WINTER 2017
With 144 comfy seats, Koi has a menu featuring Chinese Cantonese entrees. Some Vietnamese and Thai dishes also appear. All Koi dishes showcase fresh ingredients (seafood is flown in three times per week), complex flavors and delectable seafood, poultry and meats. The lush dining room, in tones of reds and greens and accents of natural materials, has a bustling noodle/ sushi bar curving along one wall. The room accommodates date nights, solo sushi lovers as well as large dining parties. Koi’s bar-top is an impressive green soapstone. A vibrant and fiery mosaic dragon in the floor welcomes guests to the bar area. Dennis Khanh, Vice President of Food and Beverage for Seneca Niagara Resort and Casino, spoke about Koi’s offerings and its room chef, Quyen “Peter” Au. Khanh, who has been in the service industry most of his life, has served in his current role for a year. “Our chef has a Vietnamese name but he is more Chinese. He does speak both languages, and you will notice that there are both Vietnamese and Thai influences on the food at Koi. We have expanded our hours because we have a large number of Asian gamblers who dine here.” Khanh explained the “noodle menu” at Koi – written in English but with Chinese subtitles and descriptions. “One of our specialties, besides noodle dishes, is rice porridge. It’s called congee, and it’s when you take rice and cook the heck out of it until it breaks up like oatmeal.
Then it’s served with beef or seafood. When I was a kid, I had to eat a lot of that. We also have thousand-year-old egg on the menu. It’s a way of making eggs with salt. It’s an acquired taste.” Then he got onto the slippery subject of noodles. “At Koi we have four types of noodles: Wonton egg noodles, chow fun rice noodles, Japanese udon noodles, and then Thai rice noodles. I like to say that Thai noodles are like Chinese linguine, the shape of them – or maybe pappardelle, big flat noodles that catch lots of sauce and juices. Udon are made with rice but are shaped differently. Everyone can come here, pick their favorite noodle and have it with roast duck, Chinese beef stew, or have them with barbecued pork or seafood. And we also have traditional wonton, little dumplings, on the menu for lunch and dinner.” Khanh talked signature dishes. Both incorporate generous portions of fresh seafood: Koi Seafood in Clay Pot and Koi Seafood Combo feature an array of flavors in distinctive sauces. The first dish is jumbo shrimp, squid, lobster tails and scallops mixed with mushrooms and bok choy. Seafood Combo is lobster, scallops and shrimp in a crab sauce. Duck and chicken also have starring roles in both Peking and Cantonese duck preparations. When asked the ranking of popularity among the fine dining restaurants at Seneca Niagara, Khanh said that “Koi is the second-most popular, with Western Door being the most popular
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INSIDE SENECA
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with guests. Number three is la Cascata. And then, of course, we have our casual dining options here.” When asked what sets Koi apart from any other Asian offerings in the Niagara Falls region, he said that because of the proximity of other fine dining venues within the complex, any guest with a craving for steak – or Italian cuisine – can be easily accommodated. Staff can, and will, run for offerings (wines, entrees) from any of the other restaurants. Koi and la Cascata have a flow between them, an open wall between them at front and back of rooms. “The great thing about all of our restaurants is that on a Saturday night a party of four can walk into Koi and if one person doesn’t want Chinese food, we can serve food from Western Door, or La Cascata. Same thing at Western Door: if you’re in the mood for sushi, you can ask for anything. As long as we have the ingredients, we will make it for you.” The chef prepares custom, off-menu dishes for guests upon request. “Chef Peter comes out and asks ‘What would you like to eat?’ Many times people want to order a whole fish, to serve everyone at the table family-style. For example, we have Bronzino on the menu at la Cascata. Chef Peter can turn that into a Chinese dish for you. Also, we make sure to not upset the nonAsian guest. Our menu is very foodie-friendly; we have exotic items created by our chef and can please everyone.” The beverage program at Koi emphasizes a broad range of sakes, rice wines, white domestic and international wines and specialty drinks. “We have Mai Tai and Scorpion bowls – cocktails that are associated with Asian cuisine,” Khanh said. “We concentrate more on Rieslings, chardonnays and gewürztraminers. We do have red wines on our list, but they are not as prominent. If you see a wine that you like on Western Door’s list, we will run that bottle down for you. Western Door has a selection of 350 bottles.” Is accommodating any guest’s wishes the hallmark of Koi? “Yes, and how do we make you feel welcome? How do we wow you?”