Ginger Bistro focuses on attractive soul meals

Ginger Bistro owner and chef Tuna Liu holds a bowl of Pork Tonkotsu Ramen noodles in the dining room of his restaurant in St. Augustine on Tuesday.

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.

Pork Tonkotsu ramen noodles

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.