Lunch with friends at Asia Cafe

Yesterday,  a planned lunch with N & L was cancelled so we decided to have lunch where we originally planned, Asia Cafe...

This time, we'd have some company...



and by company, I mean Thane of the Universe along with his cute 1 1/2 year old boy (the wife was in LA visiting friends), Tatonka, and Mr. Saliva. Unable to join us were HotFudge and Scregman (who was sick), Thor (who had work) and Astroboi. This was practically a high school reunion!

The guys let me do some of the ordering and then ended up getting entrees of their own. On the counter were bags of fried pork rinds, and on the table, fried bananas.

First up, the Lao Beef Jerky with Sticky Rice for us to share, along with TC's Pho (with only Brisket and Steak) with plate of herbs.

The fragrant and delicious beef jerky...

TC's meatball in her pho. We asked for them to exclude the tripe and tendons so the lady added meatballs instead, which was nice.

The owner also came out with a small plate of cucumbers and mind for the Seen Nam Toke. The Other plate with lettuce and herbs was for the Nem Khao.

I love how they always serve the Seen Nam Toke in a fish shaped dish! The meat was so tender and the fish sauce very strong! The guys seemed to like it and so did Thane's kid who enjoyed it with sticky rice.

Aah, one of the stars of the show and some fried spring rolls to share...

We can't go to Asia Cafe and NOT order this, can we? It's impossible!

Mr. Saliva's BBQ Pork Chop plate with rice and vegetables. Even Thane's kid wanted some. The kid was not shy at all and even pointed to the egg and the meat! Ha ha. Mr. S was kind enough to oblige and give him a few pieces.

Thane's Lard Nar with chicken. He wanted to get something with noodles...Looked kind of bland. I'm sure it was mainly for the sake of the baby.

Tatonka's Meatball soup...

Bert's Ginger Beef which smelled so good and packed a lot of flavor!

The aftermath...

I was the only one who didn't get a separate entree since I was content to "graze" the different appetizers that I ordered. TC's pho broth was a bit on the sweetish side, which I didn't really like.

The owners' sons weren't there that day. In fact, both of the sons, according to their dad, were visiting Laos, Thailand AND Vietnam for the first time! I hope they're have a great vacation!

It's always nice getting together with a group of friends. We've all known each other for 30 years! Bert's friends are also my friends and we are all familiar with each other's idiosyncracies, senses of humor and what not.

Dessert would be close by as in across the street! Coming right up...