{"id":71628,"date":"2026-04-16T00:01:54","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T06:01:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=71628"},"modified":"2026-04-22T15:30:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T21:30:08","slug":"east-asian-kitchen-albuquerque-new-mexico","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=71628","title":{"rendered":"East Asian Kitchen – Albuquerque, New Mexico"},"content":{"rendered":"
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East Asian Kitchen on the Southeast Corner of Eubank and Candelaria<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Perhaps more than anyone I’ve ever met, my Singaporean friend Ming Lee (God rest his beautiful soul) regarded people by the content of their character, not by physical characteristics.\u00a0 So, it surprised me to hear him joke “we all look alike<\/em>.”\u00a0 It was an unsolicited admission that even he couldn’t always discern the cultural genesis of Asian people he met.\u00a0 He also joked “at least I can always tell where an Asian restaurant’s food comes from<\/em>.”\u00a0 Ming was a bona fide gastronome who introduced me to the cuisine of Singapore and Malaysia.\u00a0 Like me, he disliked restaurants in which overt homogenization of Asian food was apparent.\u00a0 Sure, different culinary cultures across Southeast Asia have borrowed from one another over the millenia, but most adapt to cultural tastes rather than copy exactly.<\/p>\n

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The Dining Room<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ming was wary of Asian restaurants that purported to serve the cuisine of more than one Southeast Asian nation.\u00a0 To him, the concepts of global cuisine and multicultural restaurants “dumbed down” what is best about each culinary culture.\u00a0 We disagreed on the concept of fusion cuisine, the blending of elements from different cultures, creating new dishes that offer several cultures on a plate.\u00a0 I like the concept when executed well and when sufficient diversity (such as Mexican and Chinese fusion dishes) is showcased.\u00a0 Ming was adamant that the best restaurants served foods originating within their progenitor’s borders.\u00a0 He intensely disliked sushi restaurants not owned by Japanese, especially those who seemingly hired sushi chefs off-the-street.<\/p>\n

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Mural of Asian Family Making Dumplings<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I believe Ming would appreciate (maybe declare its cuisine authentic) East Asian Kitchen, an eatery on Eubank whose menu offers diverse offerings from Korea, Japan and China.\u00a0 Located on the southeast corner of Candelaria and Eubank in the location which previously housed Fei’s Cafe, the East Asian Kitchen is helmed by a genial Japanese family which relocated from Manhattan to Albuquerque.\u00a0 \u00a0With extensive restaurant experience, they launched their concept in September, 2025.\u00a0 In short order, the restaurant garnered praise and accolades on social media, several people lauding it as Albuquerque’s best for Asian food.<\/p>\n

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East Asian Dumpling Sampler<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As befitting its tricultural menu, the restaurant’s website promises “At East Asian Kitchen, we bring together the bold flavors of Japanese, Korean, and Chinese cuisine, all under one roof. Each dish is crafted with care, combining authentic recipes and fresh ingredients to celebrate the rich traditions of East Asia. From sizzling Korean BBQ to savory Chinese favorites and delicate Japanese rolls, every meal is a journey of flavor, culture, and connection. Located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, we are committed to providing an exceptional dining experience<\/em>.” Perusing the menu is akin to taking a culinary tour of Japan, Korea and China.\u00a0 Stride over to the sushi bar and you’ll see all the telltale signs of fresh fish.<\/p>\n

5 December 2025<\/strong>: Ming would undoubtedly have ordered the East Asian Dumpling Sampler<\/strong><\/em>, an array of dumplings from Japan (gyoza), Korea (mandu) and China (jiaozi).\u00a0 Understanding the nuances and subtleties of each dumpling type, he would have told me how authentic each dumpling was.\u00a0 Though my knowledge of dumplings isn’t at Ming’s level, I discerned significant differences in each.\u00a0 The pinkish steamed Korean mandu (four pieces) is stuffed with pork, kimchi and glass noodles.\u00a0 It has the kick of a small mule, particularly if you dip (or dunk) it in the accompanying sauce (chili oil, soy sauce, vinegar) which bests every other dumpling sauce in town.\u00a0 The pan-fried crescent-shaped Chinese jiaozi (traditional Chinese dumplings)\u00a0 are stuffed with minced pork, cabbage, chives and scallions.\u00a0 The pan-fried Japanese gyoza are filled with pork, cabbage and chives.\u00a0 It probably won’t surprise you to learn my favorite was the Korean mandu with its heat-generating properties.<\/p>\n

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Unagi Dan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

5 December 2025<\/strong>: Although the menu listed about a hundred items I’d love to try, my eyes stopped wandering when I came across unagi dan<\/strong><\/em>, one of my very favorite Japanese dishes ever.\u00a0 Unagi, as you may know, is grilled freshwater eel.\u00a0 Unagi is said to have stamina-giving properties.\u00a0 Containing 100 times more vitamin A than other fish, unagi is believed to heighten the sexual drive of men.\u00a0 Japanese wives would prepare unagi for dinner to suggest to their husbands that they want an intimate night.\u00a0 East Asian Kitchen glazes its unagi with unagi sauce which is somewhat similar to teriyaki sauce,\u00a0 \u00a0It’s a rather sweet sauce so I was grateful that the chef was rather frugal in applying it.\u00a0 A generous slab of unagi draped over a Japanese omelette (made by rolling together several layers of fried beaten eggs) over rice.\u00a0 It had been several years since I last had unagi dan which made me so thankful East Asian Kitchen prepares it so well.<\/p>\n

5 December 2025<\/strong>: My Kim is enamored of the “real KFC.” That’s Korean Fried Chicken, renowned for its ultra-crispy, light crust achieved through a double-frying method and a thin coating of starch rather than a heavy batter.\u00a0 Her favorite version comes from K Style Kitchen<\/strong><\/a> on Albuquerque’s westside so comparisons were inevitable.\u00a0 At East Asian Kitchen, the Korean fried chicken<\/strong><\/em> is served as an appetizer and is available in quantities of six, twelve or twenty wings (and flats).\u00a0 These signature double-fried crispy wings are prepared with your choice of two sauces: soy garlic, sweet and savory or you can order them plain with sauce on side.\u00a0 My Kim likes her KFC with enough garlic to ward off a family of vampires.\u00a0 The garlic sauce wasn’t quite that garlicky, but it did imbue the crispy chicken with deliciousness.\u00a0 In my Kim’s estimation, they still fall short of the KFC at K Style Kitchen, but not by that much.<\/p>\n

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Korean Fried Chicken<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

16 April 2026<\/strong>:\u00a0 Some sushi snobs believe only Japanese can make authentic sushi.\u00a0 Frankly, most of us can’t really tell the difference and don’t care if a sushi restaurant is owned by people from Korea, China, Thailand, Laos or Mexico.\u00a0 \u00a0The main difference we’re told is that sushi restaurants owned by people from other cultures tend to offer more “Americanized” sushi styles.\u00a0 This means focusing on sushi (maki) rolls made with spicy mayo, cream cheese, eel sauce and deep-fried ingredients or cooked fish tailored for Western palates.\u00a0 If you see a sushi roll featuring such toppings as mango, avocado or crunchy stuff, it’s not “traditional.”\u00a0 Japanese sush tends to\u00a0 fish-focused, high-end sushi made in the traditional Japanese methods.<\/p>\n

Another practice once thought of as unthinkable is female sushi chefs.\u00a0 Wrong-thinking posited that women’s hands were “too hot” to handle sushi without “ruining” it.\u00a0 We weren’t necessarily surprised to see a female sushi chef at East Asian Kitchen’s sushi station.\u00a0 We had no doubt she would create sushi every bit as wonderful as any male chef could.\u00a0 Nor were we surprised at the number of “Americanized” maki rolls (including the Sushi 101 offering: The California Roll).\u00a0 As with most sushi restaurants across the fruited plain, East Asian Kitchen caters to its American guests.\u00a0 There’s nothing wrong with that.\u00a0 Nor is there anything wrong with enjoying the creativity of Americanized maki rolls.<\/p>\n

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Deal Rolls<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The sushi menu at East Asian Kitchen lists ten maki rolls, four tempura and specialty rolls and eight classic rolls (apparently the California roll is a classic).\u00a0 You’ll also espy a section on the menu called “Deal Rolls:” any three rolls for $17 (as of 17 April 2026) or four rolls for $27.\u00a0 It’s a good way to sample the restaurant’s sushi offerings.\u00a0 One of my prime considerations in ordering sushi is getting something my (delicate of tongue and taste buds) Kim can enjoy (she finds even the accompanying ginger overly piquant, much less the wasabi).\u00a0 My preference is for raw fish-centric sushi, especially in sashimi (sliced raw fish without rice) form.<\/p>\n

Taking advantage of the “any three rolls” offer, we picked a triumvirate of tasty maki rolls my Kim could enjoy.\u00a0 Her favorite of the three was the eel and avocado roll<\/strong><\/em> (with cucumber, scallion, and eel sauce).\u00a0 Though similarities exist between eel sauce and teriyaki sauce, eel sauce is thicker, sweeter and stickier.\u00a0 My Kim loves it.\u00a0 She also liked the avocado and cucumber roll<\/strong><\/em> with its mild sauces.\u00a0 The one maki roll most to my liking was the tuna roll<\/strong><\/em> in which vinegared rice and nori played second fiddle to the tuna, a perfectly pink slab of fresh and delicious fish.<\/p>\n

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Buldak<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

16 April 2026<\/strong>:\u00a0 One dish that lives up to its name is Buldak, a Korean dish featuring grilled or fried chicken coated in a fiery sauce made from gochujang (chili paste) and gochugaru (chili powder).\u00a0 Buldak<\/strong><\/em> transaltes to fire (bul) dak (chicken) and is not a dish for diners who can’t enjoy angry food.\u00a0 How angry?\u00a0 As our server delivered the steaming cast iron dish to our table, he had a coughing fit and had to step away from the table.\u00a0 To counteract the heat, it’s topped with shredded cheese.\u00a0 The cheese doesn’t help much.\u00a0 This is one of the most piquant dishes I’ve had in Albuquerque…which means it’s one of my favorites.\u00a0 Because it’s served in a cast iron dish, it remains hot for the duration of your meal.\u00a0 That heat seems to exacerbate the heat of the chilis.<\/p>\n

16 April\u00a0 2026<\/strong>:\u00a0 Save for a former UNM basketball coach whose nickname was “Noodles,” my Kim is a noodle enthusiast.\u00a0 She absolutely adores noodles (almost as much as she dislikes most vegetables).\u00a0 East Asian Kitchen doesn’t have a great number of noodle dishes, but our server found one my Kim would enjoy.\u00a0 It’s the Niki Udon<\/strong><\/em> (Udon noodles with sliced beef in mildly sweet sauce).\u00a0 \u00a0Niki Udon is a classic Japanese comfort food made from chewy, thick wheat noodles (Udon).\u00a0 The broth is a savory, light-colored dashi topped with thinly sliced, sweet-and-savory simmered beef and garnished with green onions and seaweed (which she discarded).\u00a0 This is a wonderful winter-defeating elixir good any time of year.<\/p>\n

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Niku Udon<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Only one thing would have made our inaugural visit to East Asian Kitchen better.\u00a0 That would have been sharing our meal with my dear friend Ming Lee.<\/p>\n

East Asian Kitchen<\/strong>
\n2918 Eubank, N.E.
\nAlbuquerque, New Mexico<\/strong>
\n(505) 294-8612
\nWebsite<\/a><\/strong> | Facebook Page<\/a><\/strong>
\nLATEST VISIT<\/strong>: 16 April 2026
\n1st VISIT<\/strong>: 5 December 2025
\n# OF VISITS<\/strong>: 2
\nRATING<\/strong>: Excellent<\/strong><\/span> – High quality dining experience; very good to excellent food, attentive service, and a well-maintained atmosphere; worth a detour.
\nCOST<\/strong>: $$ – $$$
\nBEST BET<\/strong>: East Asia Dumpling Sampler, Unagi Dan, Korean Fried Chicken, Buldok, Niki Udon, Maki Rolls
\nREVIEW #1498<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Perhaps more than anyone I’ve ever met, my Singaporean friend Ming Lee (God rest his beautiful soul) regarded people by the content of their character, not by physical characteristics.\u00a0 So, it surprised me to hear him joke “we all look alike.”\u00a0 It was an unsolicited admission that even he couldn’t always discern the cultural genesis of Asian people he met.\u00a0 He also joked “at least I can always tell where an Asian restaurant’s food comes from.”\u00a0 Ming was a bona fide gastronome who introduced me to the cuisine of Singapore and Malaysia.\u00a0 Like me, he disliked restaurants in which overt homogenization of Asian food was apparent.\u00a0 Sure, different culinary cultures across Southeast Asia have borrowed from one another over the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":80019,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[440,277,33,380,81,141,563,119],"tags":[5680,1112,3663,5353,5349,884,5352,5355,2097,2341,2357,5351,5354,5681,3664,5133,883,5350],"class_list":["post-71628","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-albuquerque","category-asian","category-chinese","category-japanese","category-korean","category-new-mexico","category-rating-excellent","category-sushi","tag-buldok","tag-bulgogi","tag-chinese","tag-chinese-potstickers","tag-east-asian-dumpling-sampler","tag-japanese","tag-japanese-gyoza","tag-japanese-omelet","tag-kimchi","tag-korean","tag-korean-fried-chicken","tag-korean-mandu","tag-ming-lee","tag-niki-udon","tag-ramen","tag-stir-fry","tag-sushi","tag-unagi-dan"],"yoast_head":"\nEast Asian Kitchen - 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