Ramen News

Fun new sushi ramen restaurant with BYOB revives Fort Worth's Race St.

Ramen from Kingyo Sushi & Ramen House

Celestina Blok

A fresh destination for sushi and ramen is breathing new life into Race Street: Called Kingyo Sushi & Ramen House, it just opened at 2813 Race St., in the craftsman home that was previously Tributary Cafe, which shuttered in August after seven years.

It's a welcome reverse for an area stricken with multiple restaurant closures in recent weeks; Calisience is the latest casualty and The Post at River East closes for good on Sunday.

Kingyo, which means "goldfish" in Japanese, comes from chef Pung Aung, a native of Burma and longtime chef who previously owned and operated a similar concept called Itoko Sushi and Ramen at 6245 Rufe Snow Dr.

When the opportunity arose on Race Street, he sold Itoko in order to open Kingyo.

The concept is the first of its kind for the Riverside area, which is dominated by small family-owned Vietnamese, Thai, and Mexican restaurants.

The menu offers 11 varieties of ramen, from savory tonkotsu to spicy miso, along with dozens of options for sushi, including classic rolls, chef's special rolls, and fresh sashimi.

As is common with sushi restaurants, the chef's special rolls showcase creativity in ingredients and names. For example, the Country Boys Roll comes with seared sliced beef, grilled jalapenos, and tempura shrimp. The Texas Summer Roll is rice-free and comes with tuna, salmon, yellowtail, mango, avocado, and cucumber.

Prices on sushi rolls range from $7 to $15, while ramen runs from $12 to $15.

Kingyo Sushi & Ramen HouseCelestina Blok

But there's plenty on the menu for non-sushi fans including noodle dishes, fried rice, lo mein, and trendy chicken karaage, the crunchy Japanese take on fried chicken. Appetizers include everything from tempura-style calamari to egg rolls to an Asian take on a stuffed jalapeno, featuring a deep fried jalapeno filled spicy tuna, cream cheese, crab salad, spicy mayo, and eel sauce. There are even chicken wings.

The interior has been repainted a charcoal color, but updated pendant lighting keeps the atmosphere bright and welcoming. Booths and tables offer seating for about 30. There are plans to add patio seating in the covered outdoor area soon.

Kingyo is BYOB and Aung says there are no plans to add alcohol anytime soon. Instead, the former bar has been transformed into a sushi bar with a glass case and barstool seating for up to eight guests.

They're open for dinner only on Monday, from 4-9 pm, and both lunch and dinner Tuesday-Saturday from 12-9 pm.

openings

Mex Mex News

El Garambullo Mexican restaurant in Hurst is the real deal

El Garambullo

Sopes plate at El Garambullo

A restaurant in Hurst is serving something that just about everybody wants: authentic Mexican food. Called El Garambullo, it’s a family-owned place located in the former Harwood Cafe space at 109 Harwood Rd., where it's serving breakfast, fajitas, and house-made horchata.

El Garambullo is owned by Lisa Rodriguez and her family, who come from San Luis Potosi in Mexico. That's where they got the inspiration for the name of the restaurant: a garambullo is a type of cactus native to northern Mexico that Rodriguez views as a connection to her family origins.

Signature dishes include enchiladas, flautas, street tacos, and the fajitas, with a choice of the usual beef, chicken, or shrimp, or a more inclusive El Piquin Grill fajita plate featuring a combination of all three meats plus sausage.

Here's where to get a molcajete, a piping hot stone bowl and mixing pestle filled with sausage, shrimp, peppers, and cheese. Plus breakfast every day, including chilaquiles, eggs & chorizo, and huevo rancheros. Prices range from $10 for breakfast plates to $40 for fajitas that can feed two.

"I would describe our style of cooking in three simple words: Traditional, authentic, and for the whole family," Rodriguez says. "Our food is what you would imagine to taste in every town in Mexico. Most of the ingredients we use are from there, and we stick to our traditional recipes."

The horchata is made with homemade rice milk and spices. One thing you won’t find at this restaurant, however, is a margarita. There’s no bar or alcohol served here, but it is a BYOB restaurant.

Rodriguez, who learned to cook as a child from her mother and grandmother, worked in several restaurants but always dreamed of having her own restaurant and she wanted to do it in her own hometown.

"Hurst is not only the place where this restaurant opened its doors, but also the place I chose to live in for me and my family," Rodriguez says. "It's a very good place, along with all of the neighbors and the community."

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