International Smoke is the latest concept from the Mina Test Kitchen and is the pet project of Ayesha Curry. I was super excited to experience it and finally got the chance last Wednesday with my friend J.
We had an 8:15pm reservation and showed up on time but waited half an hour to be seated. Thankfully, the staff was very friendly and nice about it, to the point of being told "we want to get you drunk before you sit down". We ordered a couple of cocktails and waited patiently. Both cocktails had lots of flavor but were well balanced. Mine was the Smoky Pineapple, a mix of mezcal and pineapple.
We did the regular menu, choosing not to supplement with the lobster but we did add on the hash browns.
Jar of pickles: 2-stars. A small mason jar of pickled cauliflower, okra, and shreds of carrot. The vegetables were pickled primarily in soy sauce, effectively making them into sodium bombs, and the jar was mostly cauliflower, begging for more variety.
Spicy corn nuts: 2-stars. Served hot from the oven and lightly flavored with chili and lime. Crunchy, and tasted mainly like something fried, not really like corn nuts, or anything in particular.
Thai-style barbecue shrimp chili: 5-stars. Absolute star dish of the evening. Imagine your favorite red thai curry, then add smoke, add style, add crunchy cilantro and crushed peanuts. Then promptly shove it all in your mouth and absolutely lose your shit. There were so many textures and so many flavors to this dish, and they all came together perfectly. Chunks of shrimp, pops of peas, subtle heat from jalapeño rings, some chili oil. The chili was served with cornbread, slightly crusted on top but nowhere near as good as the soup itself.
Tokyo hash browns: 3-stars. Your basic tater tots served on top of kewpie, scallions, and toasted nori. Pretty delicious with all the sauces, but I wasn't sure how this tied into the smoke/barbecue theme.
International pork ribs:
Al pastor: 4-stars. Slightly sweet and served with crushed pineapple on top that had almost an applesauce like consistency. The meat was incredibly tender, absolutely falling off the bone, and the jicama green apple slaw on the side was outrageously good. It had strong vinegar flavors, but in a refreshing way, and its tanginess lightened the ribs.
St. Louis: 4-stars. Less tender but much more meat forward, barely flavored with a spice rub, and cooked to perfection in a way that just truly said delicious meat. The watermelon on the side was refreshing and elevated with its chile rub. While these ribs were more flavorful than the al pastor, I actually like the al pastor a bit better.
Korean: 5-stars. My favorite of the three. They were definitely the most unique, full of spicy gochujang and toasted sesame flavors. The kimchi on the side was interesting, though a bit heavy on the fish paste, and honestly, the ribs just didn't need it. They were so good on their own.
Royal barbecue platter:
Slow-cooked char siu pork shoulder: 4-stars. The buns were softly steamed, the meat was tender, and the green onion added depth to the flavors. Much more smoke here than your standard pork bun and not as sweet.
Spicy merguez sausage: 4-stars. Really packed, not overly dense but definitely heavy. Lots of cumin flavor.
Pollo a la brasa: 5-stars. AWESOME. Mina absolutely does it again. His chicken was fantastic at Middle'terranea, great at The Company, and was even better this time. It had a dry rub, then it was topped with chimichurri, creating this awesome crust around it. This chicken was all flavor.
Sweet corn: 5-stars. Pops of sweet corn with creamy charmoula yogurt and haloumi. Absolute insanity. A little spice, a little crunch, a little sweet, sooooo much good.
Pudding cake & ice cream: 4-stars. A "cupcake" served with pieces of fruit, buttermilk pudding, and berry sauce. The cupcake was meh. The sauce was the best part of the dish, just really concentrated berry flavors, especially blueberry. The peaches, blackberries, and raspberries served on the side were refreshing and the buttermilk pudding was really unique. A bit tart and super thick, balancing out the sweetness of the rest of the dish.
Overall, the Asian-inspired dishes were outrageously awesome, while the rest of the food was a solid good. Also, this was a TON of food. I always roll out of the Mina Test Kitchen stuffed beyond belief, but this time I even took food home. I enjoyed the experience, and I continue to enjoy my dinners at the Mina Test Kitchen, and I'm glad to see the quality has gone back up with this concept. Definite yum.