When I heard a new restaurant called Azie Southeast had opened recently in Edgmont, I knew I’d be checking it out. Azie Southeast, the latest addition to the Win Signature Restaurants, opened in September and offers cuisine inspired by several southeast Asian countries. Azie Southeast is set off West Chester Pike in Edgmont, in the Regal Cinema shopping center. While the restaurant is popular with the movie crowd, Azie Southeast is worth the trip as a destination dining experience.
First off, Azie Southeast is beautiful inside. This contemporary space is large, and the walls are accented with giant images of the Buddha and other Asian accents. Large leather benches line the stone walls, and there are several niche seating options. The night’s specials are handwritten on a towering mirror. Upside down parasols create a festive, airy atmosphere and the contemporary music reminded me of times I’ve dined in hip Center City restaurants. The space is divided into segments, with the bar one one side, the main dining room in the center, and a second dining space up a few steps. A semi-private space holds up to 25 people for events and overlooks the main dining space.
We started out with drinks. My date tried the refreshing and visually appealing Shiso Mojito, which is made with Malibu Rum, Mill Hollow Farm shiso, stevia leaves, fresh lime juice and a splash of club soda. Shiso is an Asian culinary herb, which is similar to mint. The beer list was impressive. In addition to quality local craft beers such as Weyerbacher, Victory and Stoudt’s, Azie Southeast offers unique offerings from further afield. For starters, I tried a Hitachino White Ale, a Japanese style Belgian ale that was crisp and clean with a citrus finish.
Several appetizers appeared to be calling our name, so we were fortunate that General Manager Byung Lee stopped by to provide some recommendations. Byung said it’s common for couples or small groups to order several of the appetizers to share tapas style at the table. The appetizer menu included classics such as summer rolls, dumplings and lemongrass beef, and an interestingly named “You Shake It” Curry Fries, which are shoe string potatoes with a five curry spice.
My date chose the Thai Chicken Wings — these deep fried wings were completed with a sweet yuzu glaze that tasted of ginger and citrus. Luckily, she shared two with me and they were delectable. My appetizer was the Hot Shumai, which is Azie’s version of mac and cheese. Brought to our table in a Staub mini-muffin pan, these shrimp dumplings were piping hot and covered with Swiss and parmesan cheese. They resembled individual scallops set in the pan and they stayed hot as we pried each one out and savored. These were fun to pop out of the pan and tasty to eat.
The menu at Azie Southeast is inspired by the cuisines of China, Vietnam, Korea and Thailand. There’s a solid selection of soups, salads, specials and entrees. In addition to a listing of entrees, Azie Southeast has a list of entrees where you mix and match. Byung explained how this provides diners with an even broader range of options. He pointed out that the entrees are grouped — your choice of the Filet Tip, Free Range Chicken Breast or tender pork chop — are set next to a choice of three sauces: General Tso’s, Authentic Marinade, or Massaman Curry. A second grouping of entrees offers more choices — Fresh Fish of the Day (Scallop), Scottish Salmon, or Market Shrimp can be paired with one of the following sauces: Spicy Green Curry, Cilantro Soy or Sweet and Sour. Choose your entree with your sauce. It was definitely fun to envision the different combinations one could order, and it would take several visits to try them all.
I chose the Scallops in a Spicy Green Curry Sauce and white rice. The presentation was colorful, centered with a purple orchid and surrounded with sliced bell peppers, pearl onions, carrots and brussels sprouts. Are pearl onions under-rated or what? I loved them in this dish. The scallops were plentiful, tender and juicy and they absorbed the spicy, yet creamy, coconut sauce. The dish was not only a joy to look at, it was quite delicious as well.
My date chose the Chicken Chow Fun, which was the special on this Thursday night. Byung explained Chicken Chow Fun was the most popular dish of the Sang Kee Noodle House. When they relaunched the restaurant as Azie Southeast they decided to hold this dish over on their new menu. The dish consists of shredded chicken and wide noodles in a spicy brown sauce that was surprisingly hot. Byung explained they spiced it up a bit more when they launched Azie Southeast.
Reviewing the beer menu for a second choice, I opted for the Jever Pilsener, a German beer that is made with spring water from a 100-year old well. This was a very light pilsner in taste, clean with a slightly bitter finish.
The dessert menu definitely made us want to linger. In addition to desserts for the sweet tooth, the menu listed some interesting port, scotch and cocktail options. My date chose the Thai Tea Tiramasu. The tiramasu was a light lady finger cake, soaked in thai tea, with an upper layer of custard and topped with shaved white chocolate. I couldn’t resist the Apple Doughnut Fritters, which came centered with a scoop of coconut ice cream. The doughnut fritters were just amazing — crispy on the outside, with tasty tangy apple on the inside. The coconut and the cinnamon together brought our meal to a resounding conclusion.
Azie Southeast has a chef’s table that can be reserved for parties of 8-10 people and the semi-private room for up to 25. They are open for both lunch and dinner seven days a week and also offer takeout.
Azie Southeast is located at 4755 West Chester Pike in Newtown Square. Call (610)353-5353 for more details, or check out their website for reservations.
Photographs credited to Dallyn Pavey & Jim Breslin.
