Shortly, the grill at Shinmai Moku will be sizzling, taking the Triangle’s sudden Izakaya trend to new heights.
Shinmai Moku is the third restaurant from the trio of owners Jayden Chen, Stacia Zhong and Ming Jin, who moved cross-country from the Bay Area to the Triangle three years ago. Their first two restaurants, Shinmai Shokudo and Shinmai Kumo are each it Cary, with Moku opening in Raleigh’s Quail Corners shopping center at 1200 E. Millbrook Road.
The new Shinmai Moku is expected to open in September.
The third Shinmai restaurant Moku, shown in this rendering, will open this fall in Raleigh’s Quail Corners shopping center.
Moku follows the success of Shinmai Shokudo, a casual ramen bar, serving Japanese comfort food, like bowls of noodles, rice and dumplings.
For their second restaurant, the Shinmai owners opened Kumo, blending elements of Japanese and Italian cuisine, like flatbreads with Japanese mushrooms and mozzarella, and linguine with a sweet soy sauce and parmesan and Tonkatsu Tagliatelle.
Now the trio plan to open Moku, their biggest restaurant so far, devoted to one of their favorite styles of eating: Izakaya.
“Having charcoal-grilled skewers has been a dream for chef Ming,” Jayden Chen said in a phone interview. “We like to get the feel of the space and talk about what we can turn it into. And that’s the feeling we got for Moku, that this would actually be a great space to do Japanese skewers.”
In the Bay Area, the Shinmai owners previously operated restaurants, but during the COVID pandemic felt the need for a change of pace. They spent four days driving across the country to the Triangle and found a market where they could leave their mark.
The third Shinmai restaurant Moku, shown in this rendering, will open this fall in Raleigh’s Quail Corners shopping center.
Vibrant food scene
“North Carolina felt like a place where we could explore different types of Japanese cuisine,” Chen said. “In the Bay Area, that is a little bit saturated. When we got here, everyone was so friendly and most people are foodies. We thought this is a place where the food scene is so vibrant.”
Shinmai Moku will open in the Quail Corners shopping center in Raleigh, joining restaurants like the relocated Clyde Cooper’s Barbecue and Big Ed’s. The restaurant joins in on a recent Izakaya dining trend in the Triangle, with spots like Monya Ramen and Kokoro in Raleigh opening this summer, following established bars like Dashi in Durham that helped introduce these grilled skewers to the region.
Still, Moku promises something different, starting with special binchotan charcoal, a type of hot-burning charcoal traditional in Izakaya grilling.
“We’ll do it in our own style,” Chen said. “It’s like barbecue, every region has some sort of barbecue, but they do it in their own style. It changes with the cooking method, the meat, how you season it. Izakaya is similar to the idea of barbecue.”
Moku’s dining room will have space for about 70 people, plus a 10-person bar where diners can watch the skewers on the grill and an outside patio. There will be a large garage door window connecting the indoor and outdoor spaces.
“The way we wanted to do Izakaya, we want Moku to be a friends-gathering place, a dating place,” Chen said. “A place where diners can order rounds and rounds of skewers and small bites and have a good evening and good conversation with their friends.”
A rendering of the Yakitori bar at the new Shinmai Moku, set to open in September in Raleigh’s Quail Corners shopping center.
An intimate experience
Moku will be the first Shinmai restaurant with a full bar, adding cocktails to the menu. Beyond the grilled skewers, Chen said to expect sashimi and sushi, bowls of ramen and rice dishes.
While Moku will be the biggest Shinmai restaurant so far, Chen said the nature of Izakaya will make the dining experience an intimate one.
“An Izakaya is just a comforting place,” Chen said. “Even if you’re dining as one person, you’re not left alone.”
For more information, visit shinmaius.co.
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