Enso in Louisville serves southern cuisine with Japanese flavors. Here's what to order
When I first learned that southern/Japanese eatery Ensō was coming to Clifton, I was elated. I immediately sent a group text to a bunch of friends, then made a note on my ever-growing list of Louisville restaurants to visit.
After all, dishes like Nashville hot shrimp tempura and octopus hushpuppies aren’t exactly easy to find. Plus, it was nice to hear that the space formerly occupied by Ostra was given new life — by the team behind North of Bourbon, no less.
The Frankfort Avenue dinner destination has been open for a few months so I caught up with partner and executive chef Lawrence Weeks, who was recently named a semifinalist in the Emerging Chef category for the prestigious James Beard Awards, to see how things are going at the new digs.
Here’s what I learned:
Menu inspired by executive chef Lawrence Weeks' personal experience
Weeks comes from a military family, and his parents were stationed in Okinawa.
"Growing up, all the artwork, all the plate ware — everything — was from Japan," he told The Courier Journal, explaining that he was exposed to Japanese culture his whole life.
“I’m always trying to find ways to connect cultures and make people understand that we’re more similar than we are different,” he added, “and I think food is the great connector.”
Weeks had a lot of time to bring this connection to fruition at Ensō, as he and his partners began conceptualizing a second restaurant shortly after opening North of Bourbon in 2021.
“We knew we wanted to expand,” Weeks explained, “(but) we knew that it was going to take a long time to do this build out.”
This allowed Weeks to take his time in developing the menu, which boasts a variety of hot and cold options, as well as skewer and noodle dishes.
“When we first opened,” he said, “I was more so trying to be a student of Japanese cuisine and respect the culture as much as possible. … I started more in a Japanese direction until I could adjust my palate and my style of cooking to the flavors of Japan.”
Now that he’s settled in, Weeks is starting to tie more southern elements into the food and drink.
Try the popular Chili She-Crab Noodles at Ensō
Weeks says the most-ordered dish has been — overwhelmingly — the chili she-crab noodles.
“(It’s) a mazemen-style ramen dish,” he said, explaining that it is brothless and more sauce-based. It features cooked-to-order ramen noodles, uni cream, chili crab, fried shallots, pickled apples, kewpie mayo, and scallions.
Weeks attributes its popularity to the fact that it likely feels familiar to Louisvillians.
“She-crab soup is something that people might have heard of … seen … or had,” he said, “(and) they want to see how it’s ‘Japanese.’”
For those who don’t know about she-crab soup and are seeking a dish to dip their toes into Ensō’s southern/Japanese cuisine, Weeks suggests ordering Japanese fried chicken.
“That’s step one of the intersection of cultures,” he said, adding that it is seasoned with Cajun spice and served with two sauces.
Ensō recently dropped new menu items
For guests who have already been to Ensō a few times and are looking to try something new, some recent releases came out just a few weeks ago. One worth noting is the crawfish miso ramen.
“It’s a Sapporo-style ramen dish, with miso ramen,” Weeks explained. “It’s a little spicy, (but) not too hot.”
It boasts crawfish tails, charred cabbage, charred carrots, and a crawfish broth. The dish is then topped with scallions, crispy onions, and a pat of butter.
“That pat of butter just really sets it off for me,” Weeks said with a chuckle. “It’s so southern to put butter on something — or everything, I should say.”
Ensō also offers a late-night menu on the weekends from 10 p.m. until closing. The restaurant also has local DJs on occasion, and will typically incorporate a theme into the evening.
“We’re trying to bring back the old feel of late-night dining in Louisville,” Weeks said. “A lot of restaurants used to serve food late, (so) we want to bring back that late-night option for people.”
Try this menu hack and late-night bite at Ensō
If you can’t make it Ensō until 10 p.m., Weeks suggests trying the wagyu beef hotdog, which comes with housemade tonkatsu sauce and is topped with crispy bacon.
“It’s served with a side of fries,” Weeks said. “It’s drinking food for sure.”
But if you are available for dinner, he also recommends an unlisted chef creation: the pork katsu sandwich with beef tataki on the side — with the beef placed in the sandwich.
“It’s like a really luxe katsu sandwich,” Weeks exclaimed.
Don’t sleep on the unique drinks and desserts at Ensō
I’d be remiss to not mention Ensō’s extensive drink list, as well as its dessert offerings. The restaurant provides separate menus for cocktails, beer and wine, whiskey, and sake. Between the four lists, there are dozens of alcoholic refreshments to choose from, as well as a couple of spirit-free options.
There are six types of highballs alone, and Weeks recommends the Cold Blooded.
“It’s got kumquat, scotch, orange peel, and ultra-carbonated soda,” he said. “It’s refreshing … and it’s patio season.”
The desserts — one of my favorite aspects of every meal — boast southern and Japanese flair, too. There is a matcha cheesecake made with creole cream cheese, matcha, and cocoa powder; and sweet egg custard, with maple syrup, amaranth, and puffed barley.
“(We offer) the intersection of Japanese and southern cuisine,” Weeks said.
Know a restaurant that would make a great feature? Email writer Lennie Omalza at aloha@lennieomalza.com or Lifestyle Editor Kathryn Gregory at kgregory@gannett.com.
Enso
WHAT: This locally owned dinner restaurant serves southern cuisine with Japanese flavors.
WHERE: 1758 Frankfort Ave.
SERVICES: Indoor dining, patio seating, and carryout; 5 to 10 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday; 5 p.m. to 12 a.m. Friday and Saturday; 5 to 9 p.m. Sunday
CONTACT: 502-384-7931, ensolouisville.com
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Enso in Louisville serves southern cuisine with Japanese flavors
