Dip Dip Dip Tatsuya

For our 1st meal in Austin, we landed at Dip Dip Dip.

It's at a very low key strip center.

But details everywhere...

While we wait, the bar outside got our drinks and give us some time to get acquainted to the dining experience.

Here's your map to your dining table.  This is a personal shabu shabu, and they lay out what to expect and what sauces they have for you to pick for your food.

Chart to teach you how long to cook each type of food.

More details, they literally put thought into from the eating area to the share we sit on.

Ahh, here's our own pot and place for the sauces and such.

So you see your main shabu pot in the center (I got the Tonkotsu soup base), rice to your left and ponzu sauce in the middle and sesame gomadre (like a light peanut dip) on the right.

As soon as the soup is bowling, they immediately do a quick presentation of the chicken meatball.  It was in a bamboo container and you have to fish them back out as it cooks for 3 minutes.

I ordered the Tatsuya Omakase - it comes with Texas Waygu (top tray), Kurobuta Pork belly (middle tray).  Bottom tray has 2 types of dumpling - crab with lemon butter and shrimp with cheddar grits.  The middle is a raclette and mushroom tofu pocket sewed up with a bamboo stick.  Then the beef roll, I highly highly recommend.  It is foie gras and daikon wrapped with beef.  So good.

Since it's all meat, we ordered the Vegetable Box which comes with various types of veggies for you to do a quick dip into the soup to cook.

This is the Truffle Sukiyaki Dip with a 45 degree egg and soy plus the truffle.  You're supposed to break the egg and mix everything together.  That said, we do the same in Chinese hot pot with Sa Cha sauce and egg, however, this flavor is very light.  I like the novelty of it, but can also skip it too.

So, if you don't want to do the omakase, you can order a la carte, and here's to give you some ideas of what you're ordering, they'll push these carts around to show.

These are sausage, and the twofers are stuffed tofu skin.

Seafood that they have to offer

There are gourds, more beef rolls, and in the wooden container are tofu.

We a la carte the mushroom because it actually went very well with the soup.

...the tofu skin and the tofu.  

The Omakase came with noodles, you can tell the noodles was made in house, and they basically pre-cooked them.  By the time they get to you, their instructions was for you to put in couple scoops of soup to the noodles.  However, the noodles already cooled and stuck together, so it takes more than just a couple of scoops of soup to soften it up.  Though, they did say not to put the noodles in the pot, we found that actually was the best to yield flavor and texture.  Try at your own risk.

For dessert, they gave us the melon frappe with creme fraiche and edible flowers.  It was sprinkled in with some salt, just to balance out the sour and zing.  But by this point I was so stuffed that I barely touched mine, and this is complimentary, by the way.

Just some art around the place.

Very nostalgic

In Kanji and Romanji too.  Very cool!

So, take-aways.  First and foremost, make a reservation, that is no joke.  We've seen folks walking up and get turn away because they don't have opening until 8:45 or 9pm.  If you get there a few mins before your start time, they also don't seat you right away, so be prepare to enjoy a beverage outside because remember their bar is on the outside.  In this heat though, they do have misters and fan going.

In terms of food, we were just talking about that.  If we had ordered 1 order of the omakase and then do the a la carte, it would've been good and get what we wanted.  The dumplings I wouldn't try again, but the beef rolls I don't mind getting extra ones.  

As much as an individual experience, you can share food and space, so it actually is pretty fun and unique.

Dip Dip Dip Tatsuya

7301 Burnet Rd

#101

Austin, TX 78757

https://www.dipdipdip-tatsuya.com

The Union Kitchen - Fall Menu Tasting

Alright, warning everyone this is a picture heavy post.

But first, thanks to HankOnFood, I was connected with Nick at Nick's Local Eats. 

 The invite was for a showcasing of Union Kitchen's Fall Menu.  So, let's go to it:

 This is their Lobster Potstickers.   Flavoring is not bad, pretty generous with the lobster filling, has a dot of sriracha sauce and salsa verde for your choice.  They are pan fried, in case you're curious.

 This is the shrimp and crab egg roll, which I actually like the sauce and the cole slaw that comes with it.  Great appetizer to share.

 New drinks are featured as well, this is: Southside Cherry.  Since we're near Southside Place, it's only right to name a drink after it.  It has Cherry Whiskey, lemon biter, ginger ale, bourbon, and cherry garnish.  I can see this being a good drink when the cold weather arrives.

 This is their Blackberry Poloma, which has tequila, grapefruit, blackberries, lime.  I didn't get to try one of these, but I think it'll go well with brunch.

 This is their Boost Bowl, which is a superfood bowl, that is a quinoa cake with avocado, mix greens with corn and feta cheese and a bit of white balsamic dressing, with a bed of rice.  You're welcome to add protein on that.  Even though the quinoa cake looked like it's fried, it is still too healthy for me.  Haha.

 This is a Gyro Salad, it's so popular that when it was being passed around not a bit of food left by the time it gets to me.  Honestly, it is is very worthy, this is a must try on my list.

 I got this one, the Sage Lemonade.  There are bourbon, simple syrup, raspberry, and lemonade.  It does taste like lemonade with a kick, you can easily drink it all in one shot.

 This is the Greek Pizza, the artichoke really did the trick here.  Totally brings the flavors together.

 This is the Bacon Chicken Ranch pizza, that all came together so naturally. 

Chicken Parmigiana Pizza - did someone say Parm?  I'm so there!

The one I didn't get to try was the Hawaiian, which has Canadian bacon, pineapple and jalapeño.  Total of 4 pizzas were on the showcase.

  Mozzarella Sticks - is there anybody that doesn't like this?!

 Now, this is not something I see on a regular basis, this is the Smoked Goat Cheese dip, but what you don't see is the apple onion jam in the middle and bottom.  So, when you take a crostini to the dip, make sure you get a little bit of the goat cheese and a little bit of the apple onion jam together, that's what makes the dish!

 Here's some entree's: Gyro Wrap with the homemade chips.  First of all, like the gyro salad earlier, it was all gone before it got to me.  So!  This is on my list as well!  It must be so darn good that everyone is hogging it... sorry for the pun.

 Salmon Burger - was talking to the chef and he was saying that salmon is one of their most popular dishes, but there are some left overs and throwing them away seems to be a waste, so they use the decided to put it together and make salmon burger.  That's a good way to use up what they have and no food goes to waste!

 Then they also serve out the Shrimp Burger, the sauce you see on the side is the sriracha aioli sauce, it is like crack.  Get it!

 They called this T.H.E. Chicken Bacon burger - the T.H.E. stands for This Has Everything, which they have bacon, chicken, roasted tomato, herbs, pepper, onions, cheese... and more.  I like this, even it has everything it's not so overwhelming on the taste.

Quesadilla Wrap, this is Spanish Wrap with spinach inside and Jack cheese.

Spicy Chicken Wrap - which according to the chef, this was their number one item on the menu but as time changes, it went off of the menu, and now, they're bringing it back.  It is pretty good, and it ha a little kick to the wrap.  I can see why it was a popular item.

This is The Original Union Burger - Those are ginormous onion rings. 

One of the bloggers nearby ordered the Lobster Ravioli, that is actually very good.  I wouldn't mind having that again.

Another fellow blogger ordered the Hangar Steak, which I was really going after the chimichurri sauce.  The side is not mashed potato, which it fooled our eyes too.  It really is jalapeño cheddar grits.  

Desserts FINALLY! This is the Chocolate Tower, when we got it, it was a little bit leaning tower of Pisa.  But it does not take away the taste.  Perfect for any Chocolate Monster that you know.

Bread Pudding - pretty awesome, I must say.  The chocolate and caramel sauce definitely gave it the oomph.

More yummy desserts to come.

Texas Lime Pie - where the GM told a very funny story of a Florida native not too happy about this lime pie because it's a Floria thing.  However, after she tried it, she apologized and comes back for more.

Churros with chocolate sauce - but it has a twist!  It is a stuffed churros, the inside is dulce de leche and of course cinnamon sugar on top. 

Of course creme brûlée, I just love cracking the sugar layer.

Anyway, thank you to Rob the GM and Chef Paul for answering our questions and sharing all sorts of stories be it food or the building, or the menu.  Also, thank you to Nick for the connection.  It was also nice to reconnect with long time foodie friend, Jay and meet new bloggers like Chad - The Bearded Texan and Metta Marie who helped with the lighting.

There's a Union Kitchen in the main neighborhoods in town, you really don't have an excuse not to go try some of these.

The Union Kitchen

4057 Bellaire Blvd

Houston, TX 77025

713-661-0025

http://www.theunionkitchen.com/index.html