When someone told me that there is a new Chinese restaurant on East Cesar Chavez, my initial thought was: hmmm.. On the east side, a Chinese restaurant, how good/authentic can it be?
I was pleasantly surprised.
Located at the intersection of East Cesar Chavez and San Saba Street (right across from JuiceLand), Sweet Chive looks more like a coffee/bakery shop than your typical Chinese restaurant: rustic steel planters along the sidewalk, gray awning with black post, and of course, bike racks (we are in East Austin after all). The dragon and phoenix mural with the restaurant name on the side of the otherwise very minimalist building may signal that this is indeed some oriental establishment but again, Sweet Chive, frittata anyone?
Once inside the restaurant, you will for sure tell yourself again, yes, this is a coffee shop! Large patches of green on the benches and the counter wall, wood tables, and countertops and shelves, padded metal chairs looking sturdy yet comfortable. There are small artworks exhibited on the wall and another two large almost monochrome murals of animals that are signed “Emily Ding”. Such a clean look!
“Welcome to Sweet Chive!” the voice from the register pulls me back on track. That’s Phoenix, the owner of this almost loungey Chinese restaurant. She shows us the menu. “We do Taiwanese home-style dishes and also sushi.” We order a few things from the Chinese menu (based on my past experience with Taiwanese food) and a sushi roll from the sushi menu and sit ourselves in front of the mural that shows a deer, some rabbits and birds, and a turtle. The food comes out fairly fast. I put my “let’s see if this is the real deal” hat on and start tasting the dishes.
PRETTY DARN GOOD!
Bon Bon Chicken. This is a cold dish that I always enjoyed throughout my college days. Hand pulled chicken with green onion, garlic, sesame, and black wood ear mushrooms, in a Sichuan style spicy sauce. The chicken is light, the wood ear mushroom gives a nice gentle crunch, and the spiciness is just strong enough to tingle your tongue so you want to have more. A great appetizer that I will gladly consume as my main on any given day!
Jianjiao Dumplings. Pan-fried pork dumplings that the aroma itself gets my mouth watering. The dumpling skin is browned on the bottom and the edges so when you take a bite, you get the crunchiness and the chew at the same time. The pork filling is, with the house black vinegar dipping and the green onions altogether, juicy but not greasy at all.
Zha Jiang Mian. Ground pork cooked in a miso base, with cucumbers, carrots, green bell peppers, cilantro, and minced garlic, on top of al dente noodles. Mix everything together, and have a bite that contains all the ingredients. That is the taste of freshness.
Cilantro-Made-Me-Do-It Roll. (Always get the one with the funky name, why not?) Spicy yellowtail roll, with avocado, jalapeño, cilantro, togarashi (Japanese chili powder), sriracha, and yuzu ponzu sauce (Japanese citrus sauce). This is the one dish that surprises me the most. Any time a non-Japanese restaurant does Japanese food (especially with raw fish), I am always skeptical about how good it will taste. The fish is tender and fatty, the sauce adds a mild tartness to the rice, and everything melts in the mouth.
When Phoenix comes over to check on us, we start chatting about the restaurant and about the food. This restaurant, she explains with a gleaming smile, is as much her two daughters’ idea as hers. “Everything on the menu is what my daughters love about my cooking. The Jiang Jiao dumpling was requested by my daughter to be put on the menu!” The animals in the murals are endangered species in the far east. One of her daughters is an environmental scientist and she wants to make sure that the restaurant can raise some awareness amongst the diners about saving the environment. That’s why they also encourage people to bring their own to-go containers for leftover food by giving a discount. They try as best as they can to get the fish following the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch Program (that’s why the fish tastes so good!).
“I am trying to collaborate with the community, local artists and chefs.” Phoenix points out the tables and countertop were all handmade by a local artist, Adam Young, all the artworks on the all are from Brooke Elementary’s pupils, and the baked goods are from local bakery chef Jessica Griffin. “Why not put all my favorite things together? I had over 20 DJs here playing house music during SXSW this year too!”
We talk about cooking, how she started the businesses, her two daughters, the sushi chef and Phoenix serves her favorite Pu’er tea while we enjoy the strawberry buttercream cake. You can find our episode of this interview on YouTube soon!
Leaving the restaurant with a full belly, I cannot get what Phoenix said out of my head: Put all your favorite things together! Such a simple idea but I wonder how many people can actually succeed in doing that. Maybe one day I will have a restaurant where there will also be musical performances and board games! In the meantime, I will for sure come back to Sweet Chive and enjoy a good homestyle meal, have a sip of tea, and, relax in this look-like-a-coffee-shop-but really-it’s-a-Chinese-restaurant little gem in East Austin.
Z, the Chinese one
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