In Singapore, the land of 1,000 food stands, if you describe something as “shiok,” you’re saying it’s “tasty…delicious”! Which makes for a very good name for a very good Singaporean destination that’s been packed from day one with ex-pats all hungry for a taste of one of the world’s most food obsessed cities.
But that’s not exactly what they’re getting here. At Shiok!, this is Asian street food reimagined and redefined. This is an LA version of banh mi and noodle salad…served with drinks with names like Blue Lagoon and Strawberry Shortcake. I suspect the hawker markets of Singapore wouldn’t know what to make of it.
Despite the many parking spots in Rolling Hills Plaza, if you show up on a Saturday night, as I did, when the multiplex is playing to full crowds, you may still have to park some distance away. And on the way over, you’ll notice that not every one, of the many restaurants, is full. But Shiok! has no lack of acolytes. They wait in a line at the front counter and snake their way through, turning this into an Asian eclectic version of Chipotle with, in this case, seating both indoors and out. (Have a scout grab a table while the food is being ordered because they fill up quickly.)
The line moves fairly fast. And allows you to watch as the youthful crew carefully assembles the dishes — in one case staring at the bowl before deciding what to put in next. (They could probably use info cards to help them along, for the bowls have lots of things in them.)
And indeed, they are complicated assemblages. In the case of the Asian Street Bowl, you get a choice of proteins — grilled lemongrass steak, Night Market pork belly, spicy satay chicken, cha cha pork, soy glazed chicken or barbecue pulled jackfruit. Then you have to decide between coconut-ginger chickpeas or “street side” corn, which is layered atop shallot-ginger rice, Asian slaw, cucumbers, a pickled daikon-carrot-papaya, cilantro fried shallots, with house-fried shrimp crisps on the side. It’s a very busy bowl.
Perhaps just a bit too busy, with sundry ingredients getting lost in the mix. But for $11, it certainly is a generous bowl, a meal and then some, which you can — and should — trick up with some of the smaller snack dishes.
The shrimp tators would be one place to start. They are pretty much what they sound like: lightly fried shrimp wrapped in potato strings, a dish that’s crispy and soothing at the same time. Crunchy spuds robed around tender shrimp, very satisfying, perhaps even a tad eccentric. Is it street food? Seems like a lot of work for something sold on the street. But then, in Singapore they’re very good at that. They’ve got their act down.
The food here is fun, as it is in pretty much every food market I’ve ever been to in Singapore, Taipei, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Tokyo and so many more great cities of Asia. It’s in the food markets of Asia — and especially the night markets — that the life of the nation lives and thrives. And so, at Shiok!, when you bite into the hot chicken bao, you’ll discover a variation of sorts on the Popeye’s hot chicken sandwich. In this case, it’s made with crunchy fried chicken in a steamed bao bun, topped with the inevitable Sriracha sauce and Asian slaw, with the option of kicking it up with jalapenos and Sriracha aioli. (Can you imagine a food world without Sriracha? Truly unthinkable!)
For $5, it’s a very satisfying small bite, the sort of thing you can see yourself eating too many of. Or maybe, just mixing it up with the night market bao with braised pork belly replacing the chicken (no crunch, but crazy lots of flavor). Or the cooking cold noodle salad, with an ingredient of the moment the menu describes as “umami vinaigrette.”
Shiok! gets all the buzzwords just right. And the place clearly has some serious buzz of itself. It’s just right after three hours of Marvel superheroes at the nearby multiplex. Add on the Siamese Chill — Thai tea topped with sea salt foam — and you may feel as if you have superpowers. Or at least the power to lick your fingertips clean.
Merrill Shindler is a Los Angeles-based freelance dining critic. Send him email at mreats@aol.com.
Shiok! Asian Street Food
Rating: 2.5 stars
Address: Rolling Hills Plaza, 2595 Airport Drive, Torrance
Information: 424-360-1333, www.shiokeats.com
Cuisine: Asian Fusion
When: Lunch and dinner, every day
Details: Soft drinks; no reservations
Atmosphere: Very lively, immediately packed Asian Fusion fast-food concept, where you order at the counter from an eclectic menu of tastily reimagined dishes.
Prices: About $15 per person
Suggested dishes: Signature Banh Mi ($11), Street Salad ($11), Asian Street Bowl ($11), Zen Bowl ($11), Cha Cha Noodle Salad ($11), Crispy Golden Bao ($3), Shrimp Tators ($8), Night Market Bao ($5), Hot Chicken Bao ($5), Veggie Crunch ($5)
Cards: MC, V
What the stars mean: Ratings range from 4 stars to zero. 4 stars is world-class (worth a trip from anywhere). 3 stars is most excellent, even exceptional (worth a trip from anywhere in Southern California). 2 stars is a good place to go for a meal (visit if you’re in the neighborhood). 1 star is a place to go if you’re hungry and it’s nearby. Zero stars is not worth writing about.
"street food" - Google News
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Asian street food is done deliciously at Shiok! in Torrance - The Daily Breeze
"street food" - Google News
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