Merci Beaucoup, Buku

I dare to say that Buku is the most unique restaurant in Raleigh. Buku comes from the "international slang twist" on the phrase "merci, beaucoup" (thank you, very much) and I am thankful (very much) that this restaurant has opened in Raleigh. The premise of the restaurant is an eclectic mix of international street foods, all in one place with a fabulously elegant and modern twist (not to be confused with any type of "fusion" restaurant because that's not it). Basically, to an international foodie like myself, it's heaven on the corner of East Davie and Wilmington Streets downtown. Think of all the regional foods in Disney's Epcot classed up and rolled into one restaurant. 

Walk off the bustling Raleigh streets and step into a calming atmosphere. The decor is very cool with a wall of water behind the bar, beautiful and intricate overhead lighting and pictures everywhere of various international street-food scenes. 


The menu, may be intimidating to some...actually, scratch that...it's probably intimidating to most. On it you'll find many ingredients you've probably never heard of before (don't worry, the waitstaff are very knowledgable in the ingredients and giving suggestions) and combinations that might scare a picky eater, but trust me, Chef William D'Auvray will do you no wrong. You can tell that he spent his early childhood in the Philippines and traveling Asia and that he studied under some of the best chefs in the world including Wolfgang Puck and my personal favorite, Nobu Matsuhisa (founder and chef of one of my favorite restaurants of all time, Nobu, in Tokyo...and other locations around the world). Personally, I think William and I would be great friends, but that's another thing altogether!

Peach & Cucumber Cocktail

Ok, now that I got my school-girl-crush rant out of the way, back to the food...I started out this spectacular meal with the special cocktail of the evening. It was a cucumber and peach cocktail (the beginning to an evening of seemingly odd ingredient combinations that are absolutely fabulous) with gin, sweet and sour mix, and a few other things I can't remember off the top of my head. It was light and refreshing and an absolute wonderful start. With one sip, I felt like I should have been at an exclusive spa on the beach somewhere tropical, relaxing with a refreshing drink. 

Viet Cucumber Salad

Most of the menu is designed for a tapas-style meal, with two or three plates a person sufficing. There are a few large plates too, but I love trying many little things, so that's exactly what we did. I started out with the Viet Cucumber Salad with crisp shallots, chilies, fried peanuts and a sweet rice vinegar. It was awesome. Brought me back to my days living in Asia with those delicious ingredients. It was light and refreshing (perfect pairing to my cocktail, which again made me think seaside spa...this time on the Vietnamese coast, which is beautiful, by the way, but again, that's another post). I impressed my fellow diners with my chopstick skills as I practically inhaled this delicate dish. 


We also shared the Empanadas filled with bay-braised chicken and avocado leaf, farmers cheese and salsa. They were crispy on the outside, and filled with perfectly cooked ingredients on the inside. The mix of ingredients added a fabulously elegant twist to these empanadas. 


For round two, I went with the Koren BBQ. Now, having lived in Asia, you must understand that I am very particular when it comes to Asian ingredients and "typical" Asian dishes (which means something different in Asia than it does in America because no, Japanese people do not eat sushi every day). I know what is and isn't authentic; what's "Americanized" and just out-right wrong. When ordering this dish, I was hopeful, yet skeptical. And the result? Perfection. After taking my first bite and suddenly feeling like I was back in a real Koren BBQ restaurant, I fell in love with William D' Auvray. He really knows how to hand-pick his ingredients and pull out all the stops to maintain the authenticity of his dishes. The shaved prime sirloin was grilled to perfection. The dipping sauce was the best I've had in America (without making my own). The Kimchi was as good as it gets and the sesame spinach was a perfect compliment to the entire dish. 

Koren BBQ

Another fabulously executed dish was the True American Red Snapper, "Indonesian style." It was a beautiful marriage of sweet and spice with cashews, tamarind, Thai chiles, house mushrooms, palm sugar, jasmine rice and stir-fried Asian greens atop perfectly cooked fish. It was absolutely delightful. The Chef is truly after my heart. 

Now for dessert. In all truth I was really too full to order dessert, but one in particular caught my eye and I just couldn't resist...in the name of my blog (or so I kept telling myself) I ordered it anyway. I mean, honestly, could you say no to anyone that said: Creme Brulee Trio...??? I think not! Especially when that trio consists of chocolate, vanilla and ginger Creme Brulee....yes, I said ginger. I couldn't pass it up! And I'm glad I didn't because just look at how beautiful it was:

Creme Brulee Trio

Three perfect "shots" of different Creme Brulees surrounded by [what my sense told me were] mango and strawberry swirls and finished with a dish of fresh strawberries. Seriously, if your mouth isn't watering right now, you must immediately call a doctor because something is wrong! Now, in order of uniqueness (least to most), I will take you through this amazing dish, starting, of course, with vanilla. It was sweet and creamy, chock-full of vanilla bean remnants (which always make a good creme brulee even better when you can see what you're tasting). The chocolate was thick and rich and absolutely decadent. My favorite spoonfuls of the chocolate included some strawberries for that perfect pairing. As for the ginger, you may think it was weird as you try to imagine incorporating a big piece of ginger root in something as sweet and creamy as Creme Brulee, but it was sheer genius. It was like taking a bite of a purified, creamy ginger snap. The ginger wasn't too overpowering and it was perfect against the texture and sweet cream of a typical Creme Brulee. Again, the Chef comes out on top with pairing not-so-typical ingredients to make something spectacular. 

Buku is a not-so-hidden gem in Raleigh. A real treasure chest of your "atypical" ingredients combined in such a way that would ease the fears of any Plain Jane's tastebuds and brings comfort to someone like myself who grew up on typical Asian street food (or other regions for that matter). No matter which one of these categories you fall under (or anything in between), you must try Buku and don't worry about what ingredients you may or may not understand, just put your faith in Chef D'Auvray and do as many foreigners do in other countries: close your eyes and point. You won't be disappointed.