• Home
  • popular
  • EVENTS
  • submit-new-event
  • CHARITY GUIDE
  • Children
  • Education
  • Health
  • Veterans
  • Social Services
  • Arts + Culture
  • Animals
  • LGBTQ
  • New Charity
  • TRENDING NEWS
  • News
  • City Life
  • Entertainment
  • Sports
  • Home + Design
  • Travel
  • Real Estate
  • Restaurants + Bars
  • Arts
  • Society
  • Innovation
  • Fashion + Beauty
  • subscribe
  • about
  • series
  • Embracing Your Inner Cowboy
  • Green Living
  • Summer Fun
  • Real Estate Confidential
  • RX In the City
  • State of the Arts
  • Fall For Fashion
  • Cai's Odyssey
  • Comforts of Home
  • Good Eats
  • Holiday Gift Guide 2010
  • Holiday Gift Guide 2
  • Good Eats 2
  • HMNS Pirates
  • The Future of Houston
  • We Heart Hou 2
  • Music Inspires
  • True Grit
  • Hoops City
  • Green Living 2011
  • Cruizin for a Cure
  • Summer Fun 2011
  • Just Beat It
  • Real Estate 2011
  • Shelby on the Seine
  • Rx in the City 2011
  • Entrepreneur Video Series
  • Going Wild Zoo
  • State of the Arts 2011
  • Fall for Fashion 2011
  • Elaine Turner 2011
  • Comforts of Home 2011
  • King Tut
  • Chevy Girls
  • Good Eats 2011
  • Ready to Jingle
  • Houston at 175
  • The Love Month
  • Clifford on The Catwalk Htx
  • Let's Go Rodeo 2012
  • King's Harbor
  • FotoFest 2012
  • City Centre
  • Hidden Houston
  • Green Living 2012
  • Summer Fun 2012
  • Bookmark
  • 1987: The year that changed Houston
  • Best of Everything 2012
  • Real Estate 2012
  • Rx in the City 2012
  • Lost Pines Road Trip Houston
  • London Dreams
  • State of the Arts 2012
  • HTX Fall For Fashion 2012
  • HTX Good Eats 2012
  • HTX Contemporary Arts 2012
  • HCC 2012
  • Dine to Donate
  • Tasting Room
  • HTX Comforts of Home 2012
  • Charming Charlie
  • Asia Society
  • HTX Ready to Jingle 2012
  • HTX Mistletoe on the go
  • HTX Sun and Ski
  • HTX Cars in Lifestyle
  • HTX New Beginnings
  • HTX Wonderful Weddings
  • HTX Clifford on the Catwalk 2013
  • Zadok Sparkle into Spring
  • HTX Let's Go Rodeo 2013
  • HCC Passion for Fashion
  • BCAF 2013
  • HTX Best of 2013
  • HTX City Centre 2013
  • HTX Real Estate 2013
  • HTX France 2013
  • Driving in Style
  • HTX Island Time
  • HTX Super Season 2013
  • HTX Music Scene 2013
  • HTX Clifford on the Catwalk 2013 2
  • HTX Baker Institute
  • HTX Comforts of Home 2013
  • Mothers Day Gift Guide 2021 Houston
  • Staying Ahead of the Game
  • Wrangler Houston
  • First-time Homebuyers Guide Houston 2021
  • Visit Frisco Houston
  • promoted
  • eventdetail
  • Greystar Novel River Oaks
  • Thirdhome Go Houston
  • Dogfish Head Houston
  • LovBe Houston
  • Claire St Amant podcast Houston
  • The Listing Firm Houston
  • South Padre Houston
  • NextGen Real Estate Houston
  • Pioneer Houston
  • Collaborative for Children
  • Decorum
  • Bold Rock Cider
  • Nasher Houston
  • Houston Tastemaker Awards 2021
  • CityNorth
  • Urban Office
  • Villa Cotton
  • Luck Springs Houston
  • EightyTwo
  • Rectanglo.com
  • Silver Eagle Karbach
  • Mirador Group
  • Nirmanz
  • Bandera Houston
  • Milan Laser
  • Lafayette Travel
  • Highland Park Village Houston
  • Proximo Spirits
  • Douglas Elliman Harris Benson
  • Original ChopShop
  • Bordeaux Houston
  • Strike Marketing
  • Rice Village Gift Guide 2021
  • Downtown District
  • Broadstone Memorial Park
  • Gift Guide
  • Music Lane
  • Blue Circle Foods
  • Houston Tastemaker Awards 2022
  • True Rest
  • Lone Star Sports
  • Silver Eagle Hard Soda
  • Modelo recipes
  • Modelo Fighting Spirit
  • Athletic Brewing
  • Rodeo Houston
  • Silver Eagle Bud Light Next
  • Waco CVB
  • EnerGenie
  • HLSR Wine Committee
  • All Hands
  • El Paso
  • Houston First
  • Visit Lubbock Houston
  • JW Marriott San Antonio
  • Silver Eagle Tupps
  • Space Center Houston
  • Central Market Houston
  • Boulevard Realty
  • Travel Texas Houston
  • Alliantgroup
  • Golf Live
  • DC Partners
  • Under the Influencer
  • Blossom Hotel
  • San Marcos Houston
  • Photo Essay: Holiday Gift Guide 2009
  • We Heart Hou
  • Walker House
  • HTX Good Eats 2013
  • HTX Ready to Jingle 2013
  • HTX Culture Motive
  • HTX Auto Awards
  • HTX Ski Magic
  • HTX Wonderful Weddings 2014
  • HTX Texas Traveler
  • HTX Cifford on the Catwalk 2014
  • HTX United Way 2014
  • HTX Up to Speed
  • HTX Rodeo 2014
  • HTX City Centre 2014
  • HTX Dos Equis
  • HTX Tastemakers 2014
  • HTX Reliant
  • HTX Houston Symphony
  • HTX Trailblazers
  • HTX_RealEstateConfidential_2014
  • HTX_IW_Marks_FashionSeries
  • HTX_Green_Street
  • Dating 101
  • HTX_Clifford_on_the_Catwalk_2014
  • FIVE CultureMap 5th Birthday Bash
  • HTX Clifford on the Catwalk 2014 TEST
  • HTX Texans
  • Bergner and Johnson
  • HTX Good Eats 2014
  • United Way 2014-15_Single Promoted Articles
  • Holiday Pop Up Shop Houston
  • Where to Eat Houston
  • Copious Row Single Promoted Articles
  • HTX Ready to Jingle 2014
  • htx woodford reserve manhattans
  • Zadok Swiss Watches
  • HTX Wonderful Weddings 2015
  • HTX Charity Challenge 2015
  • United Way Helpline Promoted Article
  • Boulevard Realty
  • Fusion Academy Promoted Article
  • Clifford on the Catwalk Fall 2015
  • United Way Book Power Promoted Article
  • Jameson HTX
  • Primavera 2015
  • Promenade Place
  • Hotel Galvez
  • Tremont House
  • HTX Tastemakers 2015
  • HTX Digital Graffiti/Alys Beach
  • MD Anderson Breast Cancer Promoted Article
  • HTX RealEstateConfidential 2015
  • HTX Vargos on the Lake
  • Omni Hotel HTX
  • Undies for Everyone
  • Reliant Bright Ideas Houston
  • 2015 Houston Stylemaker
  • HTX Renewable You
  • Urban Flats Builder
  • Urban Flats Builder
  • HTX New York Fashion Week spring 2016
  • Kyrie Massage
  • Red Bull Flying Bach
  • Hotze Health and Wellness
  • ReadFest 2015
  • Alzheimer's Promoted Article
  • Formula 1 Giveaway
  • Professional Skin Treatments by NuMe Express

    What's Eric Eating Episode 54

    Houston restaurateur recounts Bourdain experience for first time, plus the dish on the latest openings

    CultureMap Staff
    Jun 8, 2018 | 9:55 am

    On this week's episode of "What's Eric Eating," Himalaya owner Kaiser Lashkari joins CultureMap food editor Eric Sandler to discuss his critically acclaimed Indo-Pak restaurant. The chef explains how he got into cooking as well as the career path that led him to open Himalaya in 2004.

    Himalaya is one of only two local restaurants featured in the Houston episode of the CNN series Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown. For the first time, Lashkari explains how the show chose to film at his restaurant. (The podcast was taped just days before news on June 8 that Bourdain passed away of an apparent suicide.)

    "I will tell you the the secret today, since you asked me," Lashkari says. "I asked the gentleman who was the first point of contact with the show. I said, 'why did you pick us?' He said that he picked this restaurant in particular, because this restaurant had the best reviews and the worst reviews. It was, like, there is a group that hates the ground he walks on, and there is a group that almost worships him. They love him or they hate him. That piqued his curiosity about Himalaya and made him try it."

    Lashkari addresses a variety of other topics, including why he's not as worried about competing with other restaurants as he used to be, whether people should take his periodic threats to retire seriously, and what it's like to work alongside his wife Azra every day. Of course, the interview ends with the lightning round.

    Prior to Lashkari joining the show, Sandler and Urban Swank blogger Felice Sloan discuss the news of the week. Their topics include the passing of legendary restaurateur Ella Brennan, the exciting lineup for this year's edition of Southern Smoke, and chef Richard Knight's recent departure from Harold's in the Heights. In the restaurants of week segement, they share their experiences at Kulture, the new concept from The Breakfast Klub owner Marcus Davis, and East Hampton Sandwich Co., the recently-opened Dallas-based sandwich shop.

    ---

    Subscribe to "What's Eric Eating" on iTunes or Google Play. Listen to it every Saturday at 11 am on SportsMap 94.1.

    Himalaya's Kaiser Lashkari is this week's guest on What's Eric Eating.

    Kaiser Lashkari Himalaya
    Photo by Eric Sandler
    Himalaya's Kaiser Lashkari is this week's guest on What's Eric Eating.
    podcastsnews-you-can-eatchefs
    news/restaurants-bars
    series/whats-eric-eating

    the pho will flow

    Growing Houston Vietnamese restaurant hustles into hot Katy neighborhood

    Eric Sandler
    May 13, 2026 | 3:30 pm
    Saigon Hustle Katy Cinco Ranch
    Courtesy of Saigon Hustle
    Saigon Hustle's new Cinco Ranch location is now open.

    A growing Houston Vietnamese restaurant has arrived in Katy. Saigon Hustle is now open in Cinco Ranch.

    Located at 23703 Cinco Ranch Blvd., the Houston area’s third Saigon Hustle began a quiet soft opening this Monday, May 11, and will celebrate its grand opening on Thursday, May 14. Like its siblings in Garden Oaks and Spring Branch, the restaurant will serve its familiar menu of banh mi, egg rolls, spring rolls, and rice dishes, as well as the pho that was added to the menu when Spring Branch opened in October 2024.

    Beverage options include both Vietnamese iced coffee and freshly-brewed jasmine teas.

    The Cinco Ranch location seats approximately 60 people. It also offers curbside pickup and delivery via third-party apps. Co-founder Sandy Nguyen said the restaurant had been looking at Cinco Ranch for awhile.

    “Our guests out here have been asking us to come to them, and it finally felt like the right moment to plant a flag in Katy,” Nguyen said in a statement. “We grew up in Houston, and bringing the food we love to a community we love is everything. This is more than a new address — it's a hometown moment for us.”

    As part of its continued growth, Saigon Hustle recently hired chef Justin Yoakum as its vice president of operations. Yoakum previously served as director of operations for Culinary Khancepts, the Houston restaurant group behind Liberty Kitchen, State Fare, Leo’s River Oaks, and others.

    “Justin has been wonderful,” Nguyen writes in an email. “He's been the leader we have been needing to further the next steps in our expansion. We are excited to have him. He's already proven to be such a great asset to the brand and brings a lot of energy!”

    Originally opened by Nguyen and her business partner Cassie Ghaffar, Saigon Hustle is now backed by Savory Fund, a Utah-based venture capital firm that’s invested in a diverse range of concepts including Austin-based, Detroit-style pizzeria Via 313; breakfast concept Hash Kitchen; and Pincho Burgers & Kebabs, a Miami-based restaurant with locations in Memorial City, Conroe, and Cypress. Savory has committed to helping it grow to as many as 40 units in Texas and the Midwest.

    To celebrate its grand opening, the Katy location will offer a number of promotions and giveaways, including:

    • Free banh mi for the first 100 customers on May 14.
    • A block party with a lion dance beginning at 6:30 on May 14.
    • Free Saigon Hustle for a year sweepstakes: All visitors to the location are eligible to win. See store or website for contest rules.
    • Buy-one-get-one-free Banh Mi: For customers who sign up for the Saigon Hustle Rewards loyalty program
    • Red envelopes: In a nod to the restaurant’s Vietnamese heritage, customers may receive a red envelope containing a discount, giveaway, or prize.

    “We wanted opening week to feel like a block party, not just a ribbon cutting. Free food, music,

    neighbors, and the team that's going to be feeding this community for years to come,” Ghaffar added. “From the lion dance to the red envelopes, every detail of opening week is a love letter to our culture and to Cinco Ranch.”

    Saigon Hustle Cinco Ranch is open daily from 11 am-11 pm.

    Saigon Hustle Katy Cinco Ranch

    Courtesy of Saigon Hustle

    Saigon Hustle's new Cinco Ranch location is now open.

    cinco ranchnews-you-can-eatopeningssaigon hustle
    news/restaurants-bars
    series/whats-eric-eating

    most read posts

    Eclectic Houston neighborhood restaurant will shutter Bellaire store

    Remarkable Texas museum declared most beautiful in the world

    Waterfront resort outside Houston named best large campground in Texas

    Loading...