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Asian Food Styles
C Chinese. Probably the most plentiful type of Asian food in America. Ginger tofu is generally my favorite dish when they have it, and dish or dishes with flavorful sauces such as kung pao, home style tofu, plum sauce, yu shiang, and chicken or fish with sauces such as orange flavor, sesame, or General Tsou's. I also give weight to the quality of the hot and sour soup and the tea served (I like a good jasmine tea). I tend to like Mandarin, Szechuan, and Hunan styles, but not Cantonese. I've been to exactly one restaurant that I thought served authentic Szechuan food (Sichuanese Cuisine in Redmond, Wash.) and it was terrific. If I go to non-authentic Szechuan and Hunan restaurants, and they serve food I like. Chinese food is the category with the greatest percentage of mediocre and bad food. I almost never eat from Chinese buffets, and consider most of them an abonimation.
I Indian. There are not too many places on my list, but I will include the places I know about. My favorite dishes are masala and kofta.
J Japanese. Japanese food cooked in the kitchen is some of my favorite Asian food, including such items as teriyaki salmon, tempura, etc. If teriyaki salmon is available, this is usually what I order. I am more picky about the sushi, and generally like only what is found on the west coast. I usually don't go to restaurants that only serve sushi, and if I order sushi it will be for an appetizer. I don't like teppan grill restaurants-- they generally charge the highest prices and deliver the least satisfying food.
K Korean. I don't eat Korean food often. The Korean food I have tried was not as enjoyable to me as other types. I prefer the flavorful sauces of Chinese or the spices of Thai food. Although I tend to like the Korean side dishes that are usually served, I haven't found too many main dishes I'm crazy about. I also don't like the tiny fish or the hot dogs sometimes served as "vegatable" side dishes. I like Korean ice tea, but I would much prefer the hot tea served at other Oriental restaurants. Overall, I'm not the best person to judge Korean food, but I will at least give my opinion about the relative quality of the restaurants I've tried.
L Laotian. I have limited experience with this type of food. It is extremely spicy, and seafood soups are good.
M Malaysian. Similar to Thai. Has some sweet dishes, such as mango dishes. Meat cooked on a skewer is also served.
T Thai. It's very difficult to find authentic Thai food, even in cities with large Thai populations such as Seattle. The types of dishes I would like to find include good curries with coconut milk (not necessarily extremely spicy), dishes with a large dose but a good balance of oils and spices such as fish oil, ginger, lemongrass, basil, etc., good soups, and noodles such as phad thai (the least exciting Thai food to me, but still enjoyable when it's prepared well). Usually my favorite dish is phad khing (ginger tofu), and there is some, (but not very much) good swimming angel (spinach with peanut sauce) in Seattle and surrounding areas. Ginger tofu is usually the dish I try first. My bias in this area is that I like Thai food so much I am usually happy with something that's less than authentic (most of the time that's all you can find). When I find one that's also authentic that's a bonus.
V Vietnamese. The standard used here is ususally the vermicelli dish with vegetables. If I order another item it will usually be soup such as hot and sour or seafood soup. I usually go to pho or banh mi places.
O Other Including "Regional Asian," and "Pan Asian" restaurants. I like restaurants that serve more than one style of food prepared well. I don't like the "fusion" restaurants or ones that merely serve their own concoctions or dishes that are not recognizable as coming from a specific country.