There is a Korean restaurant in Brentwood, TN that is hidden in between a bunch of building. I had driven past Soy Bistro many times without realizing it was there. I wasn’t until I was watching Diners, Drive-ins, And Dives and they featured the restaurant that I realized where they were located.
The next time I visited Brentwood, I made sure to stop by. They had just opened for lunch and there was already a line out the door. Inside it is kind of small, there are not that many tables. Luckily by the time I ordered a table had opened up.
Their menu is on colorful boards as you walk in. Since there was a line, it gave me a chance to look over all the boards. There were so many dishes that sounded good.
The starter that was shared around the table was the Chicken Dumplings. These dumplings were deep fired so the dough puffed up and got crispy. The chicken on the inside was like a ground chicken that was mixed with a variety of spices. I definitely tasted some ginger and lemongrass. It had a refreshing taste. They served a Thai chili dipping sauce that was amazing. It was slightly spicy and full of sweetness. It accented the chicken well by enhancing the flavor of the seasoning. The crispy texture of the dumpling dough allowed me to hold it for dipping in the sauce.
The main dish that was featured on Triple D was the Hot Chicken. This was a Korean dish that paid tribute to the Hot Chicken that Nashville is famous for. The chicken was cooked three different ways, it was steamed, then chargrilled and finished off with a pan sear. It was at this point those Korean spices were added in, coating every piece of chicken. They placed the chicken on top of a house made cole slaw.
The chicken was spicy; the spice flavor was distinctly Korean to me. Korean heat is a long, slow build up that has an impactful punch. It was hotter than some of the hot chicken I have had around town. It was also nice that their chicken was not breaded because it made this dish even more special.
I also ordered the Teriyaki Udon Noodle Bowl. I love Udon noodles. They are a thicker noodle compared to a thin Singapore noodle or a traditional Chinese lo mein noodle. The noodles were cooked Hibachi style with carrots, onions, broccoli, scallions, and edamame. I could have added chicken to the bowl, but I decided to keep it just the vegetables and noodles.
They served the teriyaki sauce on the side. This was good because it allowed me to customize how salty I wanted to make the dish. Even without the sauce the noodles and vegetables had a smokey taste from the wok it was cooked in. The noodles soaked up the flavor of the teriyaki sauce, which was the perfect blend of sweet and salty.
There was one more dish that was ordered, the Gochujang Chicken. This was a pan seared chicken in a gochujang sauce. Gochujang is a sweet and spicy sauce that is bold and full of umami flavor (umami meaning savory). They put the chicken over rice and then an over-easy egg was placed on top of the chicken.
To me this was the Korean version of the hangover burger because they included an egg. The yoke from the egg added a rich, creaminess to the chicken. The flavor of the gochujang sauce was amazing. It really had a bold, unique taste to it. I did not eat a lot of this dish because someone else had ordered it, but I was grateful I got to try it.
Soy Bistro was amazing. I want to come back to try so many of their other dishes. I did get to see Guy Fieri autograph on the wall before walking out the door. If you want to check out their episode, check it out at
I highly recommend you check them out. They are worth the short drive from Nashville to get to Brentwood. Visit their website at www.soybistro.com
Enjoy!
T
I love this place. Have been going there since before Guy went there. They have gotten so busy since then. make sure you get there right when they open if you have a short lunch window for work.