Williamsburg, VA 23188
(757) 258-8899
Moon Asian Bistro is proud to serve authentic Asian dishes prepared with only the freshest of ingredients.
Mindy's Review...
Now is where I usually start talking about the food. Let me just start by saying that sushi is my favorite food and I think of myself as an amateur sushi connoisseur. Moon Asian Bistro actually blew me away with their sushi. Usually as I look through a sushi menu, one or two items stick out to me, but that didn't happen here – I wanted to try every single one. Fortunately the manager was there to help us decide because it would have been too hard for me. Before we even left the restaurant, I knew that I wanted to go here for my birthday this year. Usually I head up to Northern VA for my birthday sushi dinner, but I think we might be saving some gas money from now on.
We started the meal with their Lime Coconut Soup. This had a very nice balance of coconut and lime flavor and was a good start to our meal. We moved on to the appetizer, which was the Tuna Wasabi Dumplings. These were amazing. The smooth and creamy texture from the filling and surrounding tuna meat melted in my mouth. Again, amazing. The first sushi roll we tried was the Crazy Tuna Roll. I honestly was a little scared of this one because the description mentioned two ingredients being spicy, but it only had a slight ting to it, and I actually liked it. Though it's a tough call, I think this one was my favorite out of the three sushi rolls we tried. Moon was the next roll we tried. I didn't even have to dip this one in soy sauce because the flavors held up so nicely on their own. The last roll we tried was the Busch Garden Roll. The presentation on this one draws you in before you even take a bite. And that bite did not disappoint. The combination of everything was just perfect: creamy, crunchy and spicy. Our last savory dish was the Blackberry Salmon. I don't think I've seen this on any menu, so I was intrigued to try it. The salmon had a nice crunchy skin on the outside and the blackberry sauce added a nice touch of sweetness.
My Favorite Thing: Definitely the Tuna Wasabi Dumplings. The dumpling "wrapper" is the tuna and the inside was guacamole with crab sitting atop a wasabi honey sauce. We were only on our second plate and I pretty much knew nothing else would top it. I was right, and it was delicious!
What I would like to try next time: Paradise (sushi roll)- Spicy lobster/Shrimp tempura/Banana tempura/Soy paper/Citrus mango sauce
Eddie's Review...
A Hidden Gem
In every town there are a handful of restaurants that offer amazing food, but because of their location, they're just not that well known. These restaurants are known as "hidden gems". Williamsburg has their own handful of hidden gems, and Moon Asian Bistro is definitely one of them.
Located toward the end of Monticello Marketplace at the inside corner near Target, lies Moon Asian Bistro. An unassuming exterior that doesn't impress much, but as they say....don't judge a book by it's cover. Open the door and experience and appreciate the fantastic interior design job that rivals many big city restaurants. It's beautifully done with inspiring colors and textures throughout. I love the thought-out detail from the artwork on the wall, to the over sized booths and even to the texture of the floor. It's modern, creative and just plain cool. And so is the food.
I'd say the cuisine can be best described as an innovative and skillfully created taste of Asia. Dishes range from Japan, Thailand, China and Korea. We would have loved to have tried them all, but alas, our stomachs can only hold so much. Let's review what we did try though. We started off with the Lime Coconut Soup – "Chicken, Asparagus, Shitake Mushrooms." A nice citrusy and clean way to start off our meal. The broth was very tasty. As our first appetizer, we had the Tuna Wasabi Dumplings – "Thinly sliced blue fin tuna, guacamole, kani crab, honey wasabi sauce." This dish looked AND tasted awesome. It's two large scoopfuls of guacamole wrapped in slices of tuna that make it look like some sort of closed flower. It's a very clean and refreshing dish. Delicious. For our next appetizer we tried the Beef Negimaki – "Broiled Ribeye Steak, Green Scallions, Teriyaki sauce." This was a very interesting dish. The scallions were wrapped by thin slices of ribeye the same way rice and seaweed would wrap a sushi roll. Very different and very good. We continued with three of their signature sushi rolls. The first was the Crazy Tuna Roll – "Fresh pepper tuna & avocado topped with spicy tuna, tempura flakes and red chili sauce." This had a nice big piece of tuna in it, was slightly spicy and very good. Our next roll was the Moon Roll – "Salmon tempura and avocado topped with fresh salmon, tobiko, crunch, and spicy mayo." This roll was very good as well. Our third and final roll was the Busch Garden Roll – "Tempura roll with combination of Spicy King crab, Avocado, Asparagus, Shrimp inside, topped with Spicy Scallop with BBQ Eel sauce, Spicy Mayo and Honey Wasabi sauce on the side." I loved this roll. It had a very cool presentation with great texture and flavor. The sauce was delicious. One thing I appreciated with all these rolls, was that they were heavy on the inside ingredients and not on the rice. Most places pile on the rice to save money, but not Moon Asian Bistro. Our next dish was the Blackberry Salmon – "Grilled Salmon Fillet, Blackberry Glaze, Roasted Garlic Mashed Potato and Grilled Asparagus." Another great dish. The salmon had a nice crispy outside and that Blackberry sauce was fantastic. We ended our meal with the Copa Cafe´ – "Latte Gelato with a Rich Coffee and Pure Cocoa Swirl, presented in the cup" for dessert. A nice ice cream dessert to finish off our meal. And what a great meal it was. I really enjoyed every dish, and that usually doesn't happen. You have to come out and try this place. Support it and let others know about this hidden gem.
My Favorite Thing: Ahh, there are so many good dishes, but the one that sticks out in my mind as I'm writing this review is the Tuna Wasabi Dumplings. I just loved the feel and temperature of this dish. You need to come in and try it.
What I would like to try next time: Painted Lady – "Fresh Lobster, Mango Asparagus, Topped with Spicy Tuna, Avocado, Sweet Chili Sauce." Just one of the many sushi rolls of theirs that I can't wait to try.
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