LOCAL Houston | The City Guide September 2016 | Page 18

DINE WRITE
By Mai Pham
Photography by Sarah Miller

Fried Chicken Wings

Seated at the far left end of the bar at the lively Republic Diner + Sojubang in the Houston Heights, I could feel the heat coming off of
the burners and the wok directly in front of me. It was a typical hot, muggy summer day in Houston, and though it was a might bit
uncomfortable, I didn’t want to move.
Described as the “best seat in the house” by general manager Taylor
Cameron, when you sit at that spot, not only do you get to enjoy a
kitchen show with woks that literally light up with fire, but you also get
to see all the food land on the pass before it gets delivered to the tables.
“Are we going to have those fries?” my friend Dee asked excitedly as
we saw a humongous plate of kimchi fries pass by us. “No, we need
to save room for all the other things I ordered,” I responded, even as I
felt a twinge of FOMO.

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| september 16

It’s a feeling I felt again as I saw a quartet of bulgogi rice bowls topped
with fried eggs get plated, and as I watched the fried empanada-like
Mandu dumplings get picked up. Crazy, considering I couldn’t finish all
the delicious food in front of me, but that’s the kind of thing that happens
at Republic Diner: Your eyes will definitely be bigger than your stomach.
We each got a shot of infused soju to start. Mine was a sweeter infusion made with pineapple; hers was spicy, made with habanero peppers. We clinked our shot glasses and felt the burn of alcohol down our
throats, making us hungry for what was to come.