Open Rice
Bulgogi
Over in the Blakeney neighborhood of Charlotte is an Asian restaurant called Open Rice. From the outside, it looks like a small and unassuming restaurant — maybe there are five or so tables inside? But when you walk in, you see how far back the restaurant goes — it’s much bigger than you’d expect. I’d say there are 20 spacious tables total. It’s casual, yet still feels nice and clean.
A wide variety of Asian offerings
The menu is expansive. They offer a mixture of Chinese, Japanese, Malaysian, and Korean dishes. They call themselves a Hong Kong Street food restaurant; however, I find there to be less focus on Hong Kong and more of a Pan-Asian focus. Regardless, the food is good.
A bit of this and that
Here is what I’ve ordered:
Vegetable Spring Rolls. These are your standard crispy, veggie spring rolls. Nothing mind-blowing, just a very good take on a classic dish.
Fried Potstickers. A standard potsticker; nothing revolutionary — I’d say they’re about the same quality as a frozen potsticker you can cook at home. This is probably my least favorite thing I’ve had here.
Cheesy Crab Dumplings. It’s basically another name for crab rangoon. These are DELICIOUSLY crispy with a creamy filling. Again, nothing new here — just great execution on a classic dish.
Salt & Pepper Fried Chicken. Also known as Karaage, it’s Japanese-style fried chicken. At Open Rice, it’s served with spicy mayo and seasoned with the intention of people eating it with the sauce — I highly recommend it. Without it, it’s a somewhat bland dish. With it, it’s delightful.
Kimchi Fried Rice. They cook the rice in a GIANT cast iron skillet. It’s filled with pork char siu, bacon, corn, carrots, peas, onions, bell peppers, fried shallot, spring onions, eggs, and cheese. It’s Americanized; the kimchi doesn’t have as much bite as I was expecting. But it is still delicious, and I ate every bite. I’d have loved it more if the kimchi flavor was punched up a bit, though.
Pineapple Fried Rice. This dish is exactly as you’d expect. It’s chicken, shrimp, pineapples, peas, carrots, turmeric, onions, and egg served in a hollowed-out pineapple.
Laksa Malaysian Curry. THIS IS EXCEPTIONAL! The flavor of this curry is excellent. It’s hands-down my favorite dish on the menu. It’s red curry ramen with crab sticks, shrimp, tofu, chicken, bean sprouts, cilantro, scallions, and fried shallots. The flavor is spicy, but not overpowering. There’s a blend of creamy coconut and peppers. It’s reminiscent of Thai Panang Curry, yet it’s still unique.
Bulgogi. YUM! I don’t think of Bulgogi when I think of Hong Kong, but it was quite a tasty take on the traditional Korean BBQ dish. This iteration is on the sweeter side. I definitely recommend trying it.
Double Pan-Fried Noodles (Chicken Only). These thin egg noodles, chicken, bok choy, carrots, and onions are pan-fried and coated in brown sauce. The outermost noodles are crunchy, while the noodles in the center of the dish are softer. It makes for a very texturally interesting dish. The brown sauce is on point in terms of flavor — it’s one of the better ones I’ve had in an Asian restaurant.
Hong Kong Style Roasted Duck. The flavor is on point. This traditional Peking-style duck is made with star of Anise and has crispy skin. Yum. The only downside was the duck was incredibly dry. We mentioned this to the waiter, and the owner came right over, and profusely apologized. You could tell he was truly upset by what was served to us (even more than we were). He offered to send us over a fresh duck or take it off the bill.
The survey says…
All in, I give it a 7/10. The service is good, and the prices are reasonable. The food is good — but just know what it is before going in. It’s not the most authentic, nor the most Americanized Asian food. If you can appreciate it for what it is, you’ll very much enjoy it.
