Monday, May 5, 2014

ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen Opens New DC Location


From our friends at ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen...

ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen Opens Tuesday, May 6 on 7th Street in Washington, D.C.

Southeast Asian Restaurant Developed by Chipotle Expands in D.C.

ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen, the Southeast Asian restaurant developed by Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE: CMG), will open the doors to its fourth East Coast location at 710 7th Street NW, in Washington, D.C, on Tuesday, May 6. The first ShopHouse location in Washington, D.C. opened in 2011 in Dupont Circle (1516 Connecticut Avenue NW) and was followed by the openings in Georgetown (2805 M Street NW) and Bethesda, Maryland (4820 Bethesda Avenue) in 2013. There are also three ShopHouse locations on the West Coast, in Santa Monica, Westwood and Hollywood.

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, 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.

Bye-bye Broccoli, Hell-o Kale

ShopHouse Introduces Kale as its First Seasonal Vegetable:
Shophouse Southeast Asian restaurant is implementing seasonal vegetables into the menu, available at all restaurants ( 4 in DC, 3 in LA ) beginning Today, May 5. This is a big first for the growing brand, which replaced broccoli with the wok-fried kale and chili-vinegar. The kale will be on ShopHouse menus through spring and summer, and will be replaced with subsequent seasonal vegetables throughout the year. ShopHouse's choice to add a rotating selection of seasonal vegetables represents the restaurant's commitment to sourcing only the best ingredients, and respecting the farmers, animals, and environment through the Food With Integrity® mission.

"I believe that Chipotle’s success isn’t necessarily based on burritos and tacos, but rather a unique system that combines our passion for using great ingredients, classic cooking methods, and an interactive service format that allows customers to pick and choose exactly what they want to eat," said Steve Ells, founder, chairman and co-CEO of Chipotle. "Many different cuisines could fit into this model that will help to redefine fast food. I am excited that at ShopHouse we will bring to customers the authentic ingredients and flavors of Southeast Asia in a way that is entirely unique."

At ShopHouse, guests customize their meal by choosing a base including jasmine rice, brown rice, chilled rice noodles, or salad; add 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 include green curry, spicy red curry or a tamarind vinaigrette; garnish with green papaya slaw or pickled vegetables; and top with a choice of crispy toppings that include toasted rice, crushed peanuts or crispy garlic. 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 Tim Wildin, brand director for ShopHouse. “In creating ShopHouse, we wanted to remain true to these characteristics.”

Housed in a minimal space, ShopHouse pairs the bold and complex flavors of Southeast Asia with fresh, sustainably raised ingredients, drawing on the dishes and cooking techniques of Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Singapore. The menu at ShopHouse features bold, assertively spiced dishes that are remarkably light and well balanced. ShopHouse’s chicken satay is made with naturally raised chicken, marinated overnight in coconut milk, dried spices, lemongrass, and other herbs, and then grilled. Steak laab takes naturally raised beef, which is crusted in spices and seared, then tossed in a cilantro-lime fish sauce and mixed with toasted rice.

Vegetables are cooked in a hot wok, and include green beans with roasted chili jam and shallots; eggplant with Thai basil; and charred corn with garlic and sesame. As of May 5, ShopHouse is introducing seasonal vegetables in each of its locations. Sourced from local farms whenever possible, wok fried kale with chili-vinegar will replace broccoli as the spring/summer seasonal offering. Beginning Tuesday, April 29, each ShopHouse location will begin replacing broccoli with kale, with all locations offering kale as the seasonal vegetable by Monday, May 5, 2014.

Priced well under $10, dishes are prepared using traditional Southeast Asian herbs and spices like galangal, lemongrass, ginger, cilantro, and chilies. Customers order at the counter, and can see directly into an open kitchen — a format similar to the one that has become a hallmark of Chipotle restaurants.

“In deciding to serve kale and seasonal vegetables, we looked at our menu and thought that we could work with our growers to add variety throughout the year by serving what is at its peak growing season.”

ShopHouse 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.

ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen is located at 710 7th Street NW (between H Street and G Street). The restaurant will be open seven days a week, 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.

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 six ShopHouse locations in the Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles areas. For more information, visit ShopHouseKitchen.com.