Asian cuisine gets a modern twist with one of Baton Rouge’s newest, hippest places to dine: Soji. Everything about Soji radiates energy, from the neon sign-peppered walls to the cheerful staff.
Co-owned and operated by Chase Lyons, the Government Street restaurant brings a vibrant atmosphere and a variety of Asian cuisine options to diners. To Lyons, the most important part of Soji is the atmosphere it creates.
“I want a fun, energetic atmosphere,” Lyons said. “I want people to think of this place whenever they want celebrations or birthdays or anniversaries … I don’t think this place is ever gonna be a quiet, romantic spot. We want energy. We want a fun, festive atmosphere.”
Having gained experience during his tenure with his previous restaurant City Pork, Lyons knew very well that he wanted to bring new, fresh concepts to Soji.
One of the major contributing factors to Soji’s success is Lyons’ experience in the restaurant industry, he said. Wanting to gain experience, Lyons researched the best restaurant to work at and decided on a restaurant in Austin, Texas.
“I’m like ‘This is the place I need to go learn’,” Lyons said. “I showed up on their doorstep one weekend and said ‘Hey, I’m the guy that’s been texting you for a job. Can I wash dishes for free?’ I washed dishes for free for two days … I washed dishes and worked my way up.”
Despite Lyons’ experience and work, he said he could not have started Soji alone. He partnered with chef Ryan André to create a business reliant on passion for the cuisine.
“André had the same passion about ramen, but once we got our hands on this place, it was a lot bigger of a place than we initially thought,” Lyons said. “We can do a lot of things. Why just do ramen when we can have the kitchen space to let this amazing chef do whatever he wants to do?”
Lyons said people should know Soji is not a fusion restaurant, which puts different cuisine from different cultures together to make something new. Instead, it prides itself on realistically representing multiple different varieties of food from all of the different Asian cultures in order to give diners the most authentic Asian cuisine possible.
“If [André] wants to do Indian, if he wants to do Thai, if he wants to do Vietnamese, he can do it,” Lyons said. “We want to stay authentic to each cuisine. And we are definitely not a fusion restaurant.”
Soji sells modern Asian cuisine on Government St. on Sunday, Sept. 30, 2018.
