Owners Jenna and Min Choe are the husband-and-wife team behind Jenna’s Asian Kitchen.[/caption]Few upscale Asian restaurants can tout themselves as affordable and family-friendly, but that is why Jenna’s Asian Kitchen fits so perfectly in its Anderson Mill location, bordering Cedar Park, co-owner Min Choe said.
Min said he and his wife, Jenna—the restaurant’s namesake—noticed a lack of fine-dining options in the area near their home, where the demographic is mostly families with young children.
Between his passion for entrepreneurship and Jenna’s passion for food, he said they decided to open a restaurant focused on modern Asian comfort food that includes a children’s menu with options such as sweet and sour chicken ($5) and ribeye beef bulgogi ($6).
“We do that because we can relate. I have a 6-year-old, a 5-year-old and a 1-year-old, so I understand that struggle,” Min said.
The restaurant’s full menu gives popular dishes from Korea and China a modern twist.
The dolsot bibimbap ($13), for instance, is a centuries-old Korean dish that many believe was originally a common meal for peasants.
“This is probably the most recognized Korean dish out there,” he said.
In the restaurant’s version, rice is placed in a scorching-hot bowl lined with sesame oil, which adds a toasty flavor, Min said. Seasonal vegetables, beef bulgogi and a raw egg yolk are placed on top, and Gochujang, or chili pepper-based sauce, is mixed into the dish. Min said when diners stir the contents together the heat from the bowl cooks the egg yolk.
The hwedupbap ($18) is another comfort dish traditionally made of leftover seafood scraps, Min said. Jenna’s version incorporates sashimi-grade salmon and ahi pepper tuna into the meal that also includes rice, lightly pickled vegetables and its own unique chili pepper-based sauce.
Hwedupbap ($18) combines sashimi-grade salmon and ahi tuna with rice and vegetables.[/caption]The restaurant also offers a massive selection of sake, or Japanese rice wine.
Jenna’s Asian Kitchen celebrated its one-year anniversary March 26 with its launch of weekend brunch from 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
The brunch menu involves a fusion of Korean and American items, such as Korean-style eggs Benedict with pork belly and kimchee hollandaise sauce over a poached egg.
The restaurant also offers a sake bloody mary during brunch, which is garnished with a fried salt-and-pepper baby octopus.
“We are ever-evolving,” Min said.
Jenna’s also offers catering and private party accommodations.
Jenna's Asian Kitchen
12300 RM 620, Austin
512-258-8282
www.jennasasiankitchen.com
Hours: Tue.-Thu. 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 11 a.m.-10:30 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m., closed Mon.
