Dallas Food Alert: Sumo Shack
I could eat Asian food for days. Asian fusion? Noodles, dumplings, and buns? Sign. Me. Up. and I will straight run over there in a dead sprint just to enjoy those flavor explosions ASAP...well, a fast jog...unless it's hot out.
Sumo Shack is still technically one of the new kids on the block, having only opened in May of 2017, but already it's become a mainstay for the SMU crowd, as well as surrounding families, Sumos, and asian food lovers of all kinds. ANDDD it's open until 4AM on Fridays and Saturdays (which I have taken advantage of multiple times, highly recommend over grabbing usual late night options). If you didn't already like them after reading that, their menu of 20 items also doesn't scale over $10 for anything. So stuffing yourself without breaking your bank is a reality, my friends. How sweet (or savory in this case) it is.
No ragerts. Not even one letter.
In the 10 times I've been to Sumo Shack so far, I've only ever ordered the bao buns - aka fluffy Japanese steam buns that can be loaded with anything from fried hot chicken, to soft shell crab, to fried tofu - everything I've had up to my last visit has been amazing, so you pretty much can't go wrong here.
Thanks Sumo Shack website since I goofed and forgot to take a picture of your menu...murp.
Out of the above screenshot, I've eaten the:
- Angry Bird Bao* - My absolute favorite, always go with the extra pickles to help with the spicy fire coming off your chicken (you'll also get some help from the melty cheese, so don't worry).
- Pork Belly Bao* - Also a tasty option; add a little spice if that's your style since this is a typical pork belly bao.
- Sumo Ramen* - The first time I had this I only had one bite and kicked myself for the rest of the night for not ordering it. This time, I went all in and ate it until I had to unbutton my pants. No shame, it was delicious.
- Matcha Green Tea Ice Cream Bao - Good gravy this was delicious. I was super full but decided to take a bite of this anyway annnnd I almost went back the next day to order just this because it was that good. I clearly have my priorities straight. The bao on this has a different texture than the regular baos, but the flavor compliments the ice cream by having an almost pretzel-y/caramel-y flavor (I'm good at this describing stuff).
10/10 would order everything I just talked about all over again, and I'm looking forward to exploring their menu even more in my visits to come!
* Photo shown below
And now, on to the good stuff, the images of everything I stuffed in my face!
Here's the Angry Bird Bao and the Pork Belly Bao. Not going to lie, I was so hungry that I goofed and didn't take an individual photo of the pork belly. I took pictures of the Angry Bird Bao, ate that, and then just shoved that pork belly in my face and didn't realize until I was halfway through my ramen. Whoops. Clearly that means it was delicious and you should go order everything.
That is a bite mark and extra pickles, yours shouldn't look like that straight off the menu unless I'm sitting behind you and got super sneaky.
First thing off the bat - this sucker is hot. But I also am a giant weenie with heat, so it may be just fine for you. Again, if you like pickles and want to cut down on your heat factor, order some extra on the side. Then it's almost like a weird, cheesy, extra hot version of Chick Fil- A, but loads better. And available on a Sunday. Boom. You're welcome.
The one image I managed to get of the Pork Belly Bao and it's only in the background. For shame, Stacia. For. Shame. Regardless of my lackluster photography skills, this bao bun is a classic, and tastes exactly how you think a pork belly bun should: perfectly delicious.
Last, but no least: Sumo Ramen. Just look at that noodle action!
The Sumo Ramen is made with a chicken & port base, chasu (no idea, I tried to google it and even Google got confused), marinated egg, woodear mushroom, black garlic oil, pickled ginger, onion, and scallion.
If some of those ingredients scare or freak you out, fear not, because I was also in that boat in the lifejacket right next to you. But I decided to dive in and let me tell you, the only way I can accurately describe the feeling you get from eating this is by saying if I were at home sick, felt like crap, and it was cold outside, this bowl of ramen would be exactly what I'd ask for to cheer me up.
It's that good.
Unfortunately, I don't have a photo of the ice cream bao I took a bite of because that was from a different Sumo Shack adventure at 3:00am, but I highly recommend getting one to share (or eat by yourself, I don't judge), because they're pretty tasty as a finisher or your entire meal (again, no judging).
I hope if you're in the neighborhood you'll think about stopping by, especially because I may just be there in the booth next to you with a table full of trays shoving food into my face. Please do me a favor and let me know if there's cheese sauce on my face. Thanks in advance :)