Chef Scott’s Express sushi is back on the MS Coast. Here’s what I ordered my first visit
Chef Scott Khong ran some of the most popular Asian restaurants on the Coast for several decades before stepping away to spend time with his adolescent son, who had been diagnosed with Leukemia.
That was two years ago. It was a decision made shortly after earning the Sun Herald People’s Choice award for best sushi in South Mississippi.
Now, in 2023, Khong is back in Ocean Springs. He reopened Chef Scott’s Express in April and received great news earlier this week: his son is cancer-free.
Given the story of Khong and his family and his reputation on the Coast, I had to visit and see what made his food so special.
What strikes you as you enter the suite squeezed into a plaza along Bienville Boulevard is the instant authenticity. Not the manufactured kind, the kind that focuses on what you’re being served and nothing else.
There’s nothing fake about the restaurant. Chef Scott’s Express isn’t dressed up. The dining room and the kitchen are one and the same room. You can grab a seat at any of the food-court tables placed to the side and watch the cooks prepare your order.
For my wife and I, we put a full meal on the ticket. Miso soup and egg rolls to start. The sweet chili sauce was phenomenal.
I got the Speak to the Dragon specialty roll. The shrimp and spicy sriracha sauce paired well on a well-presented roll that snaked across the plate.
My wife, one who likes to live dangerously and enjoys raw sushi, got a sampler of sashimi. She had high praise for it and said the fish melted in her mouth on every bite.
Finally, we ordered the sweet and sour chicken dinner plate. Chef Scott says it’s one of his most popular dishes. It’s not a unique order, but Cheff Scott’s rendition certainly is.
The sauce is made right there in his kitchen. No juices for flavor, only the real thing. It’s made with apples, pineapples and oranges. The difference in taste is substantial. It’s almost refreshing. The chicken is served with rice and corn.
Like everything else in the building, the meal is down-to-earth.
There’s nothing fancy here. It’s not packed with a crowd of voices reverberating off each other until they arrive as a dull, indistinct hum. It’s quiet.
This is peace. This is a Wednesday night shared between a man and his sushi-crazed wife. Two tables over, a mother slides her daughter a birthday present as they share smiling whispers.
It’s an evening away. Chef Scott’s isn’t a secret, but it’s enjoyed as if it is one. And that’s why I’ll be back.
This story was originally published December 1, 2023 at 5:45 AM.
