We're here at Indochine, a very popular restaurant in Wilmington, and I want you to meet Jason Fry, a new contributor to "North Carolina Weekend", but no stranger to the state.
I'm gonna brag on you for just a second.
- Oh, go ahead.
- He has written five travel books about North Carolina as well as magazine articles, blogs, you name it.
And Jason, you're gonna be at Indochine tonight, right?
- Yes, Deb, I'm so excited to join the NNC weekend team and get to tell stories about our amazing coast and search this state for the best sips and bites I can find.
Indochine is one of these restaurants that transports you.
Here in my hometown, it doesn't feel like southeastern North Carolina.
It feels like Southeast Asia when you come here.
- Wow!
Well, I can't wait.
Jason, take it away.
[gentle music] - Wilmington is packed with great restaurants, but Indochine stands out because this is the type of place that transports you.
The moment you walk through the door, you step out of southeastern North Carolina and step into Southeast Asia.
Niki Thompson, owner and culinary mind behind Indochine, she wouldn't have it any other way.
- When I first came here, there was a lot of Chinese restaurant with no ambiance and no art.
I collected a lot of art from Vietnam and I thought, well, I wanna open a restaurant where people would feel comfortable and happy when they came to my restaurant, and that the people from North Carolina could be proud to bring their friends from other state.
They see all this so they know it's a global community of art.
That was my purpose.
It's more like a exchange of culture.
- [Jason] When you can pull your gaze from the colorful art and artifacts hanging from the walls and the ceiling, you'll find the journey continues on the menu.
Loaded with dishes and flavors from Niki's native Vietnam and from Thailand, Japan and India, this place is a delight for foodies.
- It's not a five-star cuisine, but it's a comfort food that you know, it's like something your mother would cook and then you go home and you have extra food for the next day and be happy.
- Indochine opened in 2001 just a few months before I arrived in Wilmington.
The first time I came here, I took my place in line and listened to the locals chatting about the food.
From the way they described the dishes, I knew this place was gonna be something special.
- I've been coming to Indochine probably for about 12 years, 13 years.
Of course, the food is delicious.
We always get the curry and the mango sticky rice, but it's just this patio.
I feel like I'm on vacation.
It's beautiful.
Just the ambiance is just phenomenal.
- Well, the first time we sat here, we made the mistake of sitting inside.
And then on my way to the bathroom, I decided to look around and I stumbled out here into this magical garden and we decided right away we had to come back and get the full experience.
I had the red curry roasted duck, It was..
I've never had duck before.
I figured here is the place to try it.
And it is so good - Today, more than 20 years after they opened, Indochine has grown and expanded, adding an incredible garden, a quartet of Indochine Express restaurants, which serve a condensed menu and a sister site, Cafe Chinois.
But this place remains special.
What's the secret?
It's in the sauce.
Niki, the sauces make the dish.
Tell me a little bit about how those get created.
- We try to use fresh, natural product, just like my tamarind.
We take the fresh tamarind that is already peeled and then we cook it slowly and we make the sauce, we strain it.
I mean, it's a pretty difficult concept, but it makes a big difference when you cook the food.
- I see you have one of your hot sauces beside you.
- Yes.
This is very organic, it's very basic.
We have hot pepper, garlic and lemon grass and that's it.
You know, not anything difficult but I don't know what I put in there.
Maybe a secret touch, a special Niki love.
So it makes it good.
- Every meal here is a feast and you can enjoy yours in this art field dining room, or you can discover another layer of Indochine's appeal and dine in the garden.
There are dozens of tables, several of these pagodas and all of these gorgeous tropical plants.
It makes it feel all that much more like it's not southeastern North Carolina, and it is southeast Asia.
- [Niki] I have one of my carpenters to build these little huts that remind me of Thailand.
You know, in Vietnam, when you go to the beach, they have this little huts.
So you sit down and you eat and and enjoy the weather.
And so I call each one of these huts by a Thai name of places in Thailand.
- All of this is thanks to Nikki's audacious spirit.
When she arrived here as a young bride in the late '70s, there was no Asian cuisine to speak of in New Hanover County.
With a little encouragement from locals, she began offering cooking classes and that grew into a series of restaurants before she settled on the concept and location for Indochine.
Now she sits atop a delicious empire that continues to expand and impress.
This delicious spread, the Hokkien noodles, the Pad Thai, this curry, and of course, this gorgeous coconut cake to finish, all this and more is waiting on the menu at Indochine.
The best part about it?
You can leave your passport at home.
Just remember to wear your stretchiest pants.
- Indochine is at 7 Wayne Drive in Wilmington, and they're open daily for lunch and dinner.
For more information, you can call them at 910-251-9229.
And remember, they have other cafes and takeout locations as well.
So check them out online at indochinewilmington.com.