Review: Raki offers wide array of options from all across Asia

In a fairly small space in a large strip center on Highway 6 in Missouri City, you can go on a culinary tour of a vast expanse of Asia. Raki, which I first came across while visiting the nearby Texas Biergarten a couple of months ago (demonstrating the wide culinary variety found in Fort Bend County) offers tastes of China, Japan and Indonesia.

On its website, Raki offers a quote from celebrity chef Guy Fieri: "Cooking is all about people. Food is maybe the only universal thing that really has the power to bring everyone together. No matter what culture, everywhere around the world, people eat together." The locallyowned restaurant seems to exemplify that philosphy. As I said, the space is small, but there's a lot packed inside. The decor offers examples of the three cultures: Chinese lanterns hang tastefully about, and on the red-brick facade walls are Japanese prints and fans, and most intriguingly to me, examples of the shadow puppets known as Wayang from the Indonesian island of Java. (I first learned about these shadow-puppet plays in the classic journalism movie "The Year of Living Dangerously" from the '80s.)

My dining companion and I went on a quite weekend during lunch, and were alone except for one other diner. I imagine it gets busier in the evenings.

So, let's talk about the food. True to its word, Raki offers a wide selection of items from the three cultures. Two full pages of its menu are devoted to Chinese food, with all of the kinds you'd expect: shrimp, beef, chicken, noodles, and soups. Another page is devoted to Japanese cuisine, including appetizers and noodle and rice dishes with ramen, chicken and beef selections.

I've written here previously about Chinese and Japanese restaurants, so on this trip I decided to branch out. Again, the

Indonesian offerings are plentiful, and a little less familiar to my, ahem, untrained palate. It was somewhat daunting to make a selection, but I settled on Cap Cay, described as Indonesian stir-friend vegetables with chicken, shrimp and meatballs. Perhaps it was a bit too safe a selection, but when it arrived,

I thoroughly enjoyed it. Likewise, my dining companion enjoyed the Chinese dish she ordered. Conveniently, Raki also offers a long list lunch specials every day of the week. So if you're looking for a taste from a wide expanse of Asia, give it a try. Yo're likely to find something you like.

Raki

Address: 6302 Highway 6 Suite J, Missouri

City

Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m.

Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m.

Saturday-Sunday