Azumma

Tucked in the back of Canal Street Market is a good stall that rarely has a long line but is churning out solid lunch food. Azumma is serving Korean-Mexican fusion that can come in burrito, taco, salad, or rice bowl style.

I went with a rice bowl (which still comes with some lettuce so it’s kinda the best of both worlds). For my rice base I got the purple rice because 1) it’s a hit heartier and 2) it’s pretty. Chicken was my protein because it happened to look very nice – better than your standard build-a-bowl chicken. For veggies I got mushrooms, bean sprouts, and then (for an extra $2) added spinach. I went medium spicy for my sauce which definitely still packed some heat.

I loved how much flavor everything had. It was also super filling without feeling disgusting. Perhaps that’s because there was no dairy? I was bummed to see there was no cheese (I mean, really, not even some cotija?), but I don’t think cheese would have improved this meal. I think it would have actually tampered with the flavors. Much better taste this way and much lighter. I only wish the veggies were a bit closer to room temp. They were pretty chilled when they were placed atop my warm bowl. We’ve seen Korean tacos, but this is extending that fusion concept in a way we never knew we needed.