Scott Pierce serves Japanese-style katsu and Asian dishes at his King Katsu pop-up | Food and drink | Gambit Weekly

Scott Pierce started his King Katsu pop-up during the pandemic. He has operated a several pop-ups considering that transferring to New Orleans 6 many years ago, and he determined to focus on Japanese and Asian dishes. His curiosity in Asian cuisines designed from a really like of spicy Sichuan cooking and Filipino food items growing up in New Jersey, and he acquired about Hawaiian and Japanese food while cooking in Portland, Oregon. For information about King Katsu, check out fb.com/kingkatsu99. His upcoming pop-up is June 13 at Bar Redux.

Gambit: How did you come to a decision to concentration on katsu?

Scott Pierce: 6 yrs in the past, I started a pop-up referred to as A further Pop-up at Bud Rip’s in Bywater. I was undertaking Hawaiian things, I was accomplishing Japanese meals. I was new to the sport and didn’t know what way I was going. Then I put katsu on the menu, for the reason that it is something that is incredibly fast. Over time, I recognized my best-selling matter was katsu, so I resolved to go in that path. I experienced two consumers and buddies that would arrive to each and every 1, and they’d say, “You’re the katsu king.” I tried out to figure out a spin on that and came up with King Katsu. I had a mate in Pittsburgh attract up a logo for me.

Katsu was driving the business, so that’s what I made the decision to focus on. Tonkatsu is always pork. I have performed hen katsu in the earlier. There is a thing referred to as menchi katsu, which is ground beef or pork — it’s like a burger but breaded and fried with seasonings. I have completed tofu katsu. I have been kicking all around the strategy of katsu croquettes, which would be mashed potato patties stuffed with cheese. You can katsu nearly anything. It is a breading strategy.

Gambit: Why did you commence a pop-up?

Pierce: I have worked in eating places for above 20 a long time. I have completed it all: I waited tables and bartended and dishwashed. I worked in high-quality dining. I labored in the entrance of the house for a very long time and got burned out on that, so I pursued back again of the residence.

I have been in this article for 6 yrs now. I have bopped about a small little bit listed here. When I first came down, I labored at the counter at Pizza Delicious.

No one’s been equipped to get me entirely into the kitchen area right here. I wanted to do my pop-ups and do it the way I wished. I want to be equipped to demand what I want to charge. I feel everyone from all walks of life should really have good economical food items. My overhead is reduced, so I can continue to keep my charges at a specified position.

I do not want to do additional than 4 or five menu merchandise. It allows me to spending plan. It also helps with velocity. I have been to pop-ups in the city where I am waiting 20-30 minutes, and I fully grasp that they’re occupied, but this is a pop-up. Persons want to just take their foods and go. I want to hold tickets to 9 to 15 minutes when I am chaotic.

I want to start a pantry — bottling and providing my katsu sauce and my kimchi mayo. I am kicking all over the thought of producing meat pies ahead of time and freezing them. I want to market my kimchi and other stuff like that.

Gambit: What do you like to put on the menu of King Katsu?

Pierce: The katsu is generally going to be on the menu. I typically have a few of staples and some specials. I utilised to have a Spam sandwich that I have taken off, but I am striving to convey it again. There’s just so lots of points I want to place on the menu that I have not finished in a when, like five spice sticky ribs. I designed a monster with the meat pies. I place them on as a specific months ago and folks went bonkers about them. I never assume I’ll ever be in a position to take them off. It’s boneless, skinless hen thighs that I ground myself. It’s Japanese curry (in a meat pie).

I like to have a thing that is stewed or geared up so I can toss it over rice, and it is not likely to be compromised by remaining held (incredibly hot). Seasonally, it’s getting sizzling, so I could place some salads on. I do a Hawaiian dish termed lomi lomi salmon, which is rapid healed salmon with tomatoes and sweet Vidalia onions. You overcome it for a day and mix it up with black vinegar and some sesame oil and inexperienced onions and retain it chilly. You can serve it by alone or around rice.

Pork humba is a Filipino dish. It’s a variant of adobo, which is their nationwide dish. There’s no correct or mistaken way to make it. They use pork belly. I enjoy pork tummy, but I obtain that a whole lot of persons don’t try to eat it, since it’s truly fatty and prosperous. I wanted one thing leaner, so I use pork shoulder and crack it down. I skim a great deal of the unwanted fat off.

Humba has appealing ingredients. There is no ginger in it, which is a staple of adobo and a lot of Filipino dishes. You have your black pepper, bay leaf, garlic and ginger — that is their staples. Humba has obtained pineapple in it. There’s salted black beans and it has this this molasses style on the back again finish. It is a significant gorgeous melody. I hate when foods is just 1 or two notes. I want to be equipped to select out flavors. There need to be points that arrive together and really don’t do the job in opposition to each individual other.