Charleston Edition: Taste of Asia

Since moving to Charleston, I am on a mission to find he best sushi in town. I miss Morgantown's options, but it gives me an excuse to try all the sushi restaurants here.

Taste of Asia is located in South Charleston, and when I first came to town, I was staying in a place in South Charleston. This was actually the first restaurant I visited on my own. So maybe it has a special place in my heart. It also has other locations in Huntington and Teays Valley.

This was technically my second visit, but it was the first time I sat inside. The inside isn't huge, but I kind of like that it's a little bit more cozy. We were sitting next to the sushi bar, and I was keeping a close eye on what the chef was producing - and everything look fantastic.

Taste of Asia has Chinese, Japanese and Thai food. I wanted all three. But what I was feeling this evening was some crab rangoons, chicken udon and a shrimp tempura roll.

The crab rangoons were very creamy on the inside - which I'm really growing to love - but the outside was just too oily for me. I felt like I was eating a little grease pocket. I really wanted the cheese to be the prominent flavor, but I tried to dab the oil off. Didn't work out so well.

The sushi was of good quality. The blend of flavors were top notch. The taste of the crisp tempura on the shrimp, fresh veggies and a sweet, tangy sauce was hitting all the right spots.

By the time I finished my appetizer and the sushi, I was pretty full. On this day, my eyes were much bigger than my stomach, though, because I still had my udon coming out.

I've only had udon on one or two occasions, because I'm generally not a fan of soups. However, this is more of a noodle dish than a soup. And I like that.

Once the giant pot came out, I knew I was in trouble. I took a few bites before asking them to box it up - or container it up. It was my lunch for the next day, and it was SO GOOD. Oh my god. Is all udon like this? Have I been missing out my entire life? The thick noodles taste like they're homemade, and they come in this broth with veggies and topped with a ton of chicken. It blew my mind.

If you're worried about a soup dish filling you up, don't. This is a noodle dish. With soup. And it tastes like heaven. A beautiful slice of Asian heaven. Maybe an Americanized Asian food heaven, but whatever it is, it makes my tastebuds sing.

Grade: A