River Valley Eats

River Valley Eats: Asian Cafe Crosses Thai, Vietnamese and Chinese Borders

Chicken Pad Udon is one of the offerings at Asian Cafe in Fort Smith.

(Courtesy Photo/Kat Robinson)
Chicken Pad Udon is one of the offerings at Asian Cafe in Fort Smith. (Courtesy Photo/Kat Robinson)

Editor's Note: Food blogger, author, historian and influencer Kat Robinson would like to introduce you to some of her favorite River Valley eateries and let you know about new restaurants in the region. Her column will appear in this space weekly.

Asian Cafe

7110 Rogers Ave., Suite 112, Fort Smith

434-2914

This Fort Smith noodle shop offers a lovely span of Thai, Vietnamese and Chinese dishes in its tiny space, a selection of different preparations of soup, noodles, fried rices and curries, most with your choice of chicken, beef, pork, seafood or tofu. Many selections can be made gluten free, vegan or vegetarian on request.

When you place an order, you are asked what number you'd like for dish heat. One is mild, while six is very spicy.

The Red Curry is delightful, similar to a Tom Kha soup with large chunks of green bell pepper, carrot and potato, served with a mound of sticky white rice. Green curries are also available.

Amongst the nine noodle dishes, the Pad Udon is a hearty surprise, with plenty of meat protein added to the sesame oil-tossed noodles, bok choy, broccoli, carrots and bamboo shoots. The size of the portion is easily enough to share.

Soups (pho) include several options, from a homemade noodle soup to a pho combination of ribeye and meatball with rice noodle. There's also a duck noodle soup with cilantro, and Sukiyaki with hunks of your choice of meat, glass noodles and spinach.

Of note are Blanket Shrimp, which are shrimp wrapped in wontons and deep fried and served with a sweet and sour sauce.

The standout among the fried rice dishes is the Pineapple Rice with its yellow curry sauce, both sweet and piquant. Rice dishes are humongous, so consider sharing these, too.

Asian Cafe also offers hibachi, stir fry, Chinese dishes such as Sesame Chicken and Crispy Duck, and an Asian centered kids' menu.

Kat Robinson is an author and Arkansas food historian in Little Rock who travels the state researching our culinary foodways. Her 11th book, "Arkansas Cookery: Retro Recipes from The Natural State," covers dishes from the mid-20th century church and community cookbooks. You can reach her at kat@tiedyetravels.com with recommendations, recipes and news on River Valley restaurants.


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