What's Eric Eating Episode 268

Meet the talented team behind Upper Kirby's inventive 'new Japanese' restaurant, plus hottest food news

On this week's episode of "What's Eric Eating," Money Cat chef-owner Sherman Yeung and chef de cuisine Jio Dingayan join CultureMap food editor Eric Sandler to discuss the new restaurant that recently opened in Upper Kirby. The conversation begins with both chefs discussing how they entered the culinary world and began working together at Katy's well-regarded Tobiuo Sushi & Bar.

Photo by Jenn Duncan

A selection of dishes from Money Cat.

From there, they turn to Money Cat. While the restaurant serves a full range of different kinds of sushi — including sashimi, maki, and nigiri — it also features creative riffs such as a tomato salad with cheese foam, chutoro toast, and tempura fried maitake mushrooms. As Yeung explains, he didn't want Money Cat to be a clone of Tobiuo.

"It's not traditionally Japanese. I play around with 'new Japanese,' where we draw a lot of inspiration from Japanese ingredients and techniques," Yeung says. "We're not adhered to Japanese. Chef Jio and I want to explore Asian culture. That's why I call it new Japanese."

Also worth noting is that Dingayan has a lot of responsibility for a 22-year old chef. Sandler asks him about leading a team of chefs who are likely older and more experienced than he is.

"The thing I project the most is compassion and empathy. You want to work with someone who tries to understand you through the good and the bad, and that's what I try to do with each one of my cooks," Dingayan says. "I think teaching humanity really shines a light on what we're trying to do. We're not just cooks. We're humans, too, and you should know who's cooking your food."

Prior to the interview, Sandler and co-host Michael Fulmer discuss the news of the week. Their topics include: il Bracco owner Western Addition Restaurant Group opening Balboa Surf Club in the same Galleria-area shopping center; the imminent closure of Tex-Mex restaurant Spanish Flowers; and the opening of Bayou Heights Bier Garten with a barbecue menu created by chef Teddy Lopez.

In the restaurants of the week segment, Fulmer and Sandler share first impressions of Gatsby's Prime Seafood. They also discuss a recent meal at Home Slice Pizza, the Austin-based restaurant that opened in Midtown.

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a CultureMap Exclusive

Houston's 'Chinese takeout bar from the future' touches down in Webster

Courtesy of The Rice Box

A rendering previews The Rice Box's new location in Webster.

Houston’s Chinese takeout bar from the future is coming to the Bay Area. The sixth location of The Rice Box will open in Webster later this summer.

Located at 114 El Dorado Blvd, the new location will be called Rice Box Space Center after NASA’s headquarters at the nearby Johnson Space Center. Founder John Peterson tells CultureMap that it’s a bit of a homecoming for him and his wife/business partner, Jenny Vo, as they grew up in the area. As with every new location, the restaurant created a movie-style poster to announce its opening.

Rice Box Webster movie poster The Rice Box Space Center is expected to open later this summer.Courtesy of The Rice Box

For its first truly suburban location, Peterson plans to offer a more efficient pickup system for to-go orders. Dubbed The Rice Box Pickup Reactors, the system applies Rice Box’s sci-fi aesthetic to curbside ordering. As seen in the rendering above, the building will have six slots that drivers will pull into to get their orders.

“The goal is to have guests in and out with food in hand in around 90 seconds,” Peterson writes in an email. “It’s still pickup, but we’re trying to make that moment feel more intentional and more connected to the digital side of Rice Box instead of treating it like an afterthought. We’re looking at this opening as both a new store and a prototype for how Rice Box can work in more suburban markets without losing the part of the brand that makes it feel like us.”

Bay Area-area diners can expect the same menu as the Rice Box’s other locations. That includes staples such as General Tso’s chicken, sesame chicken, beef with broccoli, and orange peel beef. The restaurant also serves traditional Chinese-inspired fare such as Chongqing chicken, cumin beef, mapo tofu, and chow fun noodles.

Recently, Peterson rolled out a new version of Rice Box’s dumplings. Available in chicken, pork, or vegetable, each style of dumpling comes with a different wrapper that enhances the filling’s flavor. They’re also available either steamed or fried.

The Rice Box started as a food truck in the early 2010s. After moving to a permanent location in the Greenway Plaza food court, it has opened brick-and-mortar locations in the Heights, River Oaks, Rice Village, and Memorial.

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