Asian Mall in Eden Prairie (Minneapolis, Minnetonka: sale, home, restaurants)

[yakimono]

Wondering how the grocery compares to places like United Noodle or Shuang Hur. I've seen only a few reviews, very mixed.


Feel free to comment on any of the other vendors/restaurants for other viewers.

[57special]

Grocery is decent. Lots of dried goods. Veg and fruits are OK....nothing earthshaking. Not a fan of their Seafood. Looks impressive, but the quality has been mediocre with the things I have bought.

Cantonese place on the main floor has slow service and mediocre food, at best. Noodles overdone, etc. Shame, as Mandarin Kitchen no longer serves lunch style noodle soups, and the area could really use a decent lunch place.

Vietnamese place is decent. Good service, nice crowds, ok food. No comparison to Quang, though.

Korean place upstairs is good, but very basic setting and quite expensive for what you get.

Have not been to the Hot Pot place, which opens at 2 pm.

Have not tried the other place besides the Korean upstairs. The lack of crowds lead me to think that it, too is underwhelming.

Have not tried the Japanese donuts. There is usually quite a crowd there, but it's not my thing.

In general, the restaurants are quite expensive for what you get, and the grocery is nothing special. Good idea, but lacking in execution.

[highlanderfil]

My main takeaways: groceries are expensive, but good deals can be had on sale and the selection is surprisingly decent for the small area it covers. Boba/mochi donut place on the first floor (separate entrance off to the left of the main) is pretty good. Their Vietnamese coffee is a sugar and caffeine bomb like no other if that's your thing. Haven't been anywhere else there, so really curious to read what others write.

Oh, and parking sucks.

[BMW R1100]

If they have a Thai food option, go for it! I spent two years in Thailand, the Land of Smiles, while in the army and loved it! Their iced coffees, cafe namkang, are great! Shrimp, pork, chicken-fried rice is super!

[highlanderfil]

Originally Posted by BMW R1100

If they have a Thai food option, go for it! I spent two years in Thailand, the Land of Smiles, while in the army and loved it! Their iced coffees, cafe namkang, are great! Shrimp, pork, chicken-fried rice is super!

Then you surely must know that the Thai food in the U.S. is hardly uniform in quality and taste (not to mention authenticity) and a blanket advice of "if they have Thai food, it's good" is patently incorrect.

[57special]

Went back again, and have to say that, unfortunately, word is getting out that this place is underwhelming. Parking was easy to get, which wasn’t the case at first(there is parking inside). Pho Mai had the least amount of people ever, the Korean place was near empty, as well as the place beside it. Grocery is still seeing some business- it is decent, and IMO the equal of most Asian grocers in MN, though that might be damning it with faint praise.

Again, good concept, but lacking in execution. Restaurant food needs to be better, especially at the prices they are charging. I do hope they improve, as this place is quite convenient for me, and I do love some of my Asian produce.

[highlanderfil]

Do any of their eateries have shrimp spring rolls? Not the fried ones, the ones wrapped in chewy rice paper. I want to try to make my own someday, but for now would like to find a decent place around Eden Prairie to get them freshly made. I've seen them at the Minnetonka Whole Foods, but I'm sure I can do better than that...

[Lillie767]

Originally Posted by highlanderfil

Then you surely must know that the Thai food in the U.S. is hardly uniform in quality and taste (not to mention authenticity) and a blanket advice of "if they have Thai food, it's good" is patently incorrect.

I agree. Most of the "Thai" food in the US tastes tired and somewhat stale, even at popular restaurants. Maybe they cannot replicate the fresh spices from Thailand.

Most ethnic food doesn't translate well from their home country to global restaurants. Some of it is the water and the sourcing of raw ingredients. Animal diets vary globally and the meat from the animals will taste different based on their diet. Compare grain fed beef to beef from cattle who graze on grass.

I found Asian food the most disappointing once I left the home country.

[highlanderfil]

Originally Posted by Lillie767

I agree. Most of the "Thai" food in the US tastes tired and somewhat stale, even at popular restaurants. Maybe they cannot replicate the fresh spices from Thailand.

Most ethnic food doesn't translate well from their home country to global restaurants. Some of it is the water and the sourcing of raw ingredients. Animal diets vary globally and the meat from the animals will taste different based on their diet. Compare grain fed beef to beef from cattle who graze on grass.

I found Asian food the most disappointing once I left the home country.

I've had good Thai food in the U.S., but it tends to be in larger cities with lots of competition for one's dining dollar (L.A., NYC) and I cannot vouch for its authenticity, having never been to Thailand myself. A lack of competition usually ends up driving quality down towards the lowest common denominator (which generally means the most simplistic dishes that somewhat vaguely taste like the thing they're meant to taste like). Minneapolis, Chicago and, somewhat unexpectedly, Detroit, are actually not too bad when it comes specifically to Thai food, but places like Pittsburgh are definite hit and misses, mostly misses (lots of grease, poorly spiced, just slabs of meat vaguely slathered in sauce). Ironically, the Detroit Metro area's best Thai place (as far as I am concerned) is a chain called No Thai!, but there are decent independent restaurants, as well.

[yakimono]

I visited the A.M. long before the first comment and found it underwhelming. The grocery might have some good buys, but I wasn't tempted enough to even bother comparing to what's available at United Noodle, my go-to for Asian groceries. Mall restaurants are rarely competitive with stand alone restaurants in terms of quality, and I didn't see anything there that was all that inviting, given the prices of dining out these days.

A comment about Thai restaurants - tangential because I don't think there are any at the A.M. - I have been to Thailand, and loved the food. In the Twin Cities, I've never once tasted a dish at my table (dining with others) that wasn't utterly lackluster (or even pathetic) in spicing, flavor, and authenticity - in addition to being way too sweet (like candy! -- bleh). I will no long eat Thai food in Mpls/St Paul, much less the rest of the state.