Is Oke-Asian more than an occasional thing?

JK promises Pan Asian for downtown while new izakaya arrives next week

The Asian invasion of the 405 diningscape has reached a point where it’s now seen as a destination for Pan-Asian dining and sushi has local history.

But first, some comings and goings this Wednesday.

The 405 diningscape never sleeps. All one has to do is monitor the liquor permit requests for proof. Something new is always coming, and unfortunately losses are not uncommon. Last month, Paseo Grill partners Joe Jungmann and Lesley Rawlinson took City and State and have converted into an event space. They’ve already had a Sofar event to prove it. Down in Norman, The Service Station posted on social media that it, too, will close at the end of July.

On the other hand, new stuff is coming. The far north perimeter of the 405 diningscape might soon be known as the best place in the city for sushi – once again. You might remember Tsubaki Sushi emerging from a gas station parking lot and to the tip of the local sushi spear. Chef-owner Henry Yang and his sushi sorcery have been sorely missed in what was minutes from my home of 20 years. He opened Tsubaki Szechuan in the Asian District, and when that partnership, he converted it into Private Kitchen. Tsubaki Sushi closed during the pandemic, leaving my old stomping grounds with a Sushi Bar, Volcano and Nhinja like everyone else.

I’m happy to report Henry sold Private Kitchen last year and moved back to New York. If Private Kitchen sounds familiar, it’s either for its chicken wings or recent news that it had become a cross between Satriale’s Pork Store and the Bada Bing! Club for members of the local pot industry the federal investigators suspect are at least partly to blame for Oklahoma’s apparent runaway pot production.

But I digress. Chef Richard Ly, formerly of Jimmy B’s, Culinary and Krafted, is installing his own place at NW 122^nd and Rockwell, where most recently stood a Yo Pablo! Awaji Izakaya opens next week. Can’t wait to visit the old neighborhood.

All this sushi talk reminds me OG sushi spot Tokyo House will unveil it’s brand-new dining room in the fall. Before then, look for a Pan-Asian invasion downtown.

JK by Chef King takes over the former Blu’s BBQ and Burgers space, across from the Bombing Memorial.

The name stands for co-owners Josh Balan and chef Kingshuk Dey. The two met in London, where Dey worked at L'Etranger, e&o Pan Asian Restaurant and Vama Indian restaurants. Dey and Balan met at Restaurant Baku in 2011.

Dey will offer the style of Pan-Asian cuisine he practiced around Europe and most recently in Dallas. He and Balan have completely revamped the space at 612 N. Robinson Ave. The old Blu’s BBQ space is now home to a massive faux wisteria that spreads branches over the head space of a dining room lit purple and upholstered in florals and pastels.

I sat down with Josh and King for a little bit last week to discuss “instagrammable cocktails” and the merits of contemporary Asian dining in a market with a taste for it. I convinced them they’ve come to the right place to try out eggplant miso, caramelized black cod, and oxtail bone marrow fried rice as long as it delivers on flavor.

JK is opening next-door to new construction that’s taken its progress down to a snail’s pace. Last week, I had to dash through a construction zone to get in the front door.

When it does open, guests will have a new brunch option Saturday and Sunday mornings and a new upscale club option those nights with Le Club. 

It’s looking like an early or mid-August open for JK.