
EMILY DORIO
The making of a new restaurant often begins with the meeting of creative minds.
Such was the case for Choy, the modern Chinese American restaurant launched in the North Gulch.
When Tansuo closed earlier this year, co-owner Moni Advani sat down with friends Nishaan Chavda, director of operations for the Mina Group and Brandon Jew, executive chef of Michelin-starred Mister Jiu’s in San Francisco. From their conversation, this hospitality powerhouse envisioned a dark, exotic space in mid-century Art Deco design, its sleek bar and dining room capturing the allure of a bygone
Shanghai hideaway. Chef Jew would design a menu highlighting the nostalgic flavors of Cantonese cuisine but reimagined using modern techniques and the bounty of Tennessee agriculture. And there would be a centerpiece: an exquisite preparation of whole Peking Duck.
Enter Choy — to your right, is an expansive red-and-black marble-topped bar, its backlit arches lined with myriad spirits and an image of Basquiat’s Crown Dinosaur command the room. You may want to sidle up for one of the house cocktails before taking your table. There are eight specialties (and two non-alcoholic options) inspired by the Golden Age of cocktail culture, devised by consulting mixologist Abe Vucekovich. “House of Choy” is a variation of the Singapore Sling, the fruit-forward gin quaff created in 1915 at the Raffles Hotel Long Bar in Singapore. Here, grapefruit and lemon replace the original’s pineapple and lime, yet meld with Ford’s Gin, Benedictine, and cherry liqueur into a luscious drink. For a riff on a classic Manhattan, look no further than Midnight Sting, a potent stir of Buffalo Trace bourbon with three different amaros and Neisson L’esprit rhum agricole. Sip slowly, my friends!
Nestle into a snug booth and begin your feast. Under the direction of Jew’s protege, executive chef Brian Griffith, Choy’s menu is configured into Starters, Noodles/Dumplings/Rice, Soup and Veggies, Mains, and the signature Peking Duck. From the first group, we ordered two dishes that were yin and yang, opposites in flavor profiles yet complementary. One is bright, fresh, and cool: a salad of white peaches, chrysanthemum leaves, and hazelnuts in a vinaigrette scented with osmanthus, an Asian flower imparting notes of honey and apricot.
The other warm, dark, and earthy: an umami- laden plate of pan-fried turnip cakes, topped with shiitake mushrooms, slices of scallop, and a drizzle of XO sauce. Under the Noodles/Dumplings/Rice heading, we chose a couple of dishes that tapped into those nostalgic Cantonese tastes — each, however, with a twist. Beef Chow Fun is memorable for its thick pasta ribbons enlaced with broccolini, scallions, and impossibly tender slices of Black Hawk Farms wagyu in a rich brown sauce, kicked up with horseradish. Regionally sourced ingredients, Gulf shrimp, and Tennessee sweet corn elevate the Shrimp Fried Rice, folded with cooked egg, chives, and a complex, spicy XO butter. Both are dishes you’ll return for.
In addition to the heady cocktail selection, Choy boasts an extensive wine cellar (glassed in, and visible at the left corner of the restaurant) with over 1,000 bottles curated by advanced sommelier Justin Mueller. Included on the wine list are compelling offerings by the glass. We found an Assyrtiko Skouras, a crisp Greek white regarded for its citrus, mineral, and saline tastes. It paired well with many of our dishes.
The piece de resistance, Whole Roasted Peking Duck, is a labor of love. It takes numerous steps to produce a juicy, flavorful bird with super-crispy skin — the introduction of air to separate the skin from the meat, the blanching, the lacquering with brown rice syrup, dark soy, and spices, the two-week aging, the gentle smoking, roasting, then resting before carving. Chef Jew’s process yields a spectacular duck, a true indulgence. At service, it is presented with abundant accompaniments: peanut butter- hoisin sauce, duck liver mousse, a plate of fresh scallions, cilantro, and cucumbers and a bamboo steamer filled with homemade pancakes.

VICTORIA QUIRK
Another impressive presentation is the salt-baked trout, sourced from Bucksnort in McEwen, Tennessee. The whole fish arrives on an oval platter, in a surround of salt, the upper skin peeled back to reveal the pink filet. Your server will spoon a ginger-scallion sauce over the top and dot it with trout roe. The meat is sweet and succulent, each bite punctuated by the fragrant sauce and pops of roe. Like the Peking Duck, this is one to share.
For dessert, look no further than the Sorghum Ma Lai Go. In the Choy interpretation, the traditional sponge cake is drenched in Baijiu, a powerful Chinese spirit distilled from sorghum. Enrobing the cake is a whip of unsweetened cream, balancing the intensity of sweet, spirited tastes.
Moni Advani chose to name the restaurant Choy, based on idea of an inspirational person always connected to the pleasurable things in life — a fellow he refers to as “Uncle Choy.” Indeed, Choy does live up to the promise of that ideal of good fortune, as well as the restaurant slogan: “Sometimes Adventurous, Always Delicious.” (121B 12th Ave. N., 615-696-7353; choynashville.com)