Ann Lin, who founded Miki Japanese Restaurant in 1987 and Yotsuba Japanese Restaurant in 2001, had been retired in recent years when she felt the need to “get out and meet the people again.”
So last year she bought Galleria Asian Market and began renovating a corner to add a small restaurant so that “people shopping also can grab some food to go home, or they can eat here.”
Korner Kitchen opened quietly in March, offering an evolving range of dishes from across Asia to her diverse clientele. “I’m learning every day from customers,” Lin says, “and I can see what they like, and it’s been pretty good.”
As with her earlier ventures, sushi and sashimi play starring roles. But she and her chefs also prepare a variety of rice bowls, stir-fried noodle dishes, poke bowls, rice balls (onigiri) and sandwiches (onigirazu), soups, and appetizers, including steamed Taiwanese-style pork belly buns.
Lin never lost her love of cooking, and with her newest project, “I can meet all of my old friends. Here, it looks like a reunion, and I’m happy.”
Korner Kitchen, 3111 Packard. (734) 531–6760. Mon.–Sat. 11 a.m.–8 p.m., Sun. noon–7 p.m. lilbit2e.wixsite.com/galleriaasianmarket
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