A wall of cats waves greetings to customers.

Koi Asian Fusion offers quality food, service

Frequently, 318 Forum’s always-hungry reporter has lunch at a local restaurant and tells you about the experience.

It’s rare when most everyone seems to have the same opinion about a restaurant — especially a new restaurant. Usually, some have a really good experience, some have an OK experience, and some say they will never go back.

However, since Koi Asian Fusion (6104 Line Avenue, Shreveport) opened on Jan. 15, every customer I have heard about has loved their visit. I am not aware of one negative comment. In fact, the folks who have dined at Koi have gone on and on about the atmosphere, food and service. So, on a recent Monday, a friend and I decided to see what all the fuss was about.

We arrived at 12:25, and despite the height of lunchtime, there was ample parking in both the front and side lots. Koi is where Cypress by the Revenir used to be, so I knew the building was nice. As soon as we walked in, much like when visiting Cypress, I felt like I was in a big-city restaurant. Everything looked brand new, with light, clean colors. Think white tables with light gray chairs. The L-shaped bar from Cypress is still there, with plenty of seating. There are two televisions; however, you can only see them if you sit on the short side of the bar. The décor throughout the restaurant was classy (especially the hanging lights) and gave the place an Asian feel without going over the top. Soft music played throughout our stay.

My friend and I were immediately seated, and two minutes later, our glasses were being filled with water (without ice) from a bottle. I’m not saying we were served bottled water, but the water came out of a bottle left on our table. That was a nice touch.

Since we only drank water, we didn’t have to look around and get our server’s attention whenever our glasses were empty.

Koi doesn’t have a lunch menu, which means prices are the same as at dinner. There are starters (including sushi), specialty rolls and main courses. Some of those include gluten-free and vegetable options. Now, I will be the first to tell you I am not adventurous when eating Asian food. I like a handful of things, and that’s what I roll with. However, my friend is much more knowledgeable on the subject and was impressed with Koi’s menu.

My friend loves Brussels sprouts, so it was her lucky day. One of the starters was tempura Brussels sprouts with sesame dressing ($15). We ordered that at the same time as our entrees. I chose Taiwanese pork chop fried rice ($20), while my friend went with the shrimp tempura donburi bowl ($20). There was a $5 upcharge for her to get fried rice. You only live once, so I told her to go for it!

It wasn’t long before Phurithat, who was friendly, attentive and knowledgeable about Koi’s offerings, arrived with our starter. My friend and I were both surprised because these Brussels sprouts (14 in all) didn’t look like any Brussels sprouts we had seen previously. They were, for lack of a better word, clean-looking — no fried or burnt marks. No grease. The sesame dressing was drizzled on top, with each sprout catching at least a portion of the dressing. The sprouts also tasted unlike any sprouts we had ever eaten. There was a hint of that familiar sprout taste, but nothing that came close to being overbearing. As my friend pointed out, the sprouts were crispy, yet juicy.

I’m not nearly as big a fan of Brussels sprouts as my friend, but I really enjoyed these.

Regarding food, I am as big on presentation as I am on taste. I want what I’m eating to look good. It adds to the experience.

Koi’s website reads “Every dish we serve is made with care,” so I was hoping my meal would appear that way.

It did.

Taiwanese Pork Chop Fried Rice

Shrimp Tempura Donburi Bowl

Tempura Brussels Sprouts

My round plate had a large serving of rice in the middle, with nine thinly sliced pork chop strips on top. There were three other items on the plate about which I did not know. I asked Phurithat, and he said one was fermented cabbage, one was a fried sweet potato, and the other was bok choy (a Chinese vegetable).

The rice, which included small pieces of egg, was soft and fluffy.

No clumps found. The pork chop slices were breaded just right. My plate also came with a serving of teriyaki sauce, in which I dipped the pork chop slices.

It was unlike any teriyaki sauce I had experienced. Its taste got my attention! Phurithat failed to tell me the fermented cabbage had a kick that, if you’re not expecting it, will knock you back three feet! It was good, but just be ready. It is spicy!

My friend’s oblong plate had an equally large serving of rice on one end, drizzled with what appeared to be teriyaki sauce. Filling the remainder of the plate were four shrimp, a container of yum yum sauce for dipping, slices of jalapeno peppers and pickled onions. She loved her food and was gracious to share one of her shrimp with me. It was outstanding. The shrimp was tender, had a mild taste and was breaded to perfection. And that yum yum sauce was so good; I could have had a pitcher of it. In fact, about halfway through my lunch, I stopped dipping my pork chop slices in the teriyaki sauce and started dipping them in my friend’s yum yum sauce.

The cost of our meal before taxes and tip was $60. Is that expensive for a two-person lunch at a really nice place with really good food? That’s up to you to decide. I couldn’t do it every week, but I thought the amount spent equaled the experience. Speaking of the experience, make sure you visit Koi’s bathrooms, even if you don’t have to “go.” Not for the bathrooms themselves, but what is across from them. There is a large wall display of approximately 60 gold cat faces. Each of the faces has a paw that periodically rises. I am told they are called Money Cats. I don’t know what they symbolize, but I’ve never seen anything like them — especially when going to the restroom. They are worth a look.

Without hesitation, I give Koi Asian Fusion Four Forks. My friend and I both agreed that we would not only return but go out of our way to do so. Many of us often ask, “Why can’t we have nice things, like in Dallas?” Well, we do. How long Koi stays will be up to us.