Spice & Rice Serves Up Asian/Jamaican Fusion in Brooklyn Park

Minnesota has no shortage of restaurant options, But you’d be hard-pressed to find a place that offers a fusion of flavors from Asia and Jamaica.

That is, until now.

“It’s always fresh,” said Rowan Brown, co-owner of Spice & Rice. “And the spices, I think a lot of people don’t realize how much the Asian culture and the Jamaican culture really goes well together with the spices.”

Brown is one of the masterminds behind Spice & Rice, which is a fast casual restaurant in Brooklyn Park that specializes in rice bowls.

“It’s not your regular rice bowl where most of the food is cold,” Brown said. “Everything is cooked to order. Everything is warm. So it’s warm rice bowls.”

Those rice bowls are packed with flavors from Brown’s native country of Jamaica. It’s where he learned the art of cooking from his mom and then honed his skills in culinary school.

The result all that experience is a fresh and modern mix that reminds customers of Montego Bay on a cold winter day, or Saigon when the craving’s on.

The Asian Street Fries at Spice & Rice consist of crispy fries, cheese, hoison sauce, spicy mayo, siracha & cilantro.

“The food is really good. The customer service is outstanding,” said Thomas Scott, a customer from Brooklyn Park. “And so, yeah, I’m always trying something new and I haven’t found anything that I don’t like.”

“It’s awesome to just come and try new foods and try foods that just have a variety of different flavors,” said another customer from Minneapolis.

One of the other things that have benefited Spice & Rice is its proximity to Heavy Rotation Brewing.

“We do have a delivery partnership,” Brown said. “The brewery has been bringing in a lot of customers here, just like how we bring a lot of customers to the brewery.”

As the only Asian/Jamaican fusion restaurant around, the hope is that the unique blend of flavors will continue to attract customers for years to come.

Meanwhile, Spice & Rice also makes its own jerk sauce. Later this year, they’re planning to bottle the sauce and have it available for sale so that folks can bring that taste of Jamaica to their home.

A chicken bowl at Spice & Rice. The restaurant is located at 9801 Xenia Ave N, Suite 104 in Brooklyn Park.

Related: Heavy Rotation Brewing Opens Friday in Brooklyn Park

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