Little Asia Bistro co-owner Norah Hsiung was born in India to an Indian mother and a Chinese father. It was there that she first learned to cook both Chinese and Indian dishes alongside her mother.

At age 17, she and her younger brother were sent to Taiwan to study, and after earning their degrees, decided to open an Indian restaurant. Hsiung said she spent the next 17 years working with her brother before coming to the United States six years ago.

Now she and her husband, Francis Huang, who has also cooked Asian fusion cuisine for many years, have opened Little Asia Bistro at 1051 S. College Road. 

The bistro’s menu is a fusion of dishes from India, China, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. 

“It was difficult to narrow it down, but we’ve selected our favorite dishes from each cuisine to highlight the flavors and cooking styles of each region,” Norah Hsiung said. 

The menu includes appetizers such as samosas, spring rolls and potstickers, as well as a variety of stir-fry dishes with rice and noodles, noodle bowls and curries. 

Noodle bowls include the Cha Sui bowl with wheat noodles, roast pork and bok choy, and a vegan curry lentil bowl with wheat noodles, vegetables and tofu in a curried lentil soup.
Customers will also find Chinese Hakka noodles, drunken noodles, Pad Thai, curried mei fun and several types of fried rice. All are served with a choice of chicken, beef or shrimp, and many vegetarian and vegan options are available. 

Hsiung said she enjoys featuring specialty dishes as daily specials and has already gotten lots of requests from customers for specific dishes. 

“I tell them that I will make anything they like, but they have to give me 24 hours notice so that I can make sure I have all the ingredients,” Hsiung said. 

The husband and wife team credit nearby Saigon Market, 831 S. Kerr Ave., and the Asian Life Market, 4302 Market St., with providing them access to an abundance of ingredients.

“It’s great because they will work with us to find ingredients,” Hsiung said. “They help us and we help them.”

Little Asia Bistro is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday. 

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