745 Lyons Road
Dayton, OH 45459
937.435.1788
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While south Dayton has seen a few great new restaurant concepts around the Dayton Mall area, the Asian House Sushi Bar is the reinvention of a spot that has long been a hibachi grill, buffet, and a few other things. Asian House, though, is a concept that I think has staying power; offering a variety of Chinese food entrees, sushi and dim sum. Dayton has very few places with that range of food, and I found trying it here to be a worthwhile experience.
The menu has a lot of Chinese specialties, but the really exciting and unique thing on the menu here is the dim sum, a Chinese meal where lots of different dishes are served in small portions. Not a lot of dim sum to be found around town. Among good things to try:
- Sho Loon Bun: This is a form of baozi, or Chinese steamed bun, which is filled with pork and a savory sauce. It’s soft, warm, best eaten fresh, and with four to a serving, pretty substantial.
- Shu Mai: This is a dumpling made with the interesting combination of pork and shrimp. It’s unusual in its own right, the pork and shrimp give sweet flavor and a sturdy texture.
- Sesame balls: One of my favorite dim sum dishes, sesame balls are filled with a sweet red bean paste and very, very crispy on the outside. Also best fresh.
- Spicy Salmon Roll: I gave a try to the sushi, much in demand as it is. The spicy salmon roll is made with fresh, sashimi-grade salmon and a nice simple roll of rice and seaweed wrap. Fresh fish is what makes sushi really stand out, and this presentation is great, high-quality fish.
- Hot & Sour Soup: For an appetizer, this soup is substantial in its own right. It’s filled with tofu, mushrooms, and a lot of spice. Very good to get started.
Service I found to be generally good, though sometimes they take longer to refill water or get to orders. Part of dim sum is that the dishes are made fresh as ordered. Because of this, many places have a special “dim sum lunch hour” where dim sum dishes are prepared in quantity and then carted around to the tables. That way everyone can get food quickly. Asian House serves all the time, though, so you need to know that some dishes take a longer time to make. Consider placing dim sum orders as early as you can.
While you might end up doing a bit more waiting here than at other places, I found the food to be a good experience overall.
Recommendations
- Dim Sum is served here all of the time, and it’s worth a try. Keep in mind some of the dishes are a 15-20 minute prep time though.
- Sushi is the other popular item on the menu here. High quality fish make it great.
- Soups here are also good.
Another Food Critic 