As our first full day in New Orleans was coming to a close, I thought - why not end it off with an upscale, Southern-Asian fusion restaurant. We made reservations in case it would be too busy, but there were quite a few empty seats on a weeknight. Usually I would be skeptical about Asian food in an area I am not very acquainted with. Not to mention this was a Southern and Asian fusion restaurant. Very unique, and don't think I've ever encountered anything like it. Everyone was attentive and we were seated immediately at our arrival. The inside was dimly lit. The restaurant itself is upscale, modern, and had a beautiful dual-sided map of both Southeast Asia and New Orleans (it was something that kept catching our eye). Here's everything we ordered:
Tom kha cocktail: I can't say that I'm a big cocktail person, but this seemed to be a very unique take on one. Maybe it was me, but it kind of tasted like coconut milk with a bunch of alcohol and a dash of lime. If you're like me and like sweet drinks then maybeee order something else.
Curry beignets: These were free, and an absolute surprise! They were very nicely fried on the outside and the curry filling was spicy. I think it came with some kind of spicy cream cheese? I know it sounds different from other things but the heaviness of the cream cheese and the savory beignet just worked.
Lobster tom kha with scallion malfetti dumplings: As you know, I love lobster. I had to get this dish. The tom kha was very rich compared to other tom khas that I have tried. They definitely use a lot more spices. There was a good amount of lobster and the malfetti dumplings were delicious. They were kind of like gnocchi in a way. The roasted cherry tomatos, cilantro, and scallion in the soup itself balanced out the richness of the broth. Amazing! I finished this dish very quickly.
Nuoc mam caramel glazed pork shoulder: If you're Vietnamese, this is basically just a fancier, sweeter thit kho which, to be fair, is a pretty big compliment. The pork was so tender. You could just bite into it, and it would melt in your mouth. The glaze wasn't too sweet either. We ordered a side of jasmine rice (which had toasted coconut flakes) and complemented the pork shoulder very well. The fried pork skin added a great textural component, though I'm not sure why the red beans were really there. Definitely order rice with this dish, since it's not included (it should be!!!).
Fried cereal milk custard: We ordered this because we wanted dessert (lowkey to make up for the cocktail) and this stood out as the most unique one. It was good. The fried milk custard portion was the most satisfying bite because it was like a super soft mochi. The ice cream was good too, and it wasn't overwhelming with lemongrass flavor. The passionfruit jam helped to cut through the heaviness. A great finish to a beautifully crafted and well-thought out meal. read more