Austin, TX
We Go Back To 1618 Asian Fusion – The Texas Tasty
If you are craving Vietnamese, Thai, Chinese, Singaporean, and Southeast Asian food but can’t decide on one, then 1618 Asian Fusion is perfect for you. Located near Riverside and Lady Bird Lake, you will find the restaurant in a nice apartment complex area, but once you open the door, you will feel ready to eat delicious Asian food.
The Menu
1618 Asian Fusion restaurant has a brunch menu that will make you want to come back for more. They call their brunch menu a “Build-Your-Own Brunch Tray,” where you can choose one appetizer, an entree, and a beverage. They even have a vegan menu. If you are feeling like you want to treat yourself during your brunch, you can order one of their four $8 brunch cocktails.
Starters
As part of your “Build-Your-Own Brunch Tray,” you can choose one appetizer. We had the Sugar Cane Shrimp; ground shrimp and chopped cilantro wrapped around a piece of sugar cane. Our waitress said the way to eat it was by first eating the shrimp and then biting into the sugar cane to suck for the juices. The sugar cane had a subtle sweetness that added to the richness of the shrimp.
From their vegan menu, we had their Crispy Eggrolls; tofu, glass noodles, taro, and yellow onion. The dish also came with house-blended vegan sauce. It was my first time trying a tofu eggroll and it was very crispy and soft on the inside.
The restaurant was also generous in serving us the favorite starters of their brunch menu: Vegetable Dumplings, Duck Pan Fried Bao, Sui Mai, and Har Kaw.
These Vegetable Dumplings were different colors of the rainbow. Inside, they were filled with bean curd, mushrooms, bamboo, onion, celery, sweet corn, ginger, and carrots. The vegetables in the dumplings added a nice soft crunch to every bite and tasted fresh.
The Duck Pan Fried Bao was two bao buns filled with ground roasted duck, yellow onion, and shiitake mushroom. The bao buns were golden and crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside and had a light and sweet taste that added to the flavor of the duck filling.
Finally, the last two appetizers were the Sui Mai and the Har Kaw made mostly of shrimp. You can taste the freshness and rich flavor of the shrimp in both dishes in every bite you take.
Entrees
One of our entrees was the Brisket Pho. It was Vietnamese beef broth, brisket, rice noodles, bean sprouts, basil, lime, and serrano slices. The brisket was very tender; almost melted in your mouth. And the broth was light and full of rich flavors. It was served with a dumpling soup and salad.
The next entree was the Yellow Curry Tofu. It was a curry with tofu, yellow onion, oyster mushroom, white mushroom, potato, and young bamboo shoots. The soup was thick and had a spicy kick at the end that was very tolerable. It was also served with white rice and vegetable soup.
Given generously by the restaurant, we also had the Whole Peking Duck. It was roast duck with steamed bao buns, green onions, and duck sauce. I recommend adding the duck sauce because it is sweet, and also the cooked, crispy duck skin for an added crunch to your bao bun.
Dessert
We were generously offered to experience the Flambeau Everest Cheesecake. It was a caramelized sugar, New York-style cheesecake served with Flaming Licor 43, cinnamon powder, and coconut pineapple ice cream. Our waitress came to our table with a standing tray and prepared the dessert in front of us. The cheesecake was warm, light, and fluffy. The cinnamon was not overpowering, and the ice cream paired perfectly with the dish. This would be a great dessert for the summer.
Drinks
I had two coffee drinks during my experience: the Café Sua Da and the Matcha Espresso. The Café Sua Da was a Vietnamese iced coffee with condensed milk and half & half. When you take a sip, the dark flavor of the espresso combined with the sweetness of the milk and half & half makes the drink very smooth. The other was the Matcha Espresso. The earthy taste of the matcha was very subtle and combined perfectly with the milk and espresso. If you love the taste of real matcha and espresso, this drink is for you.
A drink I did have that was a choice in the “Build-Your-Own Brunch Tray” was the Chia Melon Tea. It was dried winter melon and dried pandan infused water with chia seeds. The flavors of the melon tea were sweet but tasted freshly made. You may think the chia seeds would be too much and a distraction when you take each sip but they weren’t.
Location and Timings
Sun – Thurs: 10am – 9:30pm
Fri – Sat: 10am – 10:30pm
Happy Hour: Mon-Thur: 4pm – 6pm
Brunch: Saturday – Sunday: 10am – 3pm
Address
1618 E Riverside Dr, Austin, TX 78741
We enjoyed the restaurant and will go back again sometime. It was a very welcoming, intimate restaurant that would be great for getting together and having a memorable meal. Sharing a meal is traditional in many Asian cultures, and 1618 Asian Fusion is a great place where you can do just that with family, friends, or a date.
Austin, TX
Bradlink’s President: Helen Callier to Speak at the University of Texas Austin Readiness Training Program for HUB’s Graduation
AUSTIN, Texas, Jan. 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Bradlink LLC’s president – Helen Callier will speak at the University of Texas at Austin signature IC2 Institute’s Readiness Training Program (RTP) Graduation for Historically Underutilized Businesses (HUB’s). Helen leads an award-winning SBA small business and industry recognized government contracting firm that provides technical services to various local agencies including Austin Independent School District (AISD).
This training program for HUB’s provides Regional Technical Assistance Resources, reviews government databases to register in and presents information on government contracting. The final session and graduation are designed to motivate the mostly start-up companies to propose and position their firms to win government contracts.
With 20 years of proven industry experience in government contracting, Bradlink is branded as a trailblazer and innovator in providing technical solutions on transit, education and healthcare projects.
Callier says, “It’s truly a privilege to share my firm’s story, insights, and tips on obtaining government contracts with other small businesses. Texas is a great place to start and grow a small business and the sessions the HUB’s have attended place them in a strong position.”
Bradlink’s achievements have been marked by notable projects such as working as a Prime on the 2022 $2.44 billion AISD Bond Program, supporting key projects at Austin Bergstrom Airport, and serving as BIM Lead for the CMAR on the Houston Airport System Hobby International $470 million 7-gate Expansion project.
“We’re excited that our Leader has been invited again to speak during UT Austin’s IC2 Institute’s RTP last session and graduation this year. I believe Helen’s business insights will motivate members of the co-hort to execute their growth plans as there are lots of opportunities in Texas to pursue.” Moruf Jimoh, Technical Manager of Bradlink LLC
Bradlink’s President, Helen Callier, has been a driving force in the company’s success. In 2025, Bradlink received numerous industry awards including from the Greater Houston Business Procurement Forum, Tri-County Regional Black Chamber of Commerce and recognized by the Regional Hispanic Contractors Association. Also, in 2023, her influential expertise earned her a prominent spot on page 49 of the SBA Small Business National Resource Guide, showcasing her as a thought leader in the industry.
About Helen Callier
Helen Callier (AKA), B.S. Mechanical Engineering, Prairie View A&M University and graduate on the Goldmans Sachs 10KSB Program, is President of Bradlink LLC, a Technical Services firm and Founder of PermitUsNow, an industry recognized building permitting and expediting firm headquartered in Texas. Recognized as HBJ’s Women Who Mean Business, SBA Women Business Champion, former State of Texas Commissioner of Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation and serving as an Advisory Board Tri-County Regional Black Chamber of Commerce. Helen is known as a point guard in the business community. She is a regular blogger for SubContractors USA News, a published author, dynamic speaker and a valuable contributor in the business community in Texas.
About Bradlink LLC
Bradlink LLC, with offices in Houston, Austin and Dallas, Texas, is a technical services firm, with over two decades of experience, provides program management, building design, permit expediting, construction oversight, and facilities support services primarily to government agencies. Clients of Bradlink include the Houston Airport System, JACOBS, Atkins Realis’, Hensel Phelps, Austin ISD, EXP US, and USACE.
Media Contact:
Len Cal
2813129981
[email protected]
SOURCE Bradlink LLC
AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Children’s Hospital has launched Austin’s first pediatric medical helicopter, expanding critical care transport services for children across Central Texas.
The Kangaroo Crew helicopter can reach distances of up to 120 nautical miles and is equipped with advanced medical technology and staffed by clinicians who provide ICU-level care during transport, according to the hospital system.
“This investment reflects our commitment to bringing the highest level of specialized care closer to families, reducing distance as a barrier when every minute matters,” said Dr. Jeffrey Shilt, president of Austin and Central Texas for Texas Children’s.
Texas Children’s Hospital has launched Austin’s first pediatric medical helicopter, expanding critical care transport services for children across Central Texas. (Photo: Texas Children’s)
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Texas Children’s is the first pediatric hospital system to operate its own helicopter in Austin. The aircraft serves patients throughout Central Texas and West Texas.
The addition of the Austin helicopter brings Texas Children’s total to two Kangaroo Crew helicopters. The helicopter program launched in February 2025 at Texas Children’s in Houston and has transported hundreds of critically ill patients.
The expansion was funded through donations to Texas Children’s, including contributions from Texas Children’s Ambassadors.
“Through the support of our Ambassadors and other generous donors, we are able to invest in innovations like this helicopter that make an immediate, meaningful difference for families across Central Texas and beyond,” said Ben Renberg, chief development officer of the Office of Philanthropy at Texas Children’s.
A new helicopter will take to the skies over Central Texas on Tuesday. Texas Children’s Hospital has added a helicopter to its Kangaroo Crew intensive care transport team, which previously used only ambulances to bring patients to its Austin facility.
The team will be able to travel 120 nautical miles to pick up a patient. The hospital, which opened almost two years ago, has launched programs that are attracting patients from across Texas and around the country, said Dr. Jeff Shilt, the president of Texas Children’s in Austin. “Having a helicopter for a pediatric hospital is really a differentiator for us.”
The $15 million investment makes Texas Children’s the only hospital — pediatric or adult — in Austin with a dedicated helicopter. The other hospitals use STAR Flight.
The air transport program will expand this summer with a larger helicopter that will seat four in the bay instead of three and fly up to 200 nautical miles. That will take this helicopter beyond Waco, Brownwood, San Antonio and College Station, where this current helicopter can go, to near Dallas, San Angelo, Corpus Christi and Beaumont. Texas Children’s also has a plane that is based in Houston that can carry patients who are much further than 200 nautical miles.
The helicopter also will be used locally when traffic on MoPac Boulevard or Interstate 35 would make an ambulance trip longer than 30 minutes to an hour.
The helicopter’s crew of four pilots, critical care nurses and respiratory therapists is based at the Georgetown Executive Airport, which is seven minutes of flying time to the hospital in North Austin.
Each time the helicopter takes off, a respiratory therapist and a registered nurse travels with it. The medical team has been trained in trauma care and has multiple certifications. They also can bring a patient-specific specialized doctor or nurse practitioner if needed. There is a seat for a guardian to ride with their child.
Inside the helicopter is a miniature intensive care unit with ventilators, monitors and oxygen tanks that can be moved in and out to stabilize a patient in a hospital, during the flight and after landing at the Texas Children’s helipad until the patient is connected to hospital machines.
“We take the ICU to them, stabilizing them and bring them back to a higher level of care,” said Kelley Young, a respiratory therapist with 19 years of critical care team experience working in a helicopter.
The patients are strapped into a sled that is tied down to the helicopter. That sled can be put onto a gurney to take the patient in and out of the helicopter. For smaller patients, such as babies, there are parts that are added to secure them to the sled.
The team is prepared for an emergency, including each having a survival kit on them and an additional one in the helicopter.
“We do a lot of training and a lot of simulations,” said John Samluk, a critical care nurse with the team.
They also can talk to everyone in the helicopter using headsets and call to hospital staff at either end of the journey to relay or receive updates.
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