Kitchen 121 | Fusion Foods Asian Style

I have been hearing a bit about this place from people within our food chats or members of our events group. I finally set out to try it out and was not disappointed in what I got. I later would sit down with the owner and learn about the scope of this place and where she was planning on taking it so let’s jump into this:

ATMOSPHERE

When you come into a place like this with the understanding that it is a Korean owned restaurant, you typically will expect a bit of Asian style in the decor and look/feel. That was not fully the case with me at Kitchen 121. I got more of a rustic home styled feel that made me want to linger and find a corner to work on my computer. This is exactly what I decided to do and why I’m writing this while sitting in a corner. The tables have a rustic look and are matched by the hanging lights and wood plank details on the walls.

A Unique Menu | Poke Mix Bowl

The menu at Kitchen 121 consists of a mix of Poke, Fried Chicken Dishes, Sushi, Appetizers, Salads, and Hot Clay Pot dishes. When the owner (Chef Ji) took this restaurant, she wanted a restaurant that attracted more than just the Asian crowd. That said, she built a menu that features lots of different styles – still Asian – but done with more of an American method. When I first came here I wanted to try something light so I went with the Poke Mix Bowl. This lets you get 2 choices so I got the Tuna and the Salmon. I loved this dish. the only thing I would change about it is the lettuce. I believe the soft and crunchy ingredients on the top would do best with eh warm sushi rice at the bottom but the lettuce ruined that marriage of textures of me. (If you go for this dish just ask no lettuce).  These come premade but I’m sure you can express if you want to remove something.

Appetizers Worth Trying

I’ve tried three appetizers since I’ve been coming here: the fried shrimp, the salmon, and the Brussel sprouts. the fried shrimp was one very well. It was a pretty much-done tempura style. The shrimp was straightened battered and fried so you’re getting a tempura shrimp with an amazing sauce. I didn’t expect this from the name “fried shrimp” but I was really happy with the presentation and flavor of this dish.

The fried potatoes with brussels sprouts were unique, to say the least. The sprouts had a strong char on them so you could taste the charred flavor above the sweet sauce that these were fried in. I am honestly not sure how much I like this dish but the crunchy with the sweet sauce and the charr…it was something different for me.

One dish I have to say was my favorite appetizer and a must-try here is the salmon Cappracio. This dish came out sashimi-style but had an amazing flavor. I am not sure how she seasoned the fish but it was matched with cranberries, avocado, and onions. The sweetness of the cranberries helped the overall flavor when eaten together with the salmon. If you are coming here with just a goal of eating light, I would recommend this dish, the salad or the poke bowl (without the lettuce).

FRIED CHICKEN DONE KOREAN-AMERICAN STYLE

After my first take at Kitchen 121, I had to come back and try another entree or two…..maybe three. So the first dish I had my 2nd time around was a combination of the original fried chicken and the soy fried chicken. The chicken was done very well. Even the original chicken – normally you need a sauce to go with and they gave me two sauces before the chicken came out (spicy mayo and BBQ) but I didn’t use them. I can tell there was quite a bit of seasoning done in the batter and it had a slight sweetness to it.

the soy styled chicken was also done well. I say this because it was not overseasoned or sauced like many Korean fried chicken places are. Normally the sweetness or saltiness of the sauce is overbearing so you need a lot of drinks to get it all down. this was not the case, I couldn’t stop eating the chicken even though I had another dish with this. The other dish was the riceless sushi that I loved!

The sushi at Kitchen 121 is done by its sushi chef who used to work for the famous Kani House back in the day. He brought quite a few unique sushis here but the #1 sushi would be the yummy roll. I did not try this yet but I wanted to go a route with fewer carbs (since I am already downing a ton of fried chicken). That said, I got the rice wrap roll in tuna and salmon. These rolls are very neat to the point where you’re getting a lot of soft and crunchy textures that work well together. There is a sauce already in the middle of thee rolls so be sure to take a bite first because you give it a soy sauce bath. There are a ton of other sushis here but if you are trying your best to follow KETO or a low carb diet, this would be the sushi of choice,

Altogether I feel this menu at Kitchen 121 is great for a grab and go, crowd. Many of these dishes are done and delivered to the table in less then 10 min so if you are working and on the go, you can easily come here and get your dish to go and not wait too long for the dish to come out. We will be having an event here soon so be on the lookout on our events page.