San Antonio’s New Restaurant: Tuk Tuk Taproom, Asian Street Fare + Craft Beer #VisitSA @VisitSanAntonio @CulinariaSA @TukTukTapRoom

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I attended this event as a guest of San Antonio CVB, with all expenses paid. As always, any personal opinions reflected in this post are 100% my own and have not been influenced by the sponsor in any way.

The following post was written by my friend Jen, who stepped in for me when I could not attend the event. Jen blogs at The Mom Reviews, be sure to visit here there and say hello. Jen is also on Twitter, she’s @themomjen.

Our last night in San Antonio at last month’s press trip found us at the Tuk Tuk Taproom, a new restaurant that will feature Asian street fare fused with craft beers. I say “will feature” because we visited their unfinished construction site on 1702 Broadway, located directly across the street from the Pearl Brewery’s main entrance. Opening soon, we got to sample first hand Southeast Asian cuisine paired with craft beers, something I didn’t expect to fall in love with!

A collaboration between chef David Gilbert and Steve Newman, the owners expect some 60 beers on tap, with some hard to obtain labels, and will create food from a world away. Gilbert is a James Beard Foundation nominated chef, author (Kitchen Vagabond), and world traveler while Newman is the force behind The Newman Project, owns and operates The Friendly Spot Ice House, and urban food truck park Alamo Street Eat Bar. Together the guys were smart, talented, informative, and fun.

In a makeshift kitchen with industrial wire spool tables, and a warm San Antonio Spring night, we enjoyed course by course with beer after beer. We were hooked in by the stunning presentation of the Shrimp & Pomelo. A betle leaf was the cradle for chilled shrimp, mint, a lime dressing, and toasted rice for crunch.

The menu kept getting better with Green Papaya Salad, 3 Satays (chicken, Chiang Mai sausage–wow flavor for days–, and tofu), and my ultimate favorite of the night, Larb!

Never had heard of it in my life, the dish is ground pork with garlic, lemongrass, mint, thai chili and again that crunchy toasted rice. The communal bowl could have been eaten by me alone!

The beers went so nice with each course, we paired Widmer Hop Side Down, Widmer Citra Blonde, Goose Island Pere Jacques with my favorite being the blonde. Some beers by the bottle sampled were Chang Beer, and Singha Affligem Tripel. Typically a wine drinker, I opened to all the new flavors offered and am eager to make “beer tasting” on my to do list much like how I enjoy wine tasting.

Aslo note the fabulous non-alcoholic beverage program Tuk Tuk will have. We tried a custom blended kombucha tea (hints of lemongrass, tamarind and was finished with macerated fresh lychees) with dessert and it’s something they’re working on with Buddha’s Brew out of Austin. There will be seasonal collaboration blends that will rotate at Tuk Tuk, they are working on seasonal Asian fruit beverages with a light effervescence. Syrups will be made with items such as galangal and mangosteen, carbonated water and palm syrup. Other tangy beverages similar to drinking vinegars will be made with things like pomelo and Thai basil, and served over ice.

Doesn’t that sound incredibly awesome? I know this is one of a kind and bottom line, this place is going to rock. The personality of the owners and the flavors presented in their food and drink are going to put them in bold on the area’s culinary map which is pretty competitive already. Having spent 4 days in the area, my palate is sorely missing the food of San Antonio and I can’t wait to get back to Tuk Tuk Taproom!

Follow them on Twitter @TukTukTapRoom and Tuk Tuk Tap Room on Facebook to hear about their upcoming grand opening and more!

Thanks to David Gilbert for graciously sending his book, Kitchen Vagabond my way as well. I’m so envious of his well-traveled life at such a young age! Look forward to the read!