Guest Post by Scott Savage of The Joshua Collective blog.
Over the last several years, Central Phoenix has exploded with incredible local restaurants. And the list of new places for my wife and I to check out only keeps growing!
One of the local restaurants to open during that time period was Fate. We enjoyed a couple visits in 2007 and 2008 before Fate closed. (Now Bliss/ReBar occupy the same space on 5th Street and Garfield). The chef/owner behind Fate – Johnny Chu – went on to open Sens, an Asian tapas bar and recently he opened Sochu House.
Located on the southeast corner of Central and Thomas, Sochu House has received great reviews and we have heard several friends recommend it to us. A couple weekends ago, we headed down Central from our place in Uptown Phoenix for my wife’s birthday dinner and were more than impressed with the food, environment and service.
It seemed to us like Sochu House has two personalities – a bar and a restaurant. Late nights the bar also functions as a club with dancing and a DJ. The restaurant is somewhat separated by a wall at one point and a curtain at another. The setup worked for us, since it was pretty barren at 5:45 when we rolled in (hey, don’t hate – we’ve got a six-month old at home and wanted to actually sleep that night!). We were promptly seated and had a great experience with our server. The DJ was already going in the bar, but the music wasn’t overpowering.
The menu is built around tapas, Asian-style. Tapas are small appetizers, designed for sharing with groups. As a result, if you’ve got a group of four to six people who are looking for a new dining experience in Central Phoenix, this menu is a match made in heaven.
We ordered two tapas – the Pork Pot Stickers and the PankoShrimp. The potstickers were our second favorite item of the evening and the shrimp tasted great as well. We found at least 10 tapas that caught our attention – we’ll be trying some of those next time!
All tapas are $5 during happy hour, which is 3-6pm daily. However, we learned that happy hour only applies to the bar area. So if you’re looking to go cheaper, make sure you get seated in that area. (I think there are small tables in the bar area). Otherwise, you’re paying full price.
After the tapas, we ordered two entrees to share. The Red Curry in a clay pot was amazing! I was sweating on my forehead and the back of my neck by the time we finished it off. (I would’ve loved a side of rice with this dish, but it was great anyway). The curry in a clay pot was our favorite item of the evening.
We also ordered the 7-spice chicken, even though our server told us it wasn’t super popular. I can see why – we wouldn’t order it again.
We ordered dessert – their specialty are Sweet Wontons. These wontons blended the taste of a New Orleans-style beignet with the lightness Southwestern sopapilla in a wonton package. Incredible taste! You get two in the dessert – great presentation. I could have eaten ten of these!
Overall, we were very pleased with our entire experience. We will be coming back and (obviously) we are sharing about experience with friends.
If you’re looking to get a taste of Sochu House without breaking the bank or needing a formal occasion, then try their lunch price-fixe menu. Start with soup or salad, choose from three entree options and wrap it up with one sweet wonton. All of that is $8 Monday thru Friday.
If you’re getting a little tired of Asian food at home or from Pei Wei takeout, a trip to Sochu House is exactly what you need.
Looking for more local options? Try Barrio Cafe.
Like what you see? Share the link!
If YOU have a great local restaurant you’d like to review for OM Cafe, shoot me an email.
Scott Savage was born in Las Vegas, but he didn’t learn math in a casino. He moved to Phoenix because he couldn’t get enough sunny days! Four years ago, he became Dani’s husband, and six months ago, he became Wesley’s dad. Scott serves North Phoenix Baptist Church as the Minister to Young Adults and is passionate about the Gospel, the Church, and seeing both engage a diverse, global culture. He is addicted to iced coffee and loves Downtown Phoenix. You can keep up with his daily adventures by following him on Twitter (@scottesavage) and you can read his musings at www.thejoshuacollective.com. And no, he’s not related to Ben, Fred, Randy, or Michael Savage. But he is related to Pocahontas!