Asian Box - Mountain View

A quick drive by post today to introduce a great lunch spot in downtown Mountain View on Castro Street. The business name is a bit erhm...either plain or naughty, depending on how you look at it. Last fall/winter, when the weather was perfectly crisp and idyllic for our definition of California cold, Kate introduced Olivia and I to one of her favorite lunch places, Asian Box, fresh and fast sustainable boxed meals. 

While the food can be ordered online in advance, it is also a sit down restaurant that takes walk ins. The Box works like this:

1. Choose your grain from brown rice, white rice, noodles, and salad options
2. Pick a protein like chicken, pork, beef, tofu, shrimp
3. Add on veggies, garnishes , and sauces 
4. Order optional drinks or sides. Light alcohol like beers and ciders is an option here.

You may also be able to choose some pre-set combos.

I love pear cider and seize every opportunity to try a different brand. The Spire cider from this day was light, fruity, and bubbly. 

I forgot the exact price. This was somewhere around $9-$10. My box had brown rice, garlic and soy glazed beef,  jalapenos, bean sprouts, chopped peanuts, fresh lime, herbs, and pickled veggies. The sauce was a tamarind vinaigrette. I really enjoyed this lunch. It was healthy, fresh, tasty. The tamarind vinaigrette was good. My one complaint is that I wish there was more food. Healthy food digests really quickly and I need more. 

We had a great lunch and chat in their curbside seating area. As you can see, we're all bloggers so photographing your food like Kate and I did here is perfectly acceptable. Olivia ordered one of the boxes with a hot sauce and she was dying, so beware if you decide to add heat.

Ah autumn in Mountain View. So cute.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS

I recommend Asian Box for quick healthy lunches. Whether you order in advance or order in the store, it doesn't take too long to prepare and you will be eating sooner rather than later. If the weather is nice, sit outside and enjoy people watching. Castro Street is very adorable. If there's no space outside, the indoor seating is spacious. I like the concept of Asian Box. It is very much like Kincao but with a storefront. Check it out if you're in the area. 

Asian Box on Yelp (This is confusing because they list it as Vietnamese food. It's mostly fusion. Only things like tamarind, bean sprouts, lemongrass, and herbs make it sorta Vietnamese.)