Looking for a new place to have lunch? You won’t go wrong if you check out the Lan Pan Asian Cafe.

You will have to hunt for this refreshing little restaurant, as signage is poor because of county restrictions. But, it’s well worth the time spent. You will find it on the ground level, south side of the parking garage in the Dadeland Station shopping complex on S. Dixie Highway.

The food — a nice blend of Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai and Korean dishes — is superb and the decor bright, Asian-modern and tastefully attractive, with large, live potted palms gracefully accenting the clean, fresh atmosphere.

"When customers come in, they should have an idea of what your restaurant is about," said Kazu Abe, 25, general manager. "Our food is contemporary and our atmosphere indicates that."

An interesting touch is the placement of smooth riverbed stones on the tables at each place setting.

"They are a topic of conversation for customers and we do get a lot of questions," Abe said. "The stones are very common in restaurants in Japan, but they don’t really use them in that many Japanese restaurants here in the States. But, the stone is a chopsticks rest, a place to keep your chopsticks throughout dinner, a way to keep them clean."

Abe said the Lan Pan Asian Cafe, 8332 S. Dixie Hwy., is covering a broad range of southeast Asian countries with its menu and eventually she hopes to broaden it even more and incorporate Philippine dishes and weekly specials. Prices range from $7 to $10 at lunch and $15 to $20 during the dinner hours.

The chef is Johnson Teh, 34, of Chinese descent via the Philippines. He has worked in Chicago and for the respected Mandarin Restaurant in Beverly Hills, CA. Abe said Teh’s culinary roots are in classic Chinese cooking.

For some menu suggestions, try the glazed baby back ribs or the seafood and green papaya salad for appetizers. You’ll also like the spicy barbecue shrimp and the featured fish with seafood curry sauce. Vegetarian plates are available and recommended are the grilled mushroom salad or, for the more adventurous, the fiery spinach — a plate of wok-seared greens, garlic, chilies and sesame oil. For an exquisite dessert, try the passionfruit creme brulee.

If you’re a Metrorail rider, you won’t go wrong if you park in the Dadeland Station garage one morning, then stop in at the Lan Pan Asian Cafe for dinner on your way home from work. The food is superb, and well it should be. The cafe is owned by Chikara Abe, who opened one of the first successful Japanese restaurants in Miami in 1979 and owns the Su-Shin Restaurant chain of Asian eateries scattered around South Florida.

Lunch also is a superb dining experience at the Lan Pan Asian Cafe and, yes, they do serve sushi.

The Lan Pan Asian Cafe is open six days a week, Tuesday through Sunday, and closed Monday. Lunch is served from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and dinner is from 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. It’s open Sunday from 1 to 9:30 p.m.

By the way, Lan means orchid in Japanese and is the name of Kazu’s sister.

For more information, call 305-661-8141.

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