Doka Square

Last month, our friend Jack hosted his birthday dinner at Doka Square which is an Asian Fusion restaurant and located in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. I never heard or noticed of this restaurant, but I really enjoyed the chic atmosphere and ambiance. It's super spacious and perfect for a birthday dinner or gathering.

Their menu amazed me especially with the different cocktails, mocktails, and different entrees available. 

Appetizers

We started off with appetizers that we shared with the friends around us. We tried the Crab Rangoon, Gyoza, and Spring Rolls. Each appetizer had unique flavors and textures. The Crab Rangoon is deep-fried , cream cheese filled wonton dumplings with crab meat and minced vegetables served with spicy mayo. I've never really been a fan of this type of appetizer, but the one from Doka Square tasted extra yummy.

The Gyoza is a choice of beef or pork pan-fried dumplings with cabbage, shiitake mushrooms, scallion and bamboo. The other appetizer we had was the Spring Rolls which contained cabbage, carrot, mushroom, vermicelli, served with sweet chili sauce. 

The Surprisingly Green Mocktail

Most of my friends and I got the The Surprisingly Green mocktail (kiwi puree, apple juice, chrysanthemum, honey tea, mint and Calpico). It was surprisingly yummy and refreshing! I really enjoyed this. It was absolutely kiwi heaven!

Loco Moco

Will asked me what was a signature/recommended dish here based on Yelp Reviews and I said the Loco Moco, so he actually got it. It looked amazing! You don't just taste different textures, but you see different textures on this plate too.

So what is a Loco Moco? It's a beef hamburger steak on a bed of rice, topped with gravy and an egg tempura, shimeji mushrooms, and fried shallot. I tried a small piece of the hamburger steak, gravy, and egg tempura and it was divine! The egg was runny, so perfect for me. I was hooked on Will's dish, so I definitely have to get that for myself next time we return to Doka Square.

Garlic Short Rib Steak

I decided to get the Garlic Short Rib Steak (short rib steak with home-made garlic soy reduction sauce, with truffled marble potato, pearl onion and asparagus). I liked this dish because it was very simple and neatly plated. The short rib steak was a little overcooked, but overall I liked the dish.

Doka Chili Crab

Another one of Doka's signature dishes is the: Doka Chili Crab. This is their popular Singaporean style hard shell or soft shell crab with the chef's sweet chili sauce. I didn't take part in this dish because I don't like/slightly allergic to spicy dishes. However, Will thought it was impeccable and had good flavor.

Overall, I really and truly enjoyed Doka Square. Their flavors, service, and menu is different from many Asian Fusion restaurants I've been to. I am currently working on a project with them, but can't say much or my secret will blow up. However, I can tell you there will be a return to Doka Square in the near future.