Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
The menu has range: pho, ramen, pork belly; lemongrass ice cream; original cocktails like the Spiced Buddha and Cola, a rum and cola shipped and carted from the Himalayas and spiked with Chinese five-spice powder. Clearly this place has good karma.
Lucky Buddha is chef René Cruz’s latest appearance on the local restaurant scene after gigs at Mosaic, Red, and Pan D’Olive. The refurbished South City space is eclectically decorated with vivid sky blue walls, a vintage back bar, and moderately disturbing anime murals resembling what A Clockwork Orange might look like if Studio Ghibli reimagined the film.
The menu descriptions are incredibly detailed. The ramen, for example, has a base of chicken broth with katsuobushi (flakes of dried, fermented, and smoked bonito, a second cousin, once removed, of tuna) and tare (a reduction of sweet rice wine and soy sauce), as well as julienned radish, green onion, green onion oil, red chile, and a chile-spiked sesame oil called rayu. Diners may add one or more of 11 protein choices. We chose the crispy pork belly, which softened in the broth.
Pho is available in a choice of traditional or vegan broth. We went full vegan by pairing that broth with pressed tofu, which by virtue of its ethereal pink coloring looked like a boxy vegan hot dog and had a texture to match.
Steamed buns are like pillow tacos. Folded over, they resemble caricatures of open mouths—in our case, about to bite down on slices of Peking duck topped with a shredded carrot, pickled radish, a kick of shaved jalapeño, and a single cilantro leaf.
Banh mi sandwiches are also on the menu, priced at a reasonable $7 to $11. The sliced French loaf has a suitably crispy crust and fluffy interior. The Porkapocalypse banh mi is destined to become a local legend. It’s composed of braised pork, char siu pork (roasted with a sweet sauce), pork belly, and a mystery meat pork. It’s more stuffed than a traditional banh mi.
The crispy-fried Thai-marinated wings are finger-lickin’ good, and the vegetarian Thai spring rolls are closer to a meatless Vietnamese goi cuon—rice paper cylinders chock-full of vegetables, green herbs, and mung bean noodles, with an interesting mint finish from the accompanying soy-based sauce.
The dessert menu’s frozen selections are especially interesting. There’s a slightly resinous lemongrass ice cream, as well as sorbets—reminiscent in texture to a New Orleans–style snowball—that have bold, pronounced flavorings such as yuzu pear and ginger-lime.
Six taps pour local craft beers at $6 a pop, and another 15 beers and ciders are available in cans. A variety of cocktails and a respectable sake list are also among the adult beverages. You don’t even have to go across the street to get a coffee from Sump, because the coffee at Lucky Buddha is served in a basic by-the-cup style—and it’s brewed, of course, so instant-coffee karma won’t get you.
The Bottom Line Give Cruz a cuisine—pretty much any cuisine—and he won’t disappoint you.
Editor's note: We regret to inform the reader that effective mid-August 2015, Rene Cruz is no longer affiliated with Lucky Buddha.
