Popular Coast celebrity chef has reopened his restaurant. We rate the vibe, food and value
Chef Scott Khong is on the move again.
One of the most popular chefs in South Mississippi has just reopened his new Chef Scott’s Asian Cuisine Sushi and Hibachi complete with a brand new sushi bar.
Khong has been a local celebrity in Ocean Springs for years thanks to his famous sushi rolls. He closed his original restaurant in 2021 in order to care for his son and stepped back into the game in 2023 with a small diner.
He then upgraded spaces with Hurley’s Hibachi at a new location in November, changed the name and temporarily closed to prepare the sushi bar.
Now the restaurant is in full swing, so we gave Chef Scott’s new digs a go.
Vibe: 4 out of 5
Chef Scott has captured the essence of his food in aesthetic with his new location. There’s an air of serene even an intimate dining room.
Dark colors and soft lights set the mood. The small entry features greenery set into a stone cut-out and the familiar scent of fried rice brings you to your table.
Bamboo sticks serve as the partition between the main dining area and the overflow. Your windowed view into the hibachi room features the gold of statued fish and the white of a potted faux orchid.
The modest homeliness is welcoming and a tremendous fit for Chef Scott’s art.
Food: 4.5 out of 5
We started with pork egg rolls. It’s a small dish with a significant variance in quality place to place. These were on the top-end of the egg roll spectrum.
Not greasy, not over-cooked and flavor in each crunchy bite. The sweet chili sauce served with it is here strictly on business. It brings heat and kick that clears the sinuses.
The main course consisted of the shrimp fried rice with a popcorn roll. I thoroughly enjoyed the rice. Fried rice is a top-three all-time meal for me and I loved the fluffiness this dish brought. It’s hard to find fried rice that distinguishes itself uniquely above many others, but unsurprisingly Chef Scott finds a way.
The popcorn roll was a simple number filled with crab stick and cucumber mixed with spicy mayo and topped in tempura flakes. The standout factor was just how noticeably refreshing each piece was, blending with the savory instead of taking a backseat.
Overall, there’s a localized feel to the food. It’s prepared carefully and doesn’t feel like an assembly-line meal.
Value: 4 out of 5
There’s nothing to complain about here. Chef Scott doesn’t appear to be in the business of gouging and skimping.
The portions were plentiful and the menu appropriately-priced with many high-value options. Several bento boxes are available, offering a wide range of protein-packed meals for $12.
Both regular and signature rolls are right around and even just below industry standard price and hibachi meals won’t break the bank.
All in all, Chef Scott has himself another restaurant destined to succeed in Ocean Springs.
Address: 803 Bienville Blvd, Ocean Springs, MS
Hours: Tuesday-Sunday, 11 a.m. - 8:30 p.m.
This story was originally published January 13, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
