The May Hit List: Kata Robata, Xin Chao, Khoi Barbecue, and More

This unique omakase curation by chef Niki Vongthong, an Uchi veteran, continues to be one of the hottest tickets in town. Those fortunate (and quick) enough to score a resy at this intimate chef’s counter are treated to a 15-course tasting menu with high-quality, seasonal ingredients that have included A5 wagyu, young sea bream, firefly squid, and more — all flown in twice weekly from Japan and other places, and inspired by Vongthong’s global travels as well as her Thai roots. One highlight worth the splurge: an 11-day dry-aged tuna series featuring perfect bites in varying degrees of fattiness — akami, chutoro, and otoro.

Souli Phaduangdet and her husband John Tapia, former owners of the popular Thai-Mexican fusion food truck Pho-jita, retired their mobile concept last October in favor of this brick-and-mortar cafe focusing on Thai and Laotian cuisine. On the abbreviated but growing menu, diners can find dishes like the flavor-packed nam khao (crispy Lao fried rice with red curry, coconut shreds, and fermented pork), the spicy filet mignon beef laab, and the deliciously spiced and rich Thai boat noodles, which are so in-demand they sell out frequently.

This stunner of a restaurant recently unveiled its spring menu, and (no surprise here) the dishes are as much a treat for the eyes as they are for the stomach. Chef Mayank Istwal draws inspiration for Musaafer’s inventive dishes from his travels across 29 Indian states and has curated the current offerings with an eye toward “springtime and all that blooms with it.” For example, the beef kacheela — a recipe hailing from the region between India and Nepal — has been reimagined as a beef tartare marinated with citrus, soy, cumin, and cilantro seeds paired with a radish chutney and topped with colorful edible flowers. The restaurant has also put together a special five-course lunch and seven-course dinner prix fixe for Mother’s Day.

Originally a food truck and then a brick-and-mortar restaurant in Austin, the Heights location of this popular spot opened in March 2020, bringing with it comforting Filipino fare including crispy housemade lumpia, savory chicken adobo, sizzling pork sisig, and classic pancit (a Filipino noodle dish). Pro tip: Save room for some halo-halo for dessert, made with Amy’s ube ice cream, coconut strips and jellies, red bean, leche flan, crispy toasted rice, and evaporated milk, piled high atop shaved ice.

You don’t have to get the omakase at this acclaimed sushi destination, but it’s highly recommended — especially when four-time James Beard nominee chef Manabu “Hori” Horiuchi is behind the counter. With fish sourced from Japan multiple times a week, diners are assured an exceptional experience with the finest ingredients, including creamy Hokkaido uni, nutty Kaluga caviar, and buttery striped jack mackerel. Of course, if a hot dish is what you crave, there are plenty of tasty options there too, including the lobster and crab ramen, which is served with a rich tomato-garlic broth and is now available year-round.

Brothers Don and Theo Nguyen run the show at this beloved barbecue pop-up that draws heavily from the wide assortment of cuisines the siblings grew up eating. That’s the beauty of living in a city as ethnically diverse as Houston, where you can find within a one-mile radius amazing Texas barbecue and excellent Vietnamese food — in this case, combined in one. The brothers are known for their smoky brisket pho and for turning the traditional lá lốt leaf-wrapped beef into heavenly sausage links. Their version of the bun bo hue — a spicy beef noodle soup from Central Vietnam — is made with a smoked beef rib bone broth and served with post-oak smoked brisket. Follow Khói on Instagram to find out where they’ll pop up next and for updates on their upcoming brick-and-mortar restaurant.

Chef-owner Alex Au-Yeung has consistently won accolades for the fantastic Malaysian street food he serves up at Phat Eatery. Go for the unbelievably tender beef rendang and stay for the shareable and succulent Hainanese chicken and rice. And if you’re not too stuffed afterwards, mosey on over to Au-Yeung’s fast-casual counter-service spot Yelo across the way to sample the new menu, which has shifted its focus to the Southeast Asian comfort food the chef grew up eating. New offerings include saucy skewered curry fish balls, sourdough boules with Phat Eatery’s Malaysian chicken curry and beef rendang, and Chinese-style hand-pulled noodles served in a 12-hour bone broth with braised beef shank, tomato, and chile oil, among other exciting items.

When people think of Korean cuisine, grilled marinated meats and hearty, piping-hot stews come to mind a lot of the time. And while you can certainly find these dishes at Jang Choong Dong, it’s bossam and jokbal that are the main attractions here. Bossam is pork belly that’s boiled until deliciously moist, then wrapped in crunchy cabbage slices and served with spicy radish salad. Jokbal, meanwhile, is a traditional Korean dish in which pig’s trotters are braised for several hours in a mix of seasonings, ginger, and soy sauce until they’re super soft and absorb all of the umami flavor, then served with lettuce wraps and a spicy, pungent dipping sauce made from soybean paste. In Korea, jokbal’s massive popularity comes from the belief that the high collagen content is good for the skin.

There’s a reason this modern Vietnamese hot spot keeps popping up on the Hit List — not only is it consistently good, it just keeps getting better. Now that the restaurant is open for lunch, co-chefs Christine Ha and Tony J. Nguyen have also begun introducing lunch-only specials, including their caramelized salmon and rice — a nostalgic nod to the sticky sweet and savory Vietnamese caramelized catfish dish — that Ha cooked at her “MasterChef” audition. The dynamic duo were also named finalists for the 2022 James Beard Awards in March.

Uchi alums Patrick Pham and Daniel Lee have pretty much perfected the art of the hand roll at their charming 26-seat Japanese restaurant in the Heights. The menu is just small enough that you might be tempted to try everything. In addition to their signature hand rolls — which are filled with ingredients that include salmon, spicy tuna, fatty tuna, and uni — offerings also include refreshing crudos and sashimi samplers. Fans of Pham and Lee should also check out their newest venture, Aiko, on Washington Ave., which is set to combine the very best of Handies and Kokoro (the co-chefs’ sushi counter in Bravery Chef Hall), but in a sit-down, table-service setting.