Qui by Paul Qui

Paul Qui  winner of Bravo’s Top Chef season nine and the 2012 James Beard Foundation’s Best Chef Southwest Award has hit a home run with his new restaurant in East Austin. Qui's training in classic French and Japanese cuisine shines through at Qui with his spin on modernist cuisine while incorporating South East Asian and European flavors into creative and flavorful dishes. The restaurant vibe is both creative and comfortable with warm lighting and vibrant sound that is not too loud.  Qui does a daily chef's tasting menu as well as an a la carte menu and a small bites menu.  On this particular evening, the menu was an "Ode to Michel Bras".

A writer from the local Tribeza Magazine quoted him saying, “I was already planning to open the restaurant before the awards happened,” explains Qui, “but what the James Beard and Top Chef (exposure) has allowed me to do is to be able to explore my food with a little bit more creativity. I think because of the recognition, people are more apt to try things that they normally wouldn't try.”