First impressions can be wrong, and when I walked into Old Town Manassas' newest restaurant, Lume Asian Fusion, I didn't have high expectations — not even from a restaurant that moves so freely between multiple Asian cuisines.
Lume's menu includes Vietnamese banh mi, Korean kalbi, and Filipino-style sinigang fries. Looking at the menu, I worried it would be more confusion than fusion, and the fact that much of the stylish dining room is a bar with TVs blaring sports didn't bolster my confidence. But I'll admit I was wrong. Lume's South Pacific-meets-Korean theme had me singing “Bali Hai.”
K Wings make a great first impression with their soy gochujang glaze and crispy batter. (Photo: Alice Levitt)
Every dish I had was prepared with care and served with a smile. I waited for dinner while listening to a soundtrack of '80s and '90s hits and watching bar goers sip tiki drinks (some made with soju). Appetizers and main dishes came out at the same time, but since my table was sharing everything, it didn't bother me.
The super crispy K-Wings came as a pile of six giant wings and drumlets under a rain of spring onions. They were so juicy inside that they puddled on the plate when I took a bite, but didn't crumble the batter. The burn in my mouth was a testament to how freshly fried they were.
The tuna poke comes with fresh, soy-marinated fish served with rice, seaweed salad, mango, cucumber and red onion. (Photo: Alice Levitt)
I cooled off with yellowfin tuna poke, with incredibly perfect cubed fish at the center and a sesame and soy-based sauce that wasn't too much in the bowl but enough to bring out the flavors of the fresh ingredients. Mango, pickled onions, seaweed salad and pickled ginger mixed into warm chewy rice made for an extremely satisfying dinner.
The combo platter comes with the same carefully cooked rice and a hearty portion of pork belly and cross-cut short ribs. Called “spicy pork belly,” the grill-charred meat isn't overly spicy, but it's still tender and flavorful. The short ribs are deeply infused with the marinade, giving them a classic sweet kalbi vibe. Another friend ordered the bulgogi rice bowl, which was similarly bite-sized with garlic and sesame.
The combo plate comes with spicy pork belly, kalbi ribs, rice, kimchi, and a side salad. (Photo: Alice Levitt)
Appetizers and “light meals” (including poke options) range from about $7 to $21, while sandwiches and entrees range from about $16 to $26.
I judged the book by its cover (or, more accurately, the restaurant by its concept), and I regret it — and I know you'll want to eat some poke, Korean BBQ, and chicken wings.
Rum Asian Fusion: 9110 Center St., Manassas
Featured image of Bulgogi Bowl by Alice Levitt
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