I think its somewhat safe to assume that a lot of Austinites are quickly becoming huge food snobs. With all of the amazing restaurants that have landed in our little city in the last decade, who can blame us? Unless you’re stubborn or just have some kind of blind loyalty to the old bar and grill routine, you probably wouldn’t be caught dead in one of those peanut shell on-the-floor joints. Yes, food snobbery is alive and well in Austin, but it’s not only limited to the cuisine itself. The truth is location is one most important factors in our decision on where to dine these days.
Some of us proud food snobs might not pay attention to anything north of Hwy-183 or The Domain area, but believe it or not, the Cedar Park area has actually stepped up it’s food game in recent years, making a respectable stake in our culinary desideratum. Jenna’s Asian Kitchen dispels the old stigma of a typical Asian buffet or standard neighborhood Chinese pit-stop. Instead it’s the upscale Korean and Pan-Asian cuisine North Austin has been desperately waiting for.
DECOR
Photo by Jane Ko @atasteofkoko
The remodeled restaurant was formerly home to a now closed Chinese buffet. The interior construction was designed by the owners leaving no stale reminisce of it’s previous occupier. The new digs features a traditional yet hip, zen-like, comforting feeling throughout. The main dining room has traditional seating while the back dining area has communal seating complete with a tasteful backdrop depicting a mural of a Korean mugnghwa flower, beautifully displayed on the wall.
EAT
“We opened the restaurant to share our passion for food with others. Most of the food is prepared by Jenna along with HaNa’s intimate style and presentation of each dish. We want everyone to feel welcome, eating some of our favorite foods. Jenna loves to cook for large groups of people just like we always do at home. We love feeding our family, friends, and sometimes our neighbors. The restaurant allows us to serve a lot people, sharing the food we’ve always loved.” – Min
What to Order
Apps
Summer Rolls – Rolled with housemade pickled vegetables. Add a side of peanut sauce!
Baby Fried Octopus – Lightly battered baby octopus, jalapeños, grilled lemon, onions and spicy aioli. If you love fried calamari, you’ll love this even more. It’s tender and meaty enough to make a perfect snack even if you don’t order a entree.
Asian Chicken Pops – Lightly battered and tossed with a your choice of sauce, prepared in a hot wok. Served with pickled radish slaw.
Entrees
Korean Short Ribs – Beef short rib steak cut juicy and thick topped with green onions and sesame seeds. It’s incredibly juicy and tender, one of our favorites!
Dolsot Bibimbap – Korean comfort food at it’s best! Hot stone pot, rice, beef bulgogi, carrots, sprouts, zucchini, spinach, beech mushrooms, raw egg yolk, gosari, spicy gochujang bibimbap sauce.
Deep Fried Whole Sea Bass – Typically served as the market fish of the day, with bell peppers, onions, and cilantro spicy sichuan sauce.