East Side King
Japanese street food with a touch of Austin soul is what East Side King is all about. The space is designed by famed local artist Peelander Yellow and features a Japanese styled bodega and a nice colorful outdoor patio.
This space by Chef Paul Qui opened in 2014 and has survived the rough pandemic through it’s take away and delivery program. I was met by Matt Lavare, store manager onsite on a warm Monday evening the day after my birthday here in South Lamar.
The menu was very intriguing on how Chef Qui blended various Asian influences into the mix and using a lot of fresh herbs and spices as well.
As Matt was explaining to me the menu and giving me a tour of the space, you can really sense the character of East Side King as one that is part of the neighborhood and local community. People were coming and going to pick up their orders on a busy Monday evening which is a good sign that people are once more ready to go out and eat. So was I as well luckily I’m in Austin which is such a great food city and tonight we dine at East Side King.
They started me off with a Hitachino Nest (my favorite beer) Pirika Ale which was so nice and refreshing to prepare me for my upcoming meal.
The first to arrive is beet home fries and this was such an excellent appetizer. The beets were nicely crisp and seasoned with togarashi and dipped into kewpie was such a new wave of flavors to me and immediately I knew how the rest of the evening would be a flavor bomb.
Thai chicken karaage was next to be served and this was a unique take on the Japanese classic with a sweet and spicy sauce and a lot of herbs. The liberty rice was a perfect accompaniment to the karaage as the rice was garnished with jalapeño strips and garlic oil.
This meal reminded me of my time in Tsuruoka when we would be eating bento boxes during lunch break which is also served here as well. Matt then offered for me to try the Onikoroshi “Demon Slayer” sake juice box which was a perfect pairing for the karaage.
The sake had a semi-dry and light note to it that blended well with the crisp of the chicken and umami of the seasoned rice.
The pork belly buns were our 3rd appetizer, and this was such a well-balanced dish with the fattiness of the pork belly, the sweetness of the hoisin sauce and spiciness of the kimchi cucumber.
Overall, it had all the flavors needed for that perfect bite that one looks for to go along with a perfectly steamed bun.
Our last dish was the brussels sprouts salad was our last dish and this was unique on its own. The sprouts were fried crisp and tossed in a sweet and spicy sauce and garnished with a lot of fresh herbs like mint, cilantro, basil and cabbage was so good to eat and it was garnished with half a fried bun.
We paired it off a with some Fermina Natural red Spanish wine which had some aromas of fresh fruits and whiffs of spices with it that paired well with the sprouts.
#KULINARYATRAVELS is back for some BBQ tomorrow with Franklins Barbecue
Check out Matt Lavare’s new film Non Compos Mentis by Mounce productions