Duck crispy noodle ($7.95) wasn’t very generous with the duck meat, and even the broccoli and tomato were kind of tasteless. An eight-delight noodle dish ($7.95) had, among its delights, shrimp, chicken, broccoli, and stir-fried cucumber (better than it sounds), but it was also rather bland on its bed of thin noodles.
New Taste of Asia is a small place, but the decoration is unusual. The back has a kind of roofed effect, as though our tiny storefront space were actually an inner courtyard. On the wall are two realistic and somewhat sentimental portraits of Chinese beauties. I’ve never seen this kind of Chinese oil painting before. When a little music leaks out of the kitchen, it’s country and western. Through etched glass one gets some idea of the kitchen work, but the clearest view of the chef is among flowers in a color photograph. Look closer, and you’ll see that the flowers are all handmade from vegetables. His wife is the only waitress, and she is friendly, accurate, and nonjudgmental.
The tea is weak jasmine. Plain white rice ($1) is the only order the waitress missed in four tries. When I did get it, it was quite good and aromatic. There are four unusual desserts, but I settled for fortune cookies. The atmosphere is crowded, and often with mostly Asian or Asian-American customers.
New Taste of Asia | 1393 Beacon St, Brookline | Sun-Thurs, 11:30 am-10 pm; Fri-Sat, 11:30 am-11 pm | AE, MC, VI | no liquor | no valet parking | sidewalk level access | 617.730.3888
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Robert Nadeau: RobtNadeau@aol.com