Craving Thai food? Craving Chinese Food? Craving Vietnamese Food? No problem! Just go to 1618 Asian Fusion in Austin. Normally, when a restaurant focuses on a multitude of cuisines and regions, I am wary of whether or not the menu items will be tasty since it’s typically a challenge to be a master of many trades. Yet, 1618 Asian Fusion does an exceptional job and proves that their extensive, diverse food options do not hold them back in their craft.
The MasterMinds Behind 1618 Asian Fusion
1618 Asian Fusion is an Austin locally-own restaurant founded by co-partners, Kevin Le and Lynn Tran. They pride themselves on their adventurous take on Asia’s food scene, not limited to Vietnam, China, Thailand, Singapore, and other parts of SE Asia.
Cuisine: Asian-Fusion, Dim-Sum
Price: ($$$)
Ambiance: Classy
1618 Asian Fusion Rating
Soup Dumplings
It hits all the points when I’m looking for the perfect soup dumpling. One of the pivotal points of a good soupl dumpling is its thin skin, but not too flimsy where it would easily rip. Great meat to soup ration; the soup is clear and savory. It eats some of the places I’ve had in the Bay Area.
Chicken Pad Thai ($15.50)
Not a big fan of Pad Thai, but this was phenomenal. It’s probably one of the best chicken Pad Thais I’ve had. Usually, this entree is too sweet for my palette, but this was well seasoned—Great balance of sweet, savory, sour, and nutiness. The chicken was surprisingly tender, and they didn’t skimp out on the fluffy fried egg.
Thai Pineapple Fried Rice ($18.00)
This fried rice had more moisture than usual. Otherwise, the flavors were smokey and spicy. I felt like there was a good amount of shrimp, but the portion size was small. Presentation-wise, they went out-of-the-box and served the dishes in a half pineapple. I love how there were fresh pineapple chunks planted throughout the fried rice.
Calamari Salted Pepper ($9.50)
The fried calamari was crispy and lightly battered. The calamari was cooked perfectly which is crucial since I’ve been to many places where their fried calamari ends up rubbery. The sauce was a great pairing with its unique flavors; it was buttery, slightly tart, and mayonnaise-like.
Thai Tom Yum Fresh Coconut Fried Rice ($18.00)
This was a gorgeous dish where the tom yum fried rice was presented in a fresh young coconut. My only complaint was that it was lacking the actual tom yum flavor.
Orange Chicken ($15.50)
The orange chicken was good, but it was not a show-stopper.
I highly recommend going to happy hour. The staff is always making superior quality cocktails.
1618 Asian Fusion Location
1618 E Riverside Dr, Austin, TX, 78741
If you enjoyed this review, perhaps you would enjoy a place that has an equally amazing dining experience at Kata Robota in Houston.
