Rasa Asian Street Food embraces eastern influence

DR. PHILLIPS  If you’re a foodie who frequents Restaurant Row, Rasa Asian Street Food just might be your next stop.

The Asian fusion restaurant, located in Plaza Venezia off Sand Lake Road in Dr. Phillips, opened in March next to its sister restaurant, Saffron Indian Cuisine. 

“We wanted to bring something new to the area that we thought was missing,” said Rasa manager Manisha Shrestha. “We thought maybe Southwest Asian, and we wanted to bring the flavor to Dr. Phillips. It’s a new concept. One of the owners went to Malaysia and loved the flavors over there, so he trained himself in the food and culture to bring it to this side of town.”

In Malaysia, the word “rasa” means flavor — the perfect name for a restaurant aiming to incorporate the flavors of Southwest Asia.

Rasa is a sit-down restaurant, but all food is served Asian street-food style. It might be cooked in a full indoor kitchen, but Rasa’s owners want their food to be filled with the tastes found in the food that is sold in street carts in the open Malaysian air.

Even the portion sizes mimic those of what you would find walking through the Malaysian streets. But it’s not just Malaysian cuisine. Rasa’s menu also incorporates items from Singapore, China, Japan and India.

“What we try to incorporate in our menu is a wide variety of Southwest Asian food,” Shrestha said. “I think the experience in Rasa is more friendly-casual. Our staff is very friendly, they know about the menu and the food we serve is — I think — the very best in Orlando. If you come with a group of five and each person wanted to eat food from different regions, they could do that.”

From pad thai, Singapore street noodles and curries to roti canai, stir-fried vegetables, dim sum and beyond, Rasa has two comprehensive menus — one for lunch and another for dinner. Lunch is served from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily, while dinner is served from 5 to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Rasa also recently introduced a weekend buffet. On Saturdays and Sundays, guests can dine buffet-style for $12.95. And for lunch, weekday specials begin at $9.95 for a main dish with an appetizer and dessert.

Current discounts include 50% off draft beers on Tuesdays with presentation of a valid student ID, Shrestha said, as well as 10% off for mentioning this article.

Contact Danielle Hendrix at [email protected].