SXSE Food Co (Seksē•Füd•Kō)
Laotian restaurant · Walter e Long Lake ·
Laotian-American fusion plates, from skewers to smash burgers
Laotian-American fusion plates, from skewers to smash burgers
"Chef Bobsmith’s Laotian-style smash burger — a pork sausage patty topped with chili paste, bacon, American cheese, and cucumber pickles — was featured in Bon Appétit’s piece on internationally inspired smash burgers; that burger had been served at his now-closed truck Sekse Fud Ko." - Nadia Chaudhury
"Before the restaurant opens, I followed Somsith’s food truck, Sek-sē•Füd•Kō (styled Sek-sē•Füd•Kō, pronounced “sexy food co.,” and formerly known as SXSE), which focused on Southern American and Southeast Asian cuisines with an emphasis on Laotian food and offered both a la carte and tasting-menu meals. Somsith began cooking on his own via SXSE in 2014 for pickup/delivery orders, catering gigs, and events (he also sold packaged jerky), opened the food truck in 2018 at Celis Brewery, moved around before landing at North Austin’s 4th Tap Co-op in November 2020 (leaving when that brewery closed in summer 2022), then changed the truck’s name, roamed the city, and found a permanent home at Vacancy Brewing in September 2022; the truck closed ahead of the restaurant, with its last day of service at Vacancy Brewing in the East Congress neighborhood on March 17." - Nadia Chaudhury
"Chef Bob Somsith builds a Lao-inspired smash from a ground pork sausage base seasoned with lemongrass, makrut lime leaves, and oyster and fish sauce, smashed on the griddle to produce herbaceous, slightly sweet patties with caramelized, craggly edges; he tops them with bacon, American cheese and a jeow bong–mayonnaise aioli and serves rice-flour cucumber pickles spiked with Thai chili, garlic, fish sauce and sugar — a multi-component preparation that can take three days and has helped introduce Lao flavors to new diners." - BySam Stone
"At South Austin food truck parked at Vacancy Brewery, chef Bob Somsmith serves what he calls his modern take on Laotian cuisine. The casual a la carte menu includes rib-eye steak skewers, chicken egg rolls, pulled pork steamed buns, and vegan crispy fried rice. Then there’s the tasting menu paired with beers from the host site. A la carte takeout orders can be placed online or in person; there are indoor and outdoor dine-in areas; and tasting menu reservations can be placed online." - Clara Wang
"Chris Hughes notes SXSE Food Co. as a new addition to the "murderers' row" of concepts on East Congress and specifically mentions that it's outside Vacancy Brewing." - Erin Russell
