Hiya Korean Food Truck

Hiya Truck - where the Korean goodness is produced.

I LOVE Korean food and Charlotte does not have enough of it. When I heard about Hiya Food Truck I knew I had to try it. I got in touch with owner Daniel Pitre and came by his truck one rainy day to try some of the options. I came so early that the food wasn't ready yet and he was kind enough to make a special delivery to my office - I was honored to get such special treatment! The bulgogi is my usual go-to and it was very tasty but I liked the spicy pork better - so delicious, great spice! Other menu items include the bulgogi burger and chicken katsu. I love that there are noodles and rice in the dishes and that they are served with daikon pickled radish (that's the yellow item!) Later the same day I decided I needed more so I also tried the dumplings (not pictured) and they were a huge hit with my 3 year old. I actually only got one because he liked them so much. Hiya is regularly at several breweries and you can check out where they are on their website as well as via Facebook and Twitter. If you haven't tried Hiya yet, give them a shot! I'll see you soon Daniel and Hiya!

Bulgogi and Spicy Pork from Hiya. 

Disclosure: The food provided was complimentary, but the opinions are my own.

China Wing - Korean in Charlotte

Haemul pajeon - Seafood and scallion pancake.

One of the biggest food disappointments in Charlotte as compared to Atlanta is the Korean cuisine - or rather the lack of it! In Atlanta there are literally hundreds of options including full Korean BBQ restaurants, simpler Korean restaurants which specialize in particular dishes, Korean bakeries and even Korean shaved ice shops. In Charlotte there are only a small handful of places that serve Korean cuisine and many of them are quite far from my in-town neighborhood. This puzzles me because Charlotte has a decent number of Vietnamese and Thai restaurants. There are certainly fewer people of Korean descent living in Charlotte than in the Atlanta area but not so few that there should not be more options for Korean cuisine. In any event, I was extremely excited to finally visit China Wing, which to my knowledge is the closest place to me where Korean food is served.

China Wing looks like it used to be a Long John Silver or similar fast food joint. In order to make it the Korean owners serve a variety of American fast food in addition to the full Korean menu. You want the Korean menu, which has detailed descriptions of the dishes and photographs of most of the options, making it less intimidating for first-timers.

I was pleased with everything we ordered including the delicious Korean seafood and scallion pancake, the noodle dish japchae, the BBQ pork and the bi bimbap, a personal favorite. One disappointment was that the selection of banchan or panchan - tiny dishes, often pickled served with the meal - was limited to just 2: tasty kimchi and pickled radish. At other places (of course I'm comparing to Atlanta) you get at least 4-5 different options or possibly more. Still, I can't complain since the main dishes and the banchan we were given were delicious and definitely hit the spot and satisfied my craving for Korean food. I look forward to returning to China Wing and to visiting the other Korean restaurants in the area. I also look forward to visiting my favorite Korean spots back in Atlanta when we visit! Where have you had Korean cuisine in Charlotte? Super G Mart and Cho Wan Garden are on my list.

Make sure you get the Korean menu!

Japchae - delicious noodles.

BBQ pork.

Bi Bimbap - so hot the egg cooks in the dish!

Anntony's Caribbean Cafe

Quarter white meat with rice & peas and cole slaw.

Anntony's Caribbean Cafe on 7th St. was a favorite of my youth. Back then the dining room was much larger but now the restaurant focuses on catering and take-out with a few tables indoors and on the patio. The tangy sauce here is SO GOOD. The waitress told me they had to take the bottles of sauce off the table because people were taking the whole bottle! I love the combination of rice, slaw, sauce and chicken here. So good. Calvin enjoyed his curry chicken as well although the corn bread was a little dry. Try the swank - a tasty nonalcoholic drink that tastes like a combination of lemonade and iced tea. Wing platters, pork chops, pork ribs, collards, and mac & cheese (Monday only) are also offered. Glad to be back in town so I can come back to Anntony's often!

Curry chicken with calypso rice topped with black beans and potato salad.

Dominican Restaurant and Bakery - Lilburn, GA

Stewed goat (left) and platter with oxtails, beans and rice and side of potato salad.

After playing some mini golf recently in Duluth we headed over to check out Dominican Restaurant and Bakery in Lilburn. This place has lots of items ready to go along with menu items that are prepared to order. We tried some of each. The above plate came from the food line and everything was really delicious. The oxtails and goat were simmered in a thick gravy that went very well with the rice/beans. We also had an order of mashed plantains which is great for gravy soaking.

The below seafood soup was made to order and boy was it good! There is a spice in this that I am not familiar with but it made for very pleasant slurping and the seafood portion was generous, with shrimp (large and small), mussels and faux-crabmeat. This is a neat place to try if you've never had Dominican food before - definitely authentic.

I also tried a piece of their flan to go (not pictured). It was creamy and delicious and contained coconut. There is also special Dominican cake that looked really good but I think most people are too full!!

Seafood soup.

Stir it Up - Jamaican in Little 5 Points

Jerk chicken - ask for extra sauce for the rice!

After waiting in line at the Vortex for 20 minutes with no table in sight, I persuaded Calvin to try something different: the Jamaican restaurant Stir It Up that I read about recently. I am so glad we tried it! Not only did the waitress accommodate our extreme hunger in a quick way, the food was truly fantastic and the dessert was out of this world. We started with the Coco bread and the Jamaican beef patty. Skip the bread, get the patty. It was hot and the beef had excellent flavor with tasty gravy inside the delicious patty (see below for half eaten photo)!

I'm no expert on Jamaican cuisine but I love spicy food and the jerk chicken did not disappoint. It was a generous serving with rice/peas and cabbage included. The oxtail was also delicious and creamy. Both of these dishes arrived quickly although some of the menu items are cooked to order and require a long wait. When we were leaving the kitchen was just bringing out some fresh macaroni and cheese - it looked fantastic. There are also some great lunch specials offered Tuesday through Friday and surprisingly, several vegetarian options available. See menu here.

Oxtail.



Coco Bread and Jamaican beef patty.



Best chocolate cheesecake - EVER!

Although we were stuffed, the waitress assured us that the cheesecake was really good and really different - she was right! While it has a very rich and chocolatey taste, the cake was lighter and less dense than traditional cheesecake. I would go back just for this! They also have a vanilla version that I want to try next time. Stir it Up is one of the nicer establishments in Little 5 Points and the food is quality as well. Try it!

Miso Izakaya Revisited + foodie book recommendation

Kimchi Rice - a deliciously flavored perfect comfort food. Love it!

I recently dined with fellow foodies at Miso Izakaya, a place I've blogged about before. Read about my first visit in 2009 and my awesome tasting visit in 2010. Miso has consistently improved since its opening and I found my latest visit exceptional as well. The above kimchi rice is not complicated but the flavors meld together perfectly with just enough spice - definitely a must try this winter. The fried Camembert is also a winner (although I don't want to think about the calorie content!) - do what I did and share with a friend. The sushi is also drastically improved since opening. The white tuna was particularly delicious.

The meal turned into a celebration for my friend and fellow food blogger, Malika Harricharan, who wrote the below book, available for purchase at Amazon.com. I am impressed that she compiled such a valuable resource for Atlanta food lovers. I also appreciate her mention of my blog in the introduction! Thank you Malika :)

Buy this book!!



Fried Camembert. Need I say more?!



The sushi was also excellent. Spicy tuna handroll, white tuna and salmon sashimi.