Good

I probably hadn't been to Asian Star in over 10 years, but since I met one of my very best friends there 14 years ago, it was worth a walk down Memory Lane regardless of how the food would be.

For those of you who are new to Beijing, Asian Star was the first Southeast Asian/Indian restaurant in Beijing that wasn't in a hotel. Its location on the East Third Ring Road south of Chang Hong Qiao was prime real estate in 1996 -- the first, two-floor flagship restaurant of TGI Friday's (where the Bank of Communications is now) was in Hua Peng Mansions, a building that no longer exists, was across the street.

The decor has not been updated since the day it opens, and there's still an Indian chef in the back making roti. The food was worth the trip -- consistent Indian, not quite as good as Ganges, but well prepared and spicy -- if your palate is sensitive, probably this is the wrong place for you. The lamb vindaloo was tasty without being scorching; the grilled prawns featured four large prawns -- Let's Seafood, take note. These are prawns. A small, curled thing is a shrimp. There's a reason we pick on under-sized children by calling them shrimp and not prawns.

Although customers who visit Asian Star after 1996 will find its decor or lack thereof less charming than I do, it's decent value if you like Indian and Southeast Asian food, although there are restaurants in Beijing that do both far better.