East Meets West: Five New Asian Hotspots in La Roma

Five noteworthy Asian restaurants have opened recently, all in the colonia Roma, their kitchens spanning cuisines from Japanese to Indonesian…

Chef Silverio Cervantes of Gin Chan

Gin Chan - Japanese auteur
Who said you have to be Japanese to make great Japanese food? Not me. The Japanese themselves have an uncanny way of interpreting ‘other’ cultural genres like jazz, flamenco and French cuisine as well as or better than the originals. I had the best New York cheesecake of my life not in Brooklyn but in the food court of the Kyoto Takashimaya department store. But when we (the ‘gaijin’) dare to tamper with sushi or ramen the naysayers cry “faux”. That’s why Gin Chan, whose chef, Silverio Cervantes was born and bred this side of the big pond is all the more admirable. Because in his travels to the land of the rising sun and his work here at Rokai and Zoku, he has absorbed the essence of Japanese cooking, and is able to reshape traditions in a playful way. Now he’s at the helm of his own ship, a relaxed bistro on a quiet corner that spills out onto the street. And that ship sails full and by. Simple sashimi, to order a la carte or as a mixed platter (highly recommended) is of high quality—the chef utilizes whatever the Pacific (and his purveyors) are doing best at the moment. Or walk on the wild side and order the omekase which, as to be expected, morphs according to the chef’s whim and might include a Nippon-esque guacamole with crisp salmon skin drizzled in shiso oil, a classic eggy tamagoyaki, traditional nigiris and sashimis and a panna cotta de yuzu to top it off. The sake selection is astutely chosen. Best of all, prices are wallet friendly.

Gin Chan
Córdoba 132, Roma see map
Tel. 55 7827 2238
Open  Tuesday – Saturday  1 -5, 7 -11 p.m., Sunday 1 – 5 p.m.

Temari at Wabi Sushi; the favorite of Geishas

Wabi Sushi - Kyoto-zen
This cozy and eclectic pan-regional Japanese, located near the pretty Plaza Rio de Janeiro, is my choice for a zen-full lunch. The narrow wood-lined room leads to a small patio – the “speakeasy” where sake tastings are offered. Chef David Portillo, veteran of Rokai and Tori Tori, is proud of his house special: temari, little round ping-pong ball size nigiri, pretty as Fabergé eggs, whose shape supposedly enables the Gion geishas to pop them in their painted mouths without muss. Hearty shabu-shabu, a common dish in Japan, here done Osaka-style, may be the best I’ve sampled; the steaming broth, served at the center of the table, is a dark and rich meat/fish/kombu mixture that adds depth to anything dipped and cooked in it be it meat, fish or vegetable.

Wabi Sushi
Orizaba 76, Roma see map
Tel.  55 5941 4815
Open Tuesday, Wednesday 1- 10:30 p.m., Thursday – Saturday until 11, Sunday 1 - 5:30 p.m.

Bao at Bao Bao

Bao Bao - Taiwan Comfort
In Chinese, Bao means dumpling and it also means treasure. The new restaurant Bao Bao offers the former and is the latter. Owner Kathy Fong presents comfort foods culled and studiously reproduced from the Taiwanese lexicon. These include a number of filled steamed breads (the bao), classic Shanghai soup dumplings, a few Asian salads, sautéed rice and noodles. A knockout dish is smoked tea duck breast served with rice and an umami-filled dipping sauce, as well as Taiwanese fried chicken nuggets, a street food standard: chicken is marinated in five-spice powder, rolled in sweet potato flour and deep fried—it is crunchy, juicy and aromatic. Tea aficionados will be glad to know that Bao Bao offers one of the most adroitly curated tea menus in the city. The restaurant, which opened in early November (of 2018), occupies the space that formerly housed Galanga; see below.

Bao Bao Taiwanese Eatery
Guanajuato 202, Roma see map
Tel. 55 6271 4744
Open 1 -10:30 Tuesday – Saturday, Sunday until 6; closed Monday

Tea Smoked duck at Bao Bao

Appetizers at Daeng

Daeng Asian Kitchen (closed 2020)
Ana and Eleazar, owners of Galanga and Kiin Thai Viet Eatery have been instrumental in introducing the Mexican public to true Southeast Asian cooking. They have now opened yet a third location in which the chef collates a fascinating and well researched menu of dishes from Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia with a few Chinese, Thai and Vietnamese options thrown in for good measure. The large, airy space was formerly occupied by Yuban but its lugubrious ambiance has been magically transformed and is now bright and cheery. According to the chef, Malaysians, Indonesians and Singaporeans have been stopping by (“I didn’t know there WERE any here”) to sample such specialties as spicy, crimson chili crab—it’s superb, and rendang, an Indonesian curry over tender beef cheeks done with coconut cream. Those in a comfort food mood will want to order the Malaysian grandma’s standards, Chinese influenced Hainan chicken, or coconut based noodle soup, lahksa.

Daeng Asian Kitchen
Colima 268, Roma see map
Tel. 8848 5687
Open Tuesday – Saturday 1 – 11 p.m., Sunday until 6, closed Monday

The ‘salon’ at Galanga/photo courtesy Galanga

Galanga Thai House - Royal Thai
The aforementioned chef Ana, who hails from Phuket in southern Thailand and locally sourced husband Eleazar, inaugurated Galanga Thai Kitchen several years ago in the space now occupied by Bao Bao. They have recently moved operations a couple blocks away to a lovingly restored turn-of-the-century mansion. Seating is in and around a covered patio as well as in what must have been the home’s reception room. The food, based on traditional Thai recipes, utilizes ingredients grown by the couple at their ranch in the state of Hidalgo, so flavors are never compromised for lack of proper herbs, fruits and spices. The kitchen, under the auspices of Ana’s sister, always offers interesting, lesser seen dishes such as  chu chee, fish in a red, tumeric based curry, or rack of lamb in a dark massaman curry.  There are more familiar  dishes as well - pad Thai, som tum (green papaya salad)  and green curry with chicken are the crowd pleasers. The location will soon feature a Thai spa.

Galanga Thai House
Monterrey 204, Roma see map
Tel. 6550 4492
Open 1 – 11 p.m. daily

Thai appetizers at Galanga Thai House