A few minutes north of Sea-Tac Airport on International Boulevard in Tukwila is the Spice Bridge global food hall, a food court with four separate, all-women and immigrant-operated food stalls serving the cuisines of their homelands. We've wanted to come here for some time now and are glad we finally made the trip; a great experience supporting a food business incubator, and the food was fantastic.
We went at lunchtime on a Friday and had three restaurants to choose from; Jazze’s Organic Afghan Fusion, Moyo Kitchen - Authentic East African Food, and Theary Cambodian Foods. Of course, we had to try a dish from each of them.
Jazze's - Organic Afghan Fusion
The picture of the lamb kofta kebab on the menu looked great, but we wanted to try something we'd never had before and ordered the mantu; according to the menu, mantu is the most traditional dumpling dish in Afghanistan. Dumplings, no matter their name or country of origin, are always a solid choice for comfort food. We got nine plump savory dumplings stuffed with onions and spiced finely ground grass-fed beef, covered with creamy garlic yogurt and earthy yellow lentils in a mild tomato sauce and garnished with fresh mint. A very delicious and satisfying bite.
Moyo Kitchen - Authentic East African food
Moyo represents the cuisine of Somalia, Kenya, and Tanzania; the latter is where the owner/chef originates. We ordered the kuku ka kupaka, huge meaty chicken legs marinated in a spiced yogurt overnight and stewed in a coconut sauce, served over a massive bed of fragrant rice. The chicken was tender and tasty, and the green habanero sauce added heat and a fruity brightness to the dish. The rice had scents of cinnamon and clove, flecked with raisins, and was quite addictive; we couldn't stop returning to it and the simple yet flavorful boiled potato. Accompanied with a small salad of cabbage, cucumbers, red onion, and carrots, served as a fresh crunchy cole slaw to cut the richness of the chicken and rice. Next time we return, we will order one of the fish dishes offered at Moyo's, with more of the delicious rice, of course!
Theary Cambodian foods
Western Washington is fortunate to have an abundance of fantastic Asian restaurants; Thai, Vietnamese, Korean, Japanese, and Chinese food is all represented. Still, I hadn't seen a Cambodian restaurant before and was excited that Theary was here at Spice Bridge serving Khmer food. I was looking over the menu, trying to decide what to order, when the young lady at the front of the line asked if I had been here before; she seemed to be a regular and suggested the number four, the sampler plate. The perfect choice for our first visit, a bit of everything! The plate is loaded with rice cooked in banana leaves, two lemongrass meatballs, a coconut chicken leg quarter, and a boneless stuffed chicken wing accompanied with vibrant pickled cabbage, fresh herbs, sprouts, and red bell peppers. When presented with the impressive-looking plate of food, the chef asked if I had ever eaten a stuffed chicken wing. She explained in a lovely way that it was the most intricate and time-consuming dish she makes, where to hold it properly, and how to eat it to keep all the stuffing inside. A whole chicken wing with the bone of the drum part taken out and stuffed with herbed glass noodles. An incredible technique for preparing the wings, I was honored to eat such a delicious work of art.
The meat of the coconut chicken is scored so the fresh herbs and marinade can envelop the leg quarter; its crispy roasted skin and the succulent pick-apart dark meat are perfectly cooked and quickly eaten with chopsticks. A fantastic introduction to Cambodian food; I'm a huge fan now and can't wait to return to Theary.
Everything we ate at Spice Bridge was terrific, the hospitality warm and inviting; we felt as if we were traveling abroad and were guests of honor at our new friend's house for a home-cooked meal. Check out the Spice Bridge calendar to see what restaurants are open on which days.
Thanks!
I'll post part two of my Tacoma’s Top Taquerias story very soon, the reason I started this Substack and the result of going to every taqueria in Tacoma and Lakewood. Also, I have many new followers thanks to my friend Giyen's Substack: This is Giyen. I love her personal, funny, and real stories; please check it out.
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I used to send off for punk rock zines through the mail back in the old daze. These days I'm ordering a wine zine from San Diego called Campestre. A woman-owned and operated bilingual publication that focuses on the San Diego wine scene, sustainability in wine, and the exciting Valle de Guadalupe wine region across the border in Mexico. Issue #7 just came out! It's fun to get mail that isn't junk or bills!
Heads up!
One of my favorite Tacoma events is this weekend! The 59th annual Tacoma Greek fest at St. Nick's Greek Orthodox Church. The gyros, souvlaki, loukoumades, and loukaniko sausage are all back!