kō•än, a new restaurant from the group behind bu•ku and so•ca in Raleigh, is coming to Cary on Friday.
The restaurant, which will open in the former ān cuisines space, specializes in Southeast Asian fusion. Some of the classic dishes on the menu will include Lobster Gyoza and Yakisoba (a Japanese stir fry), as well as twists on traditional cuisine, like kō•än Ramen and Vietnamese Pho with Waygu Beef Short Rib.
Executive Chef Drew Smith, a Chapel Hill native, spent a summer in Saigon, where he grew to appreciate the beauty of pho, a beef broth noodle stew. Upon returning to the United States, he began working at bu•ku, and also spent time at Standard Foods, where he worked under Chef-Owner Scott Crawford.
Earlier this year, bu•ku closed its doors in downtown Raleigh. Original plans to reopen bu•ku in Cary changed, over the summer, when Drew Smith and co-owner Sean Degan decided that the upscale ãn cuisines space was better suited for Smith’s vision of dishes from Vietnam and Thailand.
“Our guests are going to experience a part of me, my story and the reason I will always be humbled and inspired by Asian cuisine,” Smith said on a statement on the restaurant website. “I will never master this food. It’s not meant to be mastered. It’s meant to tell a thousand stories to anyone who will listen.”
The restaurant will be open for dinner every day except Sunday, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and until 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Plans to incorporate brunch and lunch are in the works.
spequeno@indyweek.com
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