Shrimp and beef teriyaki
For all the proliferation of neighborhood Japanese-Thai-Vietnamese-Korean joints — the places typically lumped together under the ethnic catch-all "Asian" — and all the attendant hopes they kindle, many are ultimately no better than serviceable. You go because they're nearby.
That's where Soy Teriyaki Bistro is a standout. It's one of a handful of neighborhood spots (including Gloria's and Kien Giang) that restaurant enthusiasts and people in the neighborhood genuinely embrace. Like its hybrid name, the menu at Soy Teriyaki Bistro brings together elements from all over — a bit of Japanese, a hint of Singaporean, a lot of Korean — and seasons it with fusion to yield a menu that's brief but inexhaustible.
Soy has been operating for two years in its spot in Maryland Farms. As much as you might expect a Korean bistro to stand out in chain-friendly Brentwood, its nestled-away location can be easy to miss as you speed along the boulevard. I know I passed it several times before I noticed its pretty but modest sign.
What you find inside the attractive, functional and minimalist space depends on the time of day. The day unfolds in time-lapse manner at Soy: The space stays the same, but the people moving through it change. In daylight hours, the clanging, sizzling flat-top grill feeds office workers who pile in from 11 to 1 for a bowl of sizzling curried rice, a salmon teriyaki plate, or one of Soy's complex and beautifully assembled salads.
At night, the jazz music comes out, and couples show up for a beer and a bowl of edamame, an order of the fresh, generously portioned lettuce wraps, or a couple of hot, crunchy, meaty Korean tacos. Singles bring in a crossword puzzle and linger over the Thursday special of bibimbap. Families wearing soccer and martial-arts gear rollick in for the rice bowls, yakitori, and teriyaki offerings.
Owners Hanna and Chris Lee greet one and all as friends — and often they are. Soy has a lot of regulars, and the Lees are very outgoing. "It's the environment we wanted. And Chris loves to talk," said Hanna Lee, who developed the menu and does the cooking.
I stood in line with one regular, Keith, who orders "the Keith," a customized stir-fried rice bowl made with brown rice instead of white, half as much rice and twice as much chicken.
The use of the word "teriyaki" in the restaurant name was a puzzle at first, but an order of Soy's chicken teriyaki explains it. The Lees prepare the teriyaki sauce in house, then grill and glaze a plump chicken thigh, slice it expertly, fan it gracefully over the plate and give it a twinkling of sesame seeds for garnish. Paired with a snowy mound of white rice and broccoli florets, it's a substantial meal.
Hanna explained that the restaurant was called Teriyaki House when the Lees took it over, and they wanted to keep that part of the concept. She raised the bar by making extra efforts all across the menu: a side dish of carrots in a long, thick twist, lightly pickled to tangy snap; homemade teriyaki sauces and salad dressings; thick-cut slaw for the tacos.
The careful selection and preparation extends through the menu to the decidedly Californian-via-P.F. Chang's romaine lettuce wraps, a mound of stir-fried chicken tidbits and vegetables cut just the right size served with a pile of impossibly crisp romaine leaves. You'll also find extra care and thought in Korean tacos of beef, chicken or shrimp, primly and precisely arranged in a basket, topped with that toothsome, chewy slaw and drizzled with a sauce that's creamy, spicy and fragrant, specially made to complement the meat. Each offers three or four bites of lightly pickled vegetables and silky meat brought together by the sauce's subtlety.
Even the rice bowls have more to them than meets the eye. The Spicy brings a deep red blush from Korean chili paste to a savory stir-fry of white or brown rice, egg, green onions and vegetables. Keep it vegetarian or add meat, salmon or shrimp. The Hawaiian adds pineapple along with Spam, and even if you're skeptical, one bite of that hot-sweet-savory combination solves the mystery of the potted meat's popularity.
Salads represent the least Asian offering. Like the rest of the menu, though, they are fully thought-out and meet the fast-and-fresh standard that Soy sets for itself. Soy Orange tops greens and vegetables with mandarin oranges and almonds in a spicy ginger dressing, while Soy Green brings on the edamame, avocado and a creamy avocado dressing. Soy Pink is edamame, strawberries and a strawberry poppy-seed dressing. Alone they'll do for a light appetite, or for a couple bucks more, set a slab of chicken, beef, salmon, shrimp or tofu on it.
Once you eat your way through the menu, you can start on the specials, which form a parade of favorites from across the continent. Monday is Yaki-Udon; Tuesday is Two-Taco Tuesday. Wednesday is Coconut Curry Chicken, and Thursday and Friday feature bibimbap and spicy bulgogi, the latter a mound of tender pork shreds in a spicy-sweet sauce applied judiciously. Like the lettuce wraps, it's served with romaine leaves for a crisp counterpoint to the hot, salty pork.
When used carelessly as a blanket term, "bistro" is as generic and indistinct a description as "Asian." But with Soy Teriyaki Bistro, the label actually fits. The food is good enough to bring you in often, as a bistro by definition demands. The owners are deeply involved with every aspect of the place. And for a lucky part of Brentwood, it's their neighborhood spot — a continent-spanning sampler of delights that renders the global irresistibly local.
Email arts@nashvillescene.com.
