Eastern Food Express
Inside Nam Dae Mun
5138 Memorial Drive
Stone Mountain, GA 30083
404-399-0245
Welcome back to the Memorial Drive OTP Food Blog with our first entry since “the covid”! Tracey, Tom, and Calvin are back on the road testing the victuals that line that much-maligned so-called highway of questionable cuisine. Many people poo-poo the provisions that are available on Memorial Drive East of the perimeter, so we continue our quest to quench the culinary thirst for good food on Highway 10-outside the perimeter. We each give our own review of the experience. Buon appetito!
Calvin: Eastern Food Express is located in the new food court of Nam Dae Mun. So far it is the only restaurant in the new food court. Nam Dae Mun has recently undergone a facelift and is brightly lit, seems roomier, and played classic rock. It is always fun to peruse kitchen items because they carry so many useful tools.
Eastern Food Express, located near the wine and bakery areas, serves South Asian Indian cuisines. They have been open for three weeks and are still working out a few kinks, such as no ice and less than cold can drinks. But they were very nice, served dishes on paper, not styrofoam, and comped us a sour and spicy soup! The menu was clear and concise, the restaurant clean and we were given chopsticks and forks. I ordered the Famous Indian Style Goat Meat Curry that came with a plate of rice. Unfortunately, the Goat Meat Curry did not have a strong curry flavor but was seasoned with star anise and that added a light fennelish flavor. It had a rich, thin gravy and the meat was tender and tasted wonderful with the rice. The complimentary soup had a thin base with cabbage, carrots, and cilantro and was delicious and spicy! the price for the meal plus a can of diet Coke: $11.87. I give it a Meh! rating of 4, Nice!
Tracey: It was wonderful to continue our restaurant review mission of Memorial Drive after a 2-year hiatus. We landed at the Nam Dae Mun Farmer’s Market which has recently opened a small restaurant inside the doors near the bakery section. At first glance, it seemed like a typical Chinese food court option. There are prepared dishes ready to be scooped up if you want to grab a quick lunch to go or dine in.
But there is a very diverse menu that can be prepared for you as well consisting of gravy dishes, curry dishes, and various noodle dishes. I chose the Ginger Shrimp Gravy. Served over rice, the brown gravy has a ginger base and is loaded with large shrimp, green peppers, and onions. Warm and spicy with just enough ginger to give it that extra zing. The portion size was perfect. The hot and sour soup was on point and better than most I have had at our nearby Pine Lake restaurants. I tasted my companions’ meals and found the Singapore Bihun to be on par with the Tin Drum dish.
The ambiance is lacking, but it’s convenient for a good lunch and then doing some shopping. I grabbed a 10-pound bag of extra-long basmati rice on the way out along with some fresh bakery pastries. If you are only visiting the Dekalb Farmer’s Market, you should really take the time to drop in at Nam Dae Mun and see what you can find. I also found the cutest measuring cup that measures milliliters, tsps, tbs, and ounces.
I would give this a 3.5 out of 5 on the meh scale. I will definitely return and most likely place an order to go after shopping. As always, my companions were pleasant, witty, and entertaining.
Tom: On the road again with Calvin and Tracey, in search of new dining opportunities along the Memorial Drive Corridor. The Tres Amigos visited Eastern Food Express, inside the Nam Dae Mun Farmers Market. As a virgin to this market, I was blown away by the breadth of offering. This place was spotless, and well stocked with a great variety of fruits and vegetables, grocery items, fresh fish and meat, and a bakery!
Eventually, we did discover the food court and our destination, Eastern Food Express! I’m so glad we did.
The menu was great, with a nice sampling of dishes from a number of East Asian countries, including China, India, Malaysia, and Singapore.
Offerings included curries, noodles, and dishes with ginger or garlic-based gravies with beef, chicken, lamb, or shrimp, over rice.
I was happy to choose the Singapore Bihun with chicken. Bihun is a rice-based vermicelli style noodle, very thin and delicate. These noodles absorb the flavors of the vegetables and meats with which they are cooked. My dish contained onions, bell peppers, scallions, bean sprouts, and chicken. Everything was cooked to perfection. I was excited to wield my chopsticks as I dove into the full plate of light Anders fluffy noodles with chicken and vegetables. I ordered the non-spicy version because, when trying someplace new I like to start with a baseline and work my way up on the heat. I will definitely be back to step it up to the next level.
As Calvin noted, we were surprised with a complimentary offering of soup. It was savory, light broth, almost sour but not quite, and full of vegetables. Delicious!
I will save some room next time to try some of the Fried Rice and Dumplings.
Eastern Food Express gets a 2.75 on the “meh” scale. It’s a great place to have lunch while exploring the fabulous Nam Dae Mun Farmers Market!
