
Tuna Liu describes the design and style of cuisine at his restaurant, Ginger Bistro, as “Japanese soul foodstuff.”
A steaming bowl of ramen noodles simmered with broth, veggies and meat. Hibachi, Japan’s variation of mouth-watering barbecue. And, of course, sushi, which wraps any number of savory components into chunk-sized morsels of umami goodness.
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Liu likes to feel of them all as convenience meals — dishes that soothe the mind and belly and for which savoring is an essential part of the culinary knowledge.
Nevertheless Chinese by nationality, when Liu entered the U.S. 16 a long time back — 1st residing in New York, then Jacksonville — he absorbed his knowledge of the dining industry working each and every work, from dishwasher to chef, in Japanese restaurants.
“It truly is what I uncovered from, and discovered to do very best,” Liu said in a modern job interview with The Record.
Just 28 at the time, Liu released Ginger Bistro in St. Augustine two a long time back with wife Eva.
With so considerably of the menu centered all around fresh new substances, especially fish and veggies, Liu claimed he normally takes satisfaction in recognizing the food items he serves is the best in conditions of taste, scent and texture.
Liu considers himself very passionate about meals and said he dreamed of owning his own establishment so he could unleash his creativity and build a model of Asian cuisine that was uniquely his own.
Aspect of that vision is centered squarely in tradition: For example, the ramen noodle dishes Ginger Bistro is known for, which start off with a pork stock — the basis of the dish — simmered for around a working day.
Ramen is a Japanese dish with a translation of “pulled noodles.” It is composed of wheat noodles served in a meat- or sometimes fish-dependent broth, generally flavored with miso or soy sauce. It is topped with a variety of components that are often regionally inspired.
The restaurant’s Tonkotsu ramen is its finest-providing and initial variation of the food, made with pork bone broth, bamboo shoots, corn, shitake mushrooms, fish cake, soy-marinated egg and ginger scallions.
Those people who are a lot more daring may pick out to add a very hot kimchee sauce (Korean in origin) made from fermented soybean paste.
Sushi is a further staple on the menu at Ginger Bistro, served either at the sushi bar or tableside and Liu, again, can take pleasure in how the dishes are served to attendees, both equally in the hand-crafted precision of the rolls as pr
operly as attention to presentation, including colorful greenery and bouquets which artfully decorate every plate.
“In this situation, we are not cooking just about anything [sushi] so we need to have to truly make it look special,” stated Liu.
Two of the most popular customer favorites are the Honey Moon roll (tuna, salmon, yellowtail and avocado rolled with soy paper and served with eel and yum yum sauce) and the Flagler roll (spicy tuna and kani, topped with albacore tuna, fried purple onion and garlic sauce).
“Some persons like it a lot more sweet some folks like it far more spicy,” explained Liu.
If doable, and the kitchen has the substances on hand, the restaurant tries to accommodate specific menu requests as very well.
Two several years later on, with a solid word-of-mouth adhering to and strong opinions, newcomers are however discovering his bistro and Liu mentioned he proceeds to attempt towards excellence.
“We are nonetheless finding out how to be the finest,” mentioned Liu. “That is what I normally attempt to be, the best all over.”
Ginger Bistro
Hours: 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday 12 to 9:30 p.m. Sunday closed Monday
Handle: 1835 US 1 South, St. Augustine
Telephone: 904-429-7600
Online: gingerbistrofl.com
Historic City Eats appears each Thursday in The History. If you know of any restaurants or chefs that need to be profiled, contact Colleen Jones at 914-494-1238 or cjones@staugustine.com.