The true beauty of Soji is that you know there will always be something new and exciting there for you to try. This place is the exact opposite of same old, same old. I still haven’t worked all the way through the exotic cocktails menu. But I am giving it my best shot!
This was a great cocktail, but I have to admit the burnt rosemary garnish connected by a tiny clothespin was the most fascinating thing about it. Congratulations to whoever came up with that presentation! And of course I had to ask after the Vietnamese Crawfish appetizer I saw advertised last weekend on Facebook. Luckily it hadn’t gone away. Where most Louisiana powdered boils have a strong element of clove and fenugreek and cayenne, these were dominated by lemongrass and chili peppers and garnished with onions, garlic, butter, and cilantro. A bit different, but cooked perfectly, easy peel, salt was spot on, so a thoroughly enjoyable snack.
I wonder why there aren’t more obvious similarities between Vietnamese and Louisiana cuisine. Both are delta cultures with a lot of rice paddies. Both were dominated by the French at different points in history. Not sure whether this interpretation of crawfish is native or just another wrinkle in the Pan-Asian inventiveness these guys excel at, but you can rest assured, you have not heard the last from me about Soji: Modern Asian.