I’ll sum up this review in the following sentence — eating at Fusion Café reminds me of eating at home, but it’s better than my mom’s cooking.  Please don’t tell my mom that I said that. She might cry.

From the outside, the restaurant is pretty non-descript with the exception of the obvious orange signs outside.  The ambience inside is a stark contrast to the plain exterior. You can come here for a meal or just come to read a book while sampling the various flavored teas or milk teas on their inviting sofa or typically empty tables.  This is a café after all.

However, if you’re going to come to Fusion Café just to enjoy their drink bar, then you’re totally missing out!  This is one of only a few restaurants in OKC that offers teriyaki bowls ($6.95-7.95) or Bento “rice boxes” (also $6.95-7.95).  For the most part, this place is a fusion of Korean and Japanese-style food with a pretty equal distribution of the two cuisines from sushi to bulgogi.

The ultimate stars of this restaurant, however, are the spicy potato stew ($6.95) and Chef’s Specialty ($10.95) — aka “goat” stew.  I’ve had the pleasure of trying both and I must say that both are superb!  The owner mentioned that once you try the goat stew, you won’t want to go back to the spicy potato. I have to agree. Their menu describes the Chef’s Specialty this way — “Rich soup made with tender goat meat and traditional Korean spices and seasonings.”  I can’t really figure out all the ingredients that go into the dish, but the one ingredient that has a prominent presence is perilla leaves (an herb that is a member of the mint family with an aroma reminiscent of apples and mint).  The slow-boiled goat meat is super tender and absolutely delicious.  I ordered it with medium spice and it had just the perfect blend of seasoning and heat (of course, I like things spicy, so keep that in mind).  If you prefer less heat, the spicyness can be adjusted when you order but Korean food is generally known to be pretty spicy.

The spicy potato stew is described this way — “Traditional Korean hearty stew with rich savory broth. Made with pork neck bones and potatoes.”  It’s not as delicious as the goat stew, plus this dish requires a bit of work to get all the meat out of the neckbones.  Depending on how meaty the neck bones are you might get more or less meat. Nonetheless, I usually go home pretty satisfied with the portions. Each bowl includes an entire potato, sliced onions, and chilis. 

I went to get the goat stew the other day and they had run out (which goes to show you that if you’re REALLY craving the goat stew, it’s best to call ahead to make sure they have some ready). Since my mom and I drove all the way down there to try the goat stew and came up lacking, I think they gave us extra meat portions in the Potato Stew we ordered. I must say, I was quite happy with that addition.

If you happen to come with a friend or a significant other, you can go off menu and get the ”jung-goal” or family-style versions of the stews that can easily feed 2-3 people.  The stew is actually cooked on your tabletop with one of those portable butane cooktops.  Once you’ve dished out most of the stew, the server comes with a platter of veggies and rice to stir fry into the pot and finish up whatever is left.  My friend and I were pretty full from the stew already and didn’t realize how much more food would come with the stir-frying.  Family-style prices for the the spicy potato and goat stews are $20 and $29 respectively.

Both stews come with a bowl of rice and an accompaniment of Korean side dishes.

Fusion Café is a family run business with good service. They are proud of the fact that none of their food contains any MSG — just like mom would like.  One would be hard-pressed to find tastier potato or goat stews even among the larger Korean communities in LA or New York.  Let us know what you think about it in the comments section below.

I recently posted about how I wish I could find a decent wiener schnitzel in this town and then it dawned on me that I had been told to visit Royal Bavarian Restaurant and Brewery in Moore. I loaded up the wife, the kids, and a friend from Switzerland (to help interpret if need be) and took the long drive to Moore. Actually, if you live in the heart of Oklahoma City, I guess a drive to Moore is only 10 minutes or so.

What we found when we arrived was a neat, old world structure, with brew kettles that could be seen from the road. Really a pretty cool building. Inside it is a European cabin-style layout with bench seats, large wood tables, and a hint of hops and yeast in the air. The walls were decorated with cuckoo clocks, antique steins, and various German trinkets and signs. The first thing you notice on the menu are the fairly high prices. What was strange is that the clientèle didn’t match the dollar. When you are spending upwards of $20 per person you might expect to see people that are put together in business casual attire with a sophisticated demeanor. What I saw at Royal Bavaria were guys in OU hoodies, backwards caps and flip flops. I’m guessing they were there for the home brews which were flowing quite freely.

Now for the food. The menu is written in both German and English, and has quite a few offerings. Probably the most disappointing thing is that the bread is not complimentary, you pay $2.50 for a basket of three pieces of bread that includes a hard roll, a pretzel stick, and a pretzel. It was served with a slice of what appeared to be homemade butter. It was all very good, but to feed 5 people you need a couple baskets which adds up pretty quickly. We tried several things: schnitzels of a couple varieties, oven roasted chicken, frankfurters, spatzle, and salads. They also offer several varieties of sausages, a few cuts of steak, roast beef, veal schnitzel cordon bleu (which I wish I had ordered), several varieties of potato, and pork chops showcased in a handful of different ways.

If you have never had a wiener schnitzel that is quite unfortunate. It is an Austrian / German dish consisting of a tender cut of pork or veal pounded thin, dredged in bread crumbs, and sauteed until golden brown and delicious in a generous amount of clarified butter. I felt their schnitzels were done pretty well. They were crispy, golden, and tender on the inside.

The jager schnitzel pairs this butter-fried goodness with a creamy mushroom gravy for a real rustic feel, then serves it with a generous portion of spatzle noodles. The spatzle was a little overcooked for my taste, but they were homemade noodles which I definitely appreciate. I thought the jager schnitzel was pretty good, but my wife did not like it at all. Part of the problem with her is that my father-in-law makes the best wiener schnitzel on the planet and she grew up eating that her whole life so her expectations are impossibly high. The other thing is they have bacon in their gravy which she was quite angry about. It wasn’t the best gravy I’ve ever had, but I thought it was pretty good.

The frankfurters are an imported German-style sausage that I’m 90% sure are the same ones you can buy for yourself and take home from Oma’s Pantry. They feature a little tougher casing than we Americans are accustomed to (thanks to Oscar Mayer) but they have a great flavor. My Swiss friend was not impressed with the rotisserie chicken and fries he ordered. He said it was OK, but felt it was under-seasoned and dry.

Overall, I thought the food was good but overpriced. In fact, Rene remarked in his thick German accent, “these German’s are still mad about losing World War II so they steal all your money in revenge.” He says the same meal in Germany is a third of the price. My $90 bill was a bit of a punch to the gut, and the food wasn’t worth the price, or the drive. If it were in the middle of town I would go back several times and try different offerings, but I probably won’t make the half hour drive again when I can make a schnitzel at home that is better. Although you can’t find decent veal in Oklahoma City’s pathetic excuses for grocery stores. My guess is the college frat boys that followed us in were there for sausage and beer. If that is your hankering, I don’t know of another place in town.