Kai fuses Asian flavors with street fare
Kai — Asian Street Fare takes the flavors and ingredients from different Asian cuisines and uses them in casual fare such as wings, tacos, loaded fries and other small plates. This fast casual eatery is managed by two friends — and engineers — in a slightly hidden away shopping center along State Road 436 in Winter Park.
What I would try a second time
A pure indulgence food, the K-Pop and Lock ($9) is a veritable hill of crispy French fries. They get some more height and flavor with bulgogi (strips of marinated beef ), nose-clearing sourspicy kimchi (fermented vegetables) and spicy mayonnaise.
What I didn’t like
A few ingredients in Kai’s tacos didn’t match the creativity and tastiness of the proteins. The Tay-Tay ($3.25), a chicken satay covered in a peanut sauce, and the Shrimpnado ($4), a spicy shrimp option, were both stuffed into a gummy, chewy flour tortilla with mixed greens.
What I would put on Instagram
Those loaded French fries will be making an appearance on my Instagram feed.
Other eats
To start, we nibbled on Kai’s handmade Legit Wontons ($6.50), which paired pork with lemongrass. The contrast between meaty pork and floral lemongrass worked for me.
Kai’s Korean-style wings
Kai — Asian Street Fare
Where: 1555 State Road 436, Suite 1171, Winter Park When: 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. and 5-9:30 p.m. Tuesday-Friday; 11:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Saturday; and noon- 8 p.m. Sunday Cost: $4-$22 Beverages: Soda, Thai Green Milk Tea Wine by the glass: No Attire: Casual Extras: To-go; counter-service; lunch specials Noise level: Low Wheelchair access: Good Credit:Visa, American Express, Mastercard and Discover Call: 407-821-3430 Online: KaiStreetFare.com and Facebook ($7-$22) were everything you want from a set of chicken wings: a crunchy outside with a juicy inside. The soy garlic was a light and sweet sauce, while the spicy tang punched up the heat with chili paste gochjuang.
As the name suggests, true garlic fans should try Kai’s Legendary Garlic Noodles ($10-$15), one of Kai’s larger plates. It’s a simple dish on the surface — just noodles and protein — but sharp, almost buttery garlic sauce wraps around every bite.
How I was treated
Kai is a counter-service restaurant that unfortunately feels like one. Our plates piled up on the table — with no trash can in sight. Eventually, we were checked on by a server.
My next visit
We overloaded on the more savory eats and forgot about dessert — a match adusted fried banana and caramel cheesecake ($7). Next time.
For bar-hoppers
Drinks are limited at Kai. Besides soda, the restaurant offers a refreshing, creamy Thai green milk tea. It tips toward the sweet side of things, so consider sipping on one in lieu of dessert.
For those with special diets
Kai’s already small menu gets even smaller for vegetarian and vegans.