Bal Harbour

C O U R T E S Y O F H E R D P R OV I S I O N S ; P H OTO BY J O N AT H A N B O N C E K ( D U M P L N G S ) ; S U L LY O ' S U L L I VA N ( WA N G) Charleston favorites I honestly don't go out much, but my "I don't feel like cooking/treating myself" meals generally come from Kwei Fei or Old Li's. I find inspiration everywhere, from the local produce list from GrowFood Carolina to social media to whatever I'm reading currently. Signature dishes About once a week I ask my guys to make me our soy marinated duck with duck confit hash. It's the umami sauce that does it for me. Tangy, spicy, dark…it balances all the fat from the duck and really rounds out the dish. Diners' experience We very much do not want them to feel rushed or pressured. We want them to take a sip of a cocktail or a bite of a dish and go, That is freaking delicious. CHEF SHUAI WANG OF JACKRABBIT FILLY AND KING BBQ, NAMED ONE OF BON APPÉTIT'S BEST NEW RESTAURANTS IN 2024 Chef's journey I was born in Beijing, and then my family and I emigrated to Queens, New York. My grandmothers on both sides cooked all the time. Asian people love to eat, and holidays are such a big thing. My mom could probably out-cook me any day. When we went brick-and-mortar—we used to have a food truck serving unconventional Japanese fare called Short Grain—I just thought, Why don't I make what I know and love? The dumplings at Jackrabbit are the same recipe passed down from my grandma to my mom. The chili oil is a family recipe. Standout differences King BBQ is really an ode to Chinatown barbecue. It's old-school Cantonese barbecue, that sweet and sticky Chinese pork, but with Carolina and Southern influences. There's plenty of mustard and vinegar, but also ginger and scallion. Jackrabbit is a heritage-driven new Chinese-American restaurant utilizing local ingredients. We're not doing Cantonese style takeout…a part of me loves that, but that's not the Chinese food I grew up with. The recipes are influenced by my mom and my grandmothers, and dishes that have inspired me throughout my career. It has a little bit of Hispanic influence; I worked with a lot of Mexican cooks in New York. I love Indian food, so I'll do something with chutneys. Or old-school French. Right now, our mapo tofu is served inside a puff pastry. There's a lot of room to play, but it's still very much a Chinese menu. Jackrabbit just moved to a new space, and we're planning to showcase a lot of vegetables as well as fish this spring. Cooking inspirations Our asparagus season here is pretty awesome. We've done a cluster of asparagus tempura with this herb-y chutney, but we might grill this year. Charleston favorites My wife and I have been here for more than 10 years. I love New York, but it's so cutthroat; it just didn't seem like a place I could grow old in. When we moved down to Charleston, we didn't think we would be here for this long, but the food-and-beverage community is so close-knit. All the chefs are amazing and have each other's backs. The farmers, the fishermen, they have all become family. We've been buying pork and shrimp from the same people for nine years. I buy radishes from the same farmer… I know exactly who is raising the chickens that my eggs are coming from. I can go to the docks where I buy my fish. There's an entire food culture here, there's so much history, the Gullah Geechee. Charleston is changing, but places like Bertha's, in this little blue house, haven't changed. They have some of the best food I've ever had, simple, but heartwarming. Signature dishes At King, I have two favorite dishes. The shrimp toast sliders: the shrimp is in between Hawaiian bread, dill pickle, with cheese. I love our spicy noodle soup with the duck leg as the protein option, too. At Jackrabbit, I love the vegetable dishes, like the fragrant eggplant with cod and oyster sauce. It reminds me of what we would eat growing up. The vegetables change with the season. I love our beans and greens, too. We use hearty greens from our farmers with caramelized ginger, braise these large lima beans, with a little ginger-scallion, dashi, and crispy garlic on top. Diners' experience I want to give grandma vibes. We built our restaurants to feel like you're going to your grandmother's place on a Sunday afternoon; there's a sense of home and comfort. For King, I want to transport you to Chinatown, to a great meal that you could have again and again. FROM TOP Outside Herd Provisions; the dumplings at Jackrabbit Filly are true to Chef Shuai Wang's family recipe. BALHAR B O U RSH O P S .CO M

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