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| - Imagine if a French Michelin star cooking style met an Asian fast food favorite, the rice bowl. What would you have? Where would it look like? Well, if you venture to the west side of Mesa along the Dobson Road corridor and turn west in to Mekong Plaza, then venture inside the Mekong Marketplace Food Court, you will find Kingo Bowl Molecular Sous-vide restaurant.
Sous-vide is a French word for under vacuum, however the food here does not suck whatsoever. Kingo Bowl uses this method of cooking exclusively, which results in incredibly tender and succulent meat that is served atop white or brown rice along with tasty, spicy and savory sauces. As an added bonus, a perfectly cooked, poached Hot Spring or hard-boiled egg can be added to any of the rice bowls for just a dollar more. Whoever came up with this menu concept has proven, once again, that the marriage of Eastern and Western styles of cooking can successfully coexist and result in delicious harmony.
The genius of the Sous-vide process is that protein, or vegetables, are sealed inside an impermeable plastic pouch keeping flavors, aromas and moisture from escaping. This pouch is then bathed in a specific temperature of heated water, which is typically the desired internal temperature of a protein such as 140°. The cook can last for several hours, proving that low and slow is the best way to produce tender, juicy, flavorful meat. All three proteins that I sampled on my most recent visit were incredibly tender and flavorful and required very little sauce, which is uncommon for most rice bowl meals. The good, or bad, thing about using Sous-vide is that there is no way to hide quality protein; because if its delicate cooking style, lean, tender meat must be used. So far, what I have eaten here shows that they are using quality beef and chicken, however I suspect that there will be the occasional protein that goes unchecked and thus it will reveal itself in a glaring way.
What I can tell you is, the food here is tasty, the menu is straightforward and simple, with just a few choices to be able to eat here often enough when you have a craving for a rice bowl and yet still leave satiated and satisfied. As long as customer service remains friendly and prompt, Kingo Bowl will do well. However, I do see the very limited seating capacity being their Achilles heel for patrons who choose to dine in as there is only two tables: a two top and a four top . . . perhaps this is why they are pushing online ordering.
A few pluses; there seems to be a focus on rotating the dessert choices which means that you will typically have a fresh option for dessert. The drink choices are a little on the light side, offering milk tea and brewed tea . . . the free water option comes with the added benefit that it is at least filtered. Overall, I love the concept of Kingo Bowl, however, I would love to see some additional protein choices available and a vegetarian bowl option that would also allow for the inclusion of a side of fresh veggies along with their regular rice bowls.
I do expect to see the Sous-vide rice bowl concept replicated elsewhere as well as becoming a popular trend this year at other restaurants. Previously, only Haute Cuisine was treated to such a sophisticated cooking technique, however now that it has trickled down to the common rice bowl, I anticipate diners catch on quickly and make Sous-vide the standard in the years to come.
Overall rating: 3.8
Quality: 4.2
Service: 3.2
Cleanliness: 3.6
Value: 4
Atmosphere: 3.8
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