A Perfect Union in the Kitchen

Asian Kitchen is an establishment built on duality, a culinary chimera of sorts. The chefs routinely maintain a delicate balance act by cooking both Chinese and Thai dishes. Meanwhile, the restaurant serves as both a dine-in and take-out establishment. Asian Kitchen is a unique blend of many flavors, disciplines and sights. Accommodating forty diners in its intimate dining room, the restaurant opens its doors to a local shopping center.

At first glance, the arresting décor speaks to the mixed background of the restaurant. Could you imagine a restaurant with different colored walls? While at Asian Kitchen, the bright red of the walls fuses beautifully with light yellow and green accents, providing a sweet and sophisticated look. Some decorative paintings and oriental fans hang on the walls to add a little oriental touch. The building used to house an Italian restaurant, Artful Gourmet, after the owner Dennis Wang took over it, he maintained most of the decor, but chose to emphasize the colors with an oriental accent, thus adding something Chinese and classic to his restaurant.

Asian Kitchen:

Location: 9351 LAKESIDE BLVD.OWINGS MILLS, MD 21117-5062

• Cuisine: Asian Fusion cuisine


• Restaurant Concept (casual/ upscale): casual


• Capacity: 40


• Signature Dish: Pad Thai, Thai Basil, Tom Yum Soup to Thai Fried Rice, The Asian Kitchen Special


• Year of establishment:  


• Phone: 443-394-2650

In Focus: Fusion

To capture the essence of both Chinese and Thai cuisine is a daunting task. It takes a wide range of knowledge, patience, and the ability to master a variety of flavors. Thankfully, Dennis Wang has been a veteran of the restaurant industry of over twenty years. Since his arrival in the United States in 1980, he has thrown himself into the a variety of kitchens and culinary disciplines, mastering each one with time. Having worked and learned in a Thai restaurant in Washington D.C, he has brought his extensive knowledge of Thai dishes to Asian Kitchen’s menu.

The result has received rave reviews from customers: “From the TomYum shrimp to their Cleopatra chicken and their wonderful Pad Thai ... just awesome dishes!” One review posted online testifies to just some of the praise the Thai dishes have warranted.

According to Dennis, the main difference between Chinese and Thai dishes is the seasonings. Chinese cuisine focuses on using garlic and ginger, while Thai flavorings are more an amalgam of different flavors: spicy curry and sweet coconut milk are particular favorites. Dennis’s vision of Asian Fusion is a regional cuisine that combines the cooking techniques of several cultures into one culinary experience.

The Food

Customers are always looking for a new taste or new flavor to explore. They tend to seek something more exciting and thrilling than the traditional or the classic. Fusion cuisine came into being and was brought to thousands of kitchen to deliver such a unique dining experience. Asian Kitchen embodies the thrilling with every dish.

A long string of menu items include both the usual assortment of Chinese delights and a bundle of popular Thai delicacies. Despite the usual entrees: lo mein, chow mein, egg foo young, seafood, beef, poultry and vegetable dishes- there are still some items to surprise your expectations. The Asian Kitchen Special is a delectable combination of shrimp, chicken, snow peas and vegetables with chef’s spicy sauce. Another notable dish is the “Cleopatra Chicken” served with sparkled ginger and sweet & sour sauce.

But don’t overlook the Thai portion of the menu! A spectrum of Thai entrees, from Pad Thai, Thai Basil, Tom Yum Soup to Thai Fried Rice are all available to enjoy. The noodles can be divided into two categories: rice noodles and drunken noodles swimming in brown sauce. A gamut of fiery curry dishes fall into the latter category while Thai fried rice and yaki udon (Japanese rice noodles with cabbage and soy sauce) represent the non-spicy options.

The Staff

The Baltimore Sun has touted that Asian Kitchen is a restaurant that “takes the neighborhood Asian restaurant to a higher level.” Asian Kitchen has become an example to follow for local Asian restaurants. A quote from the mystery dining report is equally glowing in its recommendation. “The dining area and restroom were clean and well stocked. Tables had all the necessary utensils and condiments.” The efficient management of the management extends not only to the kitchen, but to the entirety of the operation. Owner Dennis Wang requires the staff to clean the restaurant three times a day. Whenever the Health Bureau carried out investigations, the Bureau representatives were always satisfied, and Asian Kitchen was rewarded with high scores in this aspect. “Many people always consider Chinese restaurants as shabby and dirty, now we should make efforts to correct the misconceptions,” explained Mr. Wang. “[The] Restaurant is an eating place, so we should pay more attention to make it clean and neat.” According to mystery dining carried out by AboutFace Corp., Asian Kitchen is one of the few candidates to gain the desired 100% score.

Most of its business is take-out. During lunch time, the take-out area is very busy and the staff routinely handles over 200 orders. There are only five people cooking the orders, so prompt and efficient service is essential.

The Ingredients

Chinese take-out dishes are sometimes maligned as inferior, bland, and unhealthy.

But Asian Kitchen is an exception. They only source the freshest ingredients available from the distribution company and locally grown ingredients. Sourcing is one way to ensure high quality, but how to maintain its consistent flavor of each dish? The answer is in the details. An experienced chef will easily tell the difference between well-prepared dishes and overcooked or undercooked ones. When Dennis finds his dishes lack color or texture, he won’t serve them to the customers- thus maintaining a consistently high quality at his business. Despite the rocketing prices aroused by a weakening economy, the owner believes its important the restaurants not cut back: “Never sacrifice the quality and portion for profits,” he advises.

Instead, Mr. Wang believes restaurants can control cost without transferring the setbacks brought on by the economy to the customers. One strategy Mr. Wang has employed was to cut the labor cost and improve the efficiency of the staff. Although there is a smaller team now, the owner rewards the remaining staffers with benefits to maintain a culture of productivity and positivity.

Especially given the current financial crisis, it is important for restaurants to not overly burden their customers. Mr. Wang believes another recipe for a successful take-out restaurant is proper pricing. The price can’t be too high or low and must strike a balance to both allow for profits and all for customers to want to return.

Thanks to this winning formula, Asian Kitchen has seen a noticeable increase in sales. Both Thai and Chinese, classic and new, the restaurant is a unique blend of many styles, creating a recipe that is as enticing as it is original.