The Asian food here is okay. It actually is a pretty good option at the airport as the food is relatively fresh, at least there's enough customers that the food is consumed and cooked frequent enough. The bourbon chicken is my favorite.
I currently work overseas and I miss my Americanized Asian food so my view is completely biased =) ————————————————————————————————————-
Despite my disclaimer, Chinese food here sucks (_x_). Yes, that an ass. On the other hand, the chicken teriyaki is just so damn good and I often walk over to this part of Terminal C just to have it. To get the most out of it (flavor wise), you need to put some extra sauce and so you don't die from saltiness, you need some white rice instead of noodles or fried rice.
I wouldn't say this is the best meal on the planet but when you are deprived on Americanized Japanese/Chinese food, this is quite good especially given that airport food is supposed to suck anyway.
Again, don't go for their Chinese food. This review is strictly for the chicken teriyaki.
went there to get something light for the husband with an upset stomach; i didn't have a bite of his food (white rice with steamed veggies and chicken broccoli) so this review is strictly on service….which had a brief rocky start but finally won me over.
as i was lining up for my turn, i observed that the ladies behind counter seemed to be quite emotionless, which was pretty "standard". looking at the menu, i made sure that the two-dish combo ($7.99) could come with white rice (not shown on the buffet trays) instead of fried rice. as the lady addressed me i also made sure first thing that this was a to-go order, since she seemed to grab a tray as if i was eating it on the spot. we were about 7 feet away from one another and it felt like we couldn't hear each other clearly, and the tone became a little more "rash" in each attempt, between the takeout request and the elements in my order. i don't blame her exactly for not hearing me as i tend to whisper, but she could've walked closer to me since I couldn't really move "back" in the line to be closer to her. it didn't bother me, but i just wanted my food and get out of here at that point.
but then, the event took an unexpected turn. lady saw my Smashburger takeout, and started making friendly chatter about her stomach's feeling towards their burger and fries, to which i smiled politely. seeing my bulging belly, she then inquired if i were to eat the burger or the rice first – i indicated that i wasn't literally eating both lol. as i paid and retrieved my order, she then asked if i wanted a bag, which i initially declined, thinking to save the environment when i could. she then insisted in her motherly way, saying i got too much to carry, and even went to take my burger bag and put it into her bag for me, showing me how much more convenient it is now!! the bag turned out to be useful as i was also getting a pretzel after that….all things fit in perfectly and i didn't have to juggle three things all the way to my gate.
For being in an airport I expected much worse, but was pleasantly surprised. I got the udon noodle bowl which really hit the spot. $7 for airport food…could've been worse, right?
Not bad at all. For $6 or $7 you get a couple of greasy Chinese entrees and rice or noodles. Super-fast, buffet style quality and service, perfect when you're gate-rushed but don't want to wait for a $7 snack box in the air. You can do a lot worse at the airport.
Aisan Chao is located in the Newark NJ airport. It's the closest that you'll get to Asian food at Panda Express (popular on the West Coast).
I gotta start with this – they have a huge sign saying that they offer "Oriental Cuisine". In this century, the use of "oriental" is preetty offensive. I didn't take offense to it, but found it pretty funny.
I got the usual two-choice special. You get either fried rice or chow mein noodles. The two choices I got were mixed veggies with tofu and the orange chicken. Tofu dish was meh – little flavor, and average veggies such as cabbage, onions and carrots. The orange chicken was tasty. It was breaded chicken with a sweet sour sauce. If I would do it again, I would have done a double order of orange chicken.
Checking out, I asked for a cup of ice water. When I checked out, my order was a bit pricier than expected. Counter lady charged me for a bottle of water, didn't give it to me because she was busy chatting with her friends behind the counter.
Food Grade: B Service Grade: C- Worth the Money Grade: B+ Overall Impression: C
NOT SO BAD
for airport fast food. We had the two combo quick meal with noodles for $7.48 and it was perfectly fine.
It was nothing spectacular, but pleasant and filling for an airport meal…
The Asian food here is okay. It actually is a pretty good option at the airport as the food is relatively fresh, at least there's enough customers that the food is consumed and cooked frequent enough. The bourbon chicken is my favorite.
-Disclaimer-
I currently work overseas and I miss my Americanized Asian food so my view is completely biased =)
————————————————————————————————————-
Despite my disclaimer, Chinese food here sucks (_x_). Yes, that an ass. On the other hand, the chicken teriyaki is just so damn good and I often walk over to this part of Terminal C just to have it. To get the most out of it (flavor wise), you need to put some extra sauce and so you don't die from saltiness, you need some white rice instead of noodles or fried rice.
I wouldn't say this is the best meal on the planet but when you are deprived on Americanized Japanese/Chinese food, this is quite good especially given that airport food is supposed to suck anyway.
Again, don't go for their Chinese food. This review is strictly for the chicken teriyaki.
went there to get something light for the husband with an upset stomach; i didn't have a bite of his food (white rice with steamed veggies and chicken broccoli) so this review is strictly on service….which had a brief rocky start but finally won me over.
as i was lining up for my turn, i observed that the ladies behind counter seemed to be quite emotionless, which was pretty "standard". looking at the menu, i made sure that the two-dish combo ($7.99) could come with white rice (not shown on the buffet trays) instead of fried rice. as the lady addressed me i also made sure first thing that this was a to-go order, since she seemed to grab a tray as if i was eating it on the spot. we were about 7 feet away from one another and it felt like we couldn't hear each other clearly, and the tone became a little more "rash" in each attempt, between the takeout request and the elements in my order. i don't blame her exactly for not hearing me as i tend to whisper, but she could've walked closer to me since I couldn't really move "back" in the line to be closer to her. it didn't bother me, but i just wanted my food and get out of here at that point.
but then, the event took an unexpected turn. lady saw my Smashburger takeout, and started making friendly chatter about her stomach's feeling towards their burger and fries, to which i smiled politely. seeing my bulging belly, she then inquired if i were to eat the burger or the rice first – i indicated that i wasn't literally eating both lol. as i paid and retrieved my order, she then asked if i wanted a bag, which i initially declined, thinking to save the environment when i could. she then insisted in her motherly way, saying i got too much to carry, and even went to take my burger bag and put it into her bag for me, showing me how much more convenient it is now!! the bag turned out to be useful as i was also getting a pretzel after that….all things fit in perfectly and i didn't have to juggle three things all the way to my gate.
and for that extra step she took, i thank her.
For being in an airport I expected much worse, but was pleasantly surprised. I got the udon noodle bowl which really hit the spot. $7 for airport food…could've been worse, right?
Not bad at all. For $6 or $7 you get a couple of greasy Chinese entrees and rice or noodles. Super-fast, buffet style quality and service, perfect when you're gate-rushed but don't want to wait for a $7 snack box in the air. You can do a lot worse at the airport.
Aisan Chao is located in the Newark NJ airport. It's the closest that you'll get to Asian food at Panda Express (popular on the West Coast).
I gotta start with this – they have a huge sign saying that they offer "Oriental Cuisine". In this century, the use of "oriental" is preetty offensive. I didn't take offense to it, but found it pretty funny.
I got the usual two-choice special. You get either fried rice or chow mein noodles. The two choices I got were mixed veggies with tofu and the orange chicken. Tofu dish was meh – little flavor, and average veggies such as cabbage, onions and carrots. The orange chicken was tasty. It was breaded chicken with a sweet sour sauce. If I would do it again, I would have done a double order of orange chicken.
Checking out, I asked for a cup of ice water. When I checked out, my order was a bit pricier than expected. Counter lady charged me for a bottle of water, didn't give it to me because she was busy chatting with her friends behind the counter.
Food Grade: B
Service Grade: C-
Worth the Money Grade: B+
Overall Impression: C