Heaven is Pork Belly and Root Beer – IndoAsian Restaurant Review

Submitted by Don Doman.

After watching a morning film at the Grand Cinema we visited the IndoAsian Eatery for an excellent lunch – indostreeteatery.com/menu/

After watching a morning film at the Grand Cinema we visited the IndoAsian Eatery for an excellent lunch.

IndoAsian prides itself on bringing Asian street food to Tacoma. The restaurant is on a short block in the Stadium District of Tacoma. There are five restaurants within a couple hundred yards. You can have a great meal and then stroll through Wright Park.

The restaurant is on a short block in the Stadium District of Tacoma.

PORK BELLY YAKITORI

Some people call grilled Pork Belly Yakitori with sweet sauce, an “adult lollipop.” I disagree, they are not for licking but for munching. Peg and I shared one stick and took the other home for a late night snack.

Some people call grilled Pork Belly Yakitori with sweet sauce, an “adult lollipop.”

I chose a bottle of Bundaberg Root Beer from Australia to drink with my lunch. I would do this, again . . . and again. “Bundaberg Root Beer is made to our genuine family recipe with real sarsaparilla root, licorice root, vanilla beans and molasses giving it that rich, unique color and flavor. Brewed for over three days to extract maximum flavor our Root Beer delivers a nostalgic experience like no other. Enjoy straight from the bottle, over ice, or mix it up by adding some fresh lime and mint for a flavor infusion like no other.”

The root beer is served with an ice filled mason type jar. Bundaberg also bottles a blood orange drink as well as a ginger beer. I love ginger beer.

VIETNAMESE VERMICELLI NOODLE BOWL

Rice vermicelli noodles are not my favorite food item, but when they are combined with lettuce, shredded carrots, red cabbage, lettuce, peanuts and fresh herbs, the noodles are transformed. The crispy imperial roll topping the bowl was absolutely fantastic. Peg just ordered the roll for her lunch. The sauce was a little too spicy for her, but it worked well for me.

I chose a bottle of Bundaberg Root Beer from Australia to drink with my lunch.

KHAO NAM TOD

This was our favorite lunch item for the day. Nam khao tod, is a Lao crispy rice salad, made with fried marinated rice, ground Thai sausage, shallots, ginger & fresh herbs – served with lettuce to wrap. The fresh basil elevated the wrap even more. Nam khao is normally eaten with your fingers and shared with family and friends. Most of the rice was hidden beneath the greens.

Nam khao “. . . is a salad from Laos and is made with deep-fried rice balls, chunks of Lao-style fermented pork sausage called som moo, chopped peanuts, grated coconut, sliced scallions or shallots, mint, cilantro, lime juice, fish sauce, and other ingredients. Nam khao is traditionally eaten as a wrap by filling individual leaves (i.e. lettuce) with a spoonful of the tangy Nam khao mixture and then topping it with fresh herbs and dried chili peppers. The traditional Lao method of making Nam khao involves seasoning a batch of cooked rice with red curry paste, sugar, salt, and grated coconut, and then forming the mixture into tightly packed large rice balls to be coated with eggs and then deep-fried to form crispy rice balls. Prior to serving, the crispy rice balls are broken into little chunks of rice and then mixed with the rest of the ingredients to form the eventual crispy rice salad. Nam khao is a very popular Lao appetizer that is gaining popularity in the West.” — Wikipedia

Rice vermicelli noodles are not my favorite food item, but with a great selection ingredients and fresh herbs, the noodles are transformed.

We took a box of leftover Khao nam tod, and pork belly home. Well, it wasn’t straight home. I had parked directly across the street from Stadium Thriftway, so of course I had to visit their bakery for cranberry oatmeal cookies and Chocolate Royal cookies. My cookies unfortunately didn’t survive the trip, however.

This was our favorite lunch item for the day. Nam Khao Tod.