From our friends at ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen...
Southeast Asian-Inspired Restaurant Expands Seasonal Menu Offerings in July 2014
ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen, the Southeast Asian restaurant developed by Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE: CMG), launches summer squash, a brand-new seasonal menu offering, today at each of its seven locations in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. Summer squash will be wok-cooked with garlic, Thai chilies and fresh Thai basil, sourced from local farms whenever possible. The summer squash will replace eggplant for the summer and fall seasons, with subsequent seasonal vegetables announced as sourcing and preparation are finalized.
ShopHouse’s decision to add seasonal vegetables to the menu is part of its foundational commitment to serving ingredients from more sustainable sources with respect for farmers, animals, and the environment. Buying local, seasonal produce allows ShopHouse to serve ingredients that are as fresh and delicious as possible, reinforcing its dedication to Food With Integrity.
"Our goal is to serve delicious food, and the fact that we have so many vegetables on our menu allows us to be seasonally-inspired whenever possible," said Tim Wildin, brand director for ShopHouse. "Putting summer squash on the menu bolsters our commitment to local growers and provides our guests with the best available seasonal produce, cooked with our unique Southeast Asian flair."
ShopHouse is committed to supporting family farmers who follow responsible practices and the summer squash will be sourced from local farms on both coasts: Washington, D.C. ShopHouse locations will source from Sorbello and Wheeler Farms in Swedesboro, New Jersey, and Los Angeles ShopHouse locations will source from Combs Distribution and Corona Marketing in Santa Maria, California.
The menu at ShopHouse is influenced by traditional ingredients, flavors and cooking techniques of Southeast Asia, and the restaurant gets its name from traditional shophouses, a common form of architecture in Southeast Asia in which families live upstairs and operate restaurants or fresh markets on the ground floor. The ShopHouse model closely resembles Chipotle’s, including a commitment to serving food made with highest quality ingredients from more sustainable sources, preparing food in an open kitchen using classic cooking techniques, and serving customers in an interactive format that allows each individual to pick and choose exactly what goes in to their own order.
At ShopHouse, guests customize their meal by choosing a base including jasmine rice, brown rice, chilled rice noodles, or salad; adding grilled chicken satay, steak laab, pork and chicken meatballs, or organic tofu; a choice of various wok-cooked fresh vegetables; one of three sauces that includes green curry, spicy red curry or a tamarind vinaigrette; garnishing with green papaya slaw or pickled vegetables; and finishing with a choice of crispy toppings such as toasted rice, crushed peanuts or crispy garlic. ShopHouse also recently introduced its first-ever dessert: coconut rice and mango parfait. Made from a combination of Jasmine rice, creamy coconut milk, pureed mango, salt and sugar, the dessert is finished with sesame seeds and toasted coconut flakes and served chilled. The entire ShopHouse menu is gluten- and dairy-free.
"Anyone who has traveled throughout Southeast Asia can tell you that food there is served very fast, but is also full of flavor, nutritious, and affordable,” said Wildin. “In creating ShopHouse, we wanted to remain true to these characteristics.”
ABOUT SHOPHOUSE:
ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen opened its first restaurant in 2011 in Washington, D.C. Developed by Chipotle, ShopHouse draws on the unique flavors, ingredients and cooking methods of Southeast Asia, and takes its name from the mid-rise buildings prevalent throughout Southeast Asian cities where hard-working families live in apartments above the ground floor restaurants or markets that they operate. These shops serve as Asia’s version of fast food, with tiny kitchens turning out rice or noodle bowls laced with spicy sauces, marinated meats, and a flurry of herbs and vegetables. There are currently seven ShopHouse locations in the Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles areas. For more information, visit ShopHouseKitchen.com.
