A good portion of Asian Village will be open by the end of the week, according to general manager Ric Jewell. Kawaiian Café, a coffee and tea shop, has already opened and Marketplace will soon follow suit. Fuchia, the upscale Japanese-inspired French cuisine restaurant, will begin serving before the end of the month.
Kawaiian Café serves bubble tea as well as what Jewell characterizes as "artisan" coffees and teas. Teapots, sushi sets and the like will also be available for purchase.
Marketplace is designed to replicate street food from vendors in Bangkok, Tokyo, Shanghai and so on. "It's the tastes of all of that put it into one space," Jewell says. Cuisines will be featured that can be difficult to find in Metro Detroit, like Malaysian, Indonesian and Vietnamese. Jewell says, "I think that Detroit and the metro area never really gets the credit that it deserves for its desire for a broader range of food. It's not that the market doesn't exist, it's that no one has provided it. People in metro Detroit know what good food tastes like and are adventurous." Asian Village hopes to satisfy this curiosity, he explains, "with a certain amount of cultural integrity."
Jewell credits the city of Detroit, particularly the Mayor's office, and General Motors for making the venture happen. Jewell's team includes executive chef David Koshizawa and his father, Deka Koshizawa, as executive sushi chef. Eventually, the retail aspect of Asian Village — located in the GM Center, 200 Renaissance Ctr, # 2653 — will expand to include produce and other food items. For more information call 313-259-0025.
Source: Ric Jewell, Asian Village
Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh
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