Friday, April 30, 2010
Kalu to open in Uptown
Posted by Priscilla Tsai on Fri, Apr 30, 2010 at 4:01 PM
More Asian cuisine is hitting Uptown Charlotte soon. Chef Bryan Emperor, previously of Departure restaurant in Oregon, is bringing creative dishes with Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Pacific Rim influences to his restaurant Kalu (pronounced Kuh-LOO).
Today I got a sneak peek of the restaurant, which is located on the ground floor of the 505 Building at the corner of Sixth Street and North Caldwell, near Time Warner Cable Arena.
Kalu boasts multi-tired eating and lounge areas, lush white and red leather seats, round wooden tables, LED-lighted bars, paintings on the ceilings, flat-screen TVs and an international group of chefs in the kitchen.
Chef Emperor, an investment banker in his previous life, discovered his love for restaurants and cooking while in Japan. He has worked in fine dining establishments in Japan, Beijing, New York, and in Portland. He brings to Charlotte authentic Asian goods including eight sakes straight from Japan that are not available anywhere else in the U.S., soju spirits from Korea, and much more.
The pièce de résistance is his Kamameshi machine though. This Japanese machine only found in Japan (and there is one in Beijing as well), cooks up individual bowls of rice in 13 minutes. The beauty of the machine is that each bowl of rice can be hand-crafted with special flavors and sauces specifically for each customer.
Today I sampled Chef Emperor's Tori no Tatsuta Age (Japanese style chicken wings with daikon sauce). Served in a glass (votive candle) holder, the four perfectly fried and crispy, chicken drumsticks looked like meatballs instead of chicken wings. They were surprisingly delicate with just a thin bone sticking out from each, but were also meaty with a big crunch. Each were topped with a dot of chopped daikon. I've never had anything like it before. The technique used is just one of many special techniques and flourishes that Chef Emperor imparts on his food.
The restaurant is slated to open sometime in May - the date has yet to be finalized. I can't wait to try more.
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