Asian Food News
Indie Fort Worth restaurant Asian Vybes hits more than one spot
Asian Vybes serves a variety of cuisines
A new Asian fusion restaurant has opened in a hallowed location in south Fort Worth: Called Asian Vybes, it’s in the former Tastebuds Eatery space at 7674 McCart Ave, which closed in May after 33 years.
Asian Vybes is a (mostly) one-woman operation run by Ramesa Wai, a first-time restaurateur who has experience working in Indian and Asian restaurants. At Asian Vybes, she cooks and waits tables, with an assist from her mother and husband who chip in on cooking and grocery runs.
Originally born in Burma and raised in Thailand, Wai weaves curry and coconut flavors from her home country into a menu of Thai, Vietnamese, Nepalese, Chinese, and other cuisines. She offers a few dishes she learned from her mom, who taught her “how to cook a little bit of everything.”
Her menu includes dishes that showcase her skills as well as fill a local demand.
“I was working at an Indian restaurant before for four years, so we have Indian food here as well,” Wai says. “You don't see halal Asian food in the area, so we offer that, plus Burmese food. There are Thai restaurants, but not halal, so we offer that. We were like, what if we open a fusion restaurant instead of just one.”
Burmese cuisine includes stews, curries, and salads, with rice being a centerpiece. The signature Burmese dish is tea leaf salad, a shredded dish with vegetables in a spicy sauce. Asian Vybes' version features tea leaves, crispy fried peas, shredded cabbage, and tomato mixed in Burmese spices.
But Wai's most popular dishes are chicken tikka masala, the Indian classic, and fried momo dumplings with a spicy chicken filling.
Other dishes on the menu include noodle soups, lamb curry, Burmese coconut noodle soup with chicken, and Burmese udon noodle salad, with thick udon noodles tossed in a nutty dressing.
Prices are affordable, ranging from $10 for a salad to $19 for a spicy seafood boil. There is no bar nor alcoholic drinks, but it is BYOB.
The ratings have been positive and the restaurant is attracting repeat customers.
“Most of the people who come in here love our food and leave really good reviews and keep telling their friends to come in here.” Wai says. “And I’d say 95 percent of who comes in here, they came back a second and third time.”
