Soul Gastrolounge
Asian Glazed Pork Belly Tacos
A staple in Charlotte’s Plaza Midwood neighborhood is Soul Gastrolounge. It opened in 2009, and eleven years later, it still gets packed every night. It’s no surprise — the food is fantastic. The menu consists of small, tapas-style plates. The dishes range from sushi to southern to Asian street fair.
Proven popularity doesn’t disappoint
I first learned of this restaurant from someone at work, and then again heard about it from a few neighbors. By the time the sixth person recommended it to me, I knew I had to make it my top priority to check it out. I booked a reservation about a week in advance, and it’s a good thing I did. While I was there, the host was turning people away because they were fully committed for the night. Even the patio was booked, which is where our table was. I needed good light for my photos after all…
Start with a staple libation
I started with a Cucumber Mule (On Tap). They make this signature drink with Absolut vodka, cucumber juice, fresh ginger, key lime juice, sugar. They go through so much of this staple drink that they keep it on tap. It’s perfect for a hot summer day — not too sweet, nice and crisp, and very thirst-quenching.
The main event
Here’s my take on the tapas we ordered:
Asian Glazed Pork Belly Tacos. Served on flour tortillas with pickled watermelon. DO NOT MISS THESE. YOU MUST ORDER THEM! They’re sweet, savory, salty, tart, fatty, acidic…it hits all of your taste buds in the best possible way. It sounds like a weird combination — but trust me on this one and just order them.
Rocky Mountain Oysters. Deep-fried veal fries served with spicy ranch. OK, so we had no idea what these were when we ordered them. Veal fries — sounds good. We were a bit perplexed and not sure how they were related to oysters, but we decided to give them a try. They were tender and slightly fatty fried balls of veal…like a veal oyster. Not the best thing I’ve eaten, but not bad. Only after eating them did we find out what these really are — it turns out that “fries” are testicles of an animal. Had I known this, I probably wouldn’t have eaten them. I guess that’s why they’re called fries on the menu, rather than testicles. Well… now I can say I’ve tried it. Too funny.
Southern Fried Oysters. Calabash style with tomato-lemon tartar sauce. These were decent. But you have to eat them while they were piping hot — they lose their crispiness as they cool down.
Sticky Veal Shortribs. Hoisin-braised veal shortribs with five-spice honey. Though these were nice and tender, they lacked flavor compared to the Asian Glazed Pork Belly. I probably wouldn’t order this again…
Country Greek Salad. Tomatoes, red onion, cucumbers, olives, peppers, feta, EVOO. Nothing revolutionary, but excellent. The tomatoes were incredible! Super sweet.
Garlic Shrimp Skewer. Not as garlicky as I was expecting. Very good, though.
Chimichurri Beef Skewer. Excellent — cooked to a perfect medium and very flavorful with a nice little char. These are exactly what you’d expect and hope them to be.
My verdict is… 7/10. Some dishes were amazing, and some were just OK. Quite frankly, though, the tacos alone make it worth booking a reservation. I’m already plotting my return to eat them — and drink another mule.
