I'm traveling to Austin, TX for business this week and I must admit I don't feel as prepared as I had hoped. My last trip here was a quick one - I arrived mid afternoon, had a quick meeting, met up with coworkers for dinner, then headed to morning meetings. After that, hopped back on a jet-plane back home. This time, I'll have a lot more "spare time" and no pre-planned meal. (My post about the previous meal to come soon.) I arrived a day earlier in order to accommodate an meeting the following day. (Flights to/from SMF/AUS are pretty limited.) I departed SMF at the buttcrack of dawn, made a pit stop (layover) in Phoenix, and arrived in squelching AUS around 3 PM. Due to the time change, my body thinks it's only 1 PM, but instead of eating a late lunch then having dinner again, I decided I'll just wait it out for dinner.
Close to dinner time, I check Yelp to help me find a decent place to eat. I wasn't feeling any particular genre of food, and was really just looking for something good, inexpensive, and relatively healthy. I first did a search for Ramen, but considering the 80% humidity outside, I thought hot soup would just be too much.
I settled on Koriente - rave reviews, interesting menu, low price, and bubble tea. Plus is was just a short walk from my hotel.
The location was on a main corridor, but there was plenty of parking in the back for drivers. The menu was simple, but very customizable.
I opted for the Spicy Obake Bowl (rice bowl dish which comes standard with grilled mushrooms, carrots, broccoli) over a bed of rice and a choice of protein (beef, chicken, tofu, and shrimp for an extra cost). I picked the beef and decided to add tofu (I LOVE tofu). I also asked for half noodles and half rice so I can try it out. I was offered complimentary miso soup (yay!) and added a strawberry bubble tea.
Overall, the food did not disappoint. Food and drinks totaled a mere $13 + tips and was pretty filling. The beef was tender and juicy. The tofu was a little firm for my preference but I could understand since they grilled it. I didn't care for the mushroom or the noodles too much (it was the clear noodles) but as a whole, the meal was satisfying.