JKoo Neo Cuisine & Bar Offers Uptown Style

By Nancy K. Crevier

The challenge in being a new business in a new shopping plaza is that “people are still finding out that we are here,” said Ken Wong, owner and manager of JKoo Neo Cuisine & Bar, 266 Main Street, in the Plaza South. Nonetheless, Mr Wong is pleased with the response his eclectic Asian cuisine restaurant has received since opening in early December.

The floor-to-ceiling glass foyer with a band of waist-high bright green blocks sets the scene for what Mr Wong sees as a more “urban look” to his new dining space. Inside, the sleek look continues with a 30-foot-plus, U-shaped, black granite bar with seating for more than two dozen customers. Tall white orchids rise from pots at each end of the bar, and a planter filled with bamboo adds an Asian accent to the decor. Near the bar and overlooking the Route 25 side of the plaza, a railed-off section of the restaurant will provide space for live entertainment in the future, said Mr Wong, or a lounge area.

The bar is set off from the dining room by a half wall of wood and stained glass. Seating for 66 diners is found on the other side of the wall, some at booths that run along the south side of JKoo, others at tables for two, four, or six. Just beneath the half wall is a long length of banquette seating for the tables there.

Natural light from two sides of the building’s tall windows is supplemented by dropped lighting above individual tables. The citified look is softened by walls painted shades of terra cotta and washed green. A curved ceiling structure above the bank of booths is painted to represent the night sky, a nod to the restaurant’s name, said Mr Wong.

“JKoo sounds like the Chinese for ‘jump to the sky,’ or the idea of ‘the sky’s the limit,’” Mr Wong said. The “Neo” part of the restaurant’s name, he said, refers to the fact that many styles of Asian cuisine are prepared at JKoo. Customers will find an extensive selection from Thailand, Vietnam, China, Japan, and Malaysia, he said. “We do all different Asian cuisines,” he said, “all tailored to be not like other restaurants.”

The focus of JKoo Neo Cuisine & Bar, said Mr Wong, is on the sushi bar. There, Chef Jin, who was the head chef at Tengda in Westport, where Mr Wong learned restaurant service, can be found turning out elaborated sushi, sashimi, maki, and handrolls, numbering in the dozens of options. “He has a great knowledge of the fish,” Mr Wong said, “and makes the finished plate very attractive.” Choices like the honey wasabi tuna, Cumamoto oyster with special sauce, the sweet potato roll, the shitake mushroom roll, and the JKoo Naruto of cucumber wrap with assorted raw fish provide sushi and sashimi lovers with options not found at other area sushi bars. Ten customers can be seated at the sushi bar, and watch as Chef Jin creates each order.

Just beyond the sushi bar, a window painted with Chinese characters sets off the kitchen, and allows customers a full view of food preparation. The characters, Mr Wong said, are a Chinese toast.

The full menu at JKoo Neo Cuisine & Bar goes far beyond just sushi, though. Four soups, including the spicy Thai Tom Yam Soup; salads of green seaweed, crispy calamari, and crunchy seaweed, or seared tuna tataki; and appetizers that range from pan seared pork and vegetable pot stickers, known as “gyoza,” crispy coconut shrimp, grilled boneless short ribs with a tangerine miso glaze, to chicken or beef satay are just a few ways to start off a meal.

The nearly two dozen entrees are priced anywhere from $10 for wok fried mixed vegetables, to $24 for the Chilean sea bass. Mr Wong has found the Asian duck to be a popular seller. Customers are also liking the Vietnamese barbeque pork loin, he said, and the spicy mango chicken or prawns. Malay curry seafood, a combination of shrimp, scallops, salmon, broccoli, potatoes, mushrooms, asparagus, and eggplant in a coconut curry sauce has sold well in the first two months of business.

A broad selection of noodle and rice dishes, and side dishes that include Hibachi-style noodles, grilled bok choy, coconut rice, and sweet potato tempura round out the menu.

JKoo Neo Cuisine & Bar caters to a younger, upscale clientele, said Mr Wong, as well as to business people and families.

The bar crowd is attracted to the Happy Hour, from 3 to 6 pm, and again from 9 pm to closing, seven days of the week, Mr Wong said, when they can take advantage of the specials offered at JKoo. The Buy One Get One Free special covers JKoo martinis, house wine, and draft and bottled beers during Happy Hour. Half-priced appetizers from a special menu and regular sushi rolls priced at three for $10 are also available.

Beginning in February, JKoo Neo Cuisine will feature Summit Karaoke Live Online, beginning at 9  pm, each Tuesday night. “I think this is something the younger crowd will like,” said Mr Wong.

He hopes that the contemporary yet comfortable atmosphere will invite lingering over drinks and meals. “I have always wanted to open my own restaurant,” said Mr Wong. “Every week business gets better, so I am pleased for that.”

JKoo Neo Cuisine & Bar is open 11 am to 10 pm, Monday through Thursday; from 11 am to 11 pm, Friday and Saturday; and from 12:30 pm to 10 pm, Sunday. All menu items are available for takeout. Please call 203-270-8880 20 to 30 minutes before pickup. JKoo Neo Cuisine & Bar also provides on or off-site catering. A private room is available for parties of up to 30 people, just off of the main dining room, with one week’s notice. For more information and full menu, visit www.jkooonline.com.