a few minutes for it to drop below scalding, I slurped it down. It tastes good, but the nasal-clearing properties are priceless for anyone with seasonal allergies.

Then I was greeted with the sushi roll. I have never really loved sushi, but there was something special about this one. Glazed in sweet sauce with an aftertaste of spice, as soon as I bit into the first piece, I was in love. Although I would have usually gone for a dip in the yum yum sauce, I found myself satisfied without it. One bite was enough to have me rethinking my usual order, since two of these rolls would cost the same as the steak dinner.

But once the steak came out, that thought quickly left my mind. The smell was so appetizing that I almost forgot to take a picture. I knew exactly what to expect with the steak, and I have never been let down. I order the steak cooked medium, and it is always perfectly tender, while not being undercooked. And it is delicious. I have never tasted anything quite so good as their hibachi steak dipped in a little bit of yum yum sauce. It also comes with veggies and rice, which also go well with the sauce. I ate the broccoli and zucchini and left the onions and carrots, a tradition since childhood.

For a price of over $30 for the food – around $20 for the steak and $10 for the sushi – I remembered why I don’t eat here very often. But the cheap wings at the sports bar don’t come close to even the rice at Asian Cafe. If I was given the choice between free Asian Cafe, three meals a day for life, and a free house, I would choose the house, but I would regret my decision for the rest of my life.

Asian Cafe roll ($9.95) and house soup. Photography by Nate Estes