Kat Khao — Restaurant in Jersey City

Was very lucky to be able to attend the soft opening of kat khao at the very last second ! It was a soft opening after all so there were a few things that were a little off, but all in all, I found the food to be delicious. For example, there wasn’t enough staff to fully tend to people both at the door and seated patrons, and sometimes the wait for food and being services was inconsistent. Again— all things I’m sure that will change once they have their grand opening.

Maybe it was what was on the fixed menu for the soft opening, but I tasted more Vietnamese than a Vietnamese-Japanese fusion. And again, this was the soft opening so who knows what the full menu is going to look like ! Honestly, I’m curious and excited to see what other selections they would have.

There’s no doubt that the food served was full of flavor, and the freshness of the spring roll was really reminiscent of spring and summer with the crunch of vegetables you get.

I’m not a fan of such rare beef but I would eat the beef tataki any day. The texture wasn’t weird or anything and the pickled radish(?) on top of it was one of my favorite parts of the dish. The Chilean sea bass was delicious, however the fish was a little too salty— could just be an issue with the kitchen team trying to catch up and serve their dishes and all but whatever. The vermicelli was a good balance for the saltiness of the fish, and the sauce was soooo yummy, though I could see those who don’t enjoy coconut/coconut milk in their food to not enjoy this dish. And then there’s the matcha flan— omg ! For someone who’s not a fan of matcha, I would actually eat this flan without a problem. It wasn’t too sweet at all and the taste of matcha was pretty mild.

Again, it’s a soft opening so I’m sure it’ll get better as time passes for service and all. The food, however, is already delicious. Can’t wait to come back and taste and see what else they...

All the food was delicious and had great balance in flavor and texture. Compliments to chef and staff. Whoever is in charge of R&D of the dishes, bravo. The sauce for the Hokkaido Scallop Crudo I wish you all sold in a jar because i'd buy it and use it as dressing for all my salads. If I didn't care for etiquette and I was the only person in the restaurant you'd see me licking that plate dry. The bread on the Filet Mignon Sando was perfectly toasted. Felt nice to have food texture from my childhood incorporated and elevated with the banh mi veggies and filet mignon. That filet mignon was perfectly cooked. The crab garlic noodle was delicious as well and the generous amount of seared crab almost reminded me of a filipino dish in my culture called sisig. Felt almost like i had sisig but using crab which is never the protein, mixed with garlic noodles instead of garlic fried rice usually paired with filipino sisig. All our plates were eaten clean except the leftover sauce from the scallop crudo we couldnt spoon up.

All in all, 10/10 food and 10/10 service. Would highly recommend and would come back again. Food is so damn good I could come back and eat alone and still have a great time just...

Well, well, well. Look who rolled into downtown Jersey City with glammed up Southeast Asian-Japanese fusion fare. What is this, Manhattan?

But for serious, Kat Khao would not be out of place as the newest trendy dinner spot in Soho or Lower East Side or even Tribeca. It delivers on all counts, right down to the Manhattan price points. But who's watching dollars when lemongrass is involved?

Beef Tataki: Juicy and zesty with yuzu, herbs, peanuts, and chili peppers

Hokkaido Scallop Crudo: Very tasty with creamy coconut milk-based sauce

Chicken Banh Mi Sando: The Hokkaido milk bread is a nice twist

Chilean Sea Bass Chả Cá: A bit bland. I'd skip

Unshaken Beef: Not bad, but not as juicy as traditional Loc Lac

Crab Garlic Noodle: Creamy and tasty

Chicken Katsu Noodle Salad: Just okay. If you're torn on a noodle dish, don't get this one

In sum, more hits than misses. Pricers are higher than your corner pho spot, but the dishes are more creative too. Plus, date night ambience.

For drinky drinks, try the Hanoi Gimlet for zesty non-alcohol or the Hojicha Sunrise for an...