SEATTLE — Searching for an antidote to the grey days of winter in the PNW?
Head to Ballard for a big bowl of comfort at Secret Congee!
"Such a simple dish, but so delicious,” said chef and owner JP Lertsirisin.
For the uninitiated, congee is rice porridge topped with flavorful proteins and vegetables. Different cultures have different variations.
"The Japanese for example call it okayu, Koreans call it jook - same concept,” Lertsirisin said. "It's basically a risotto in a sense, it's just more of a different technique."
He grew up eating congee made by small vendors in Thailand.
"I miss that and I'm just trying to recreate some similar sense of happiness," he said.
Lertsirisin folds flavors from different countries into one menu at his congee specialty shop. Diners can try a bowl of tom yum shrimp, slow-cooked beef and or Hokkaido scallops.
Don’t forget to order a side of youtiao - Chinese fried dough – for the ultimate cozy meal.
"It's got carbs, it's got chicken fat, it's got the crispy bread, the texture of the fried dough and you dip it in the congee,” Lertsirisin said. "It's just the perfect food."
Whatever the order, each bowl is the culinary version of a warm hug.
"If you love congee, this is the place for it,” said customer Sarah Richardson. “That's why I come here with my daughter."
She stops by once a month. Alexa Aliotta is even more regular.
"I come in at least two times a week, sometimes more,” she said, laughing. "There's been times when I've wanted it so bad I'll wait in the rain."
She's not the only one. Secret Congee is growing out of its name, with lines out the door on weekends.
"It was definitely more of a secret. Now, I would say the secret's out,” Aliotta said.
For Lertsirisin, it’s a secret worth sharing. He hopes other chefs will open their own congee eateries and make the meal more ubiquitous.
"I think for me, it's just bringing something new. I mean, it's not entirely new - congee has been around for 500 years or so,” he said. "But I'm just happy that I add something to the restaurant scene. My goal is to make sure the city becomes more of a rival to Los Angeles, Portland or New York City. Hopefully I'm just one single restaurant (that’s) a factor to bringing more colors to the city."
Secret Congee is open Thursday – Monday from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. It’s located at 6301 Seaview Ave NW in Seattle.
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