Lauren Cutshall
breakfat sandwich
Here's some better than good news. Union Hmong Kitchen is coming to Graze Food Hall in the North Loop. Bit of a journey, this one.
Freshly minted U.S. Citizen Yia Vang (seriously, as of today! Go check his stories in the Instagram!) started UHK as a pop-up series. He first found a solid spot as the resident food truck for Sociable Cider Werks, but that was always meant to be temporary. Then there was an unfortunate partnership with Republic, which closed before they could really get going. That led them to Mid-City Kitchen, which is a great spot, but a bit out of the way and more meant for catering than service. “We started out in our trailer, and we were able to do so much from that tiny space, then we moved to other people’s kitchens, now this one will be just us. It’s kind of like we went from couch surfing to getting an apartment, and now we’ll have our first home. It’s exciting.”
Lauren Cutshall
plate of chicken
Hilltribe Chicken
It IS exciting! You'll soon be able to walk up to the Union Hmong Kitchen counter on the first level of the Graze Food Hall, and order up. "The menu will include both heartier dishes like the Zoo Siab (pronounced zhong shia, and translates from Hmong as "happy" or "gratified") complete with a choice of protein, side, sauce and sticky rice, as well as lighter bar snacks, noodle bowls and sandwiches."
There will also be a late-night menu which should be popular with the post-bar crowds in North Loop. And they'll also have pantry items for sale, such as sauces and rubs, and I'm hoping to re-stock my umami salt, which I have been rationing.
Fear not, Vinai, Vang's more intimate Hmong restaurant in Northeast, is still in the works. But you'll be able to get a taste of it at UHK, in the form of Vinai feasts, which will be available to groups of 2+ eaters. Served on a large bamboo platter, the feast brings purple sticky rice, rice noodles, and grilled chicken, Hmong sausage, or whole snapper with veggies and garnishes. You eat it by hand, which is fun and permission to cut loose a bit. Do not throw sticky rice at your table mate.
Lauren Cutshall
two chefs
Yia Vang and Gerard Klass
“Moving into Graze is like moving into a cool little neighborhood. We are excited to work alongside other cool small businesses,” says Yia. “It will be great to be near Gerard Klass and his amazing crew at Soul Bowl; we had the best time together when he was on an episode of “Relish” with me. We also just teamed up for the final installment of this summer’s Vinai and Co. dinners at the St. Paul Farmers Market.” Klass recently became a managing partner in the food hall, so this all makes a lot of sense.
Look for UHK at Graze to open at the end of the month, by October 29 if all goes well with permitting.
