Ogden, UT—Located in Ocean Mart at the 12th Street Plaza, Ogden is honored to have six new food court restaurants, serving traditional and adventurous food from countries around the world.

A grand opening was held on January 27 with live performances, including traditional Japanese Drums and a Chinese Lion Dance, an important ritual for auspicious occasions bringing good luck and happiness. 

With my first visit to the food court, the Lion-Dance-for-Luck appeared to have been a success; all of the restaurants seemed happily busy with customers. I was able to sample a few of them, including Little Thai Kitchen. Spiced just-right, the green and yellow curry options were delicious! You may choose from four proteins for their six curry dishes, or pho and fresh spring rolls among other menu offerings. Vegetarians will be happy to know that the tofu was perfect. Herb, the owner, hails from Thailand. He also owns Laan Thai Restaurant in Ogden, and two other locations in Logan and Draper. 

Mochinut was another pleasant surprise. Mochinut is a Korean franchise that serves fancy Hawaiian-style mochi donuts. Their motto,  “Baking the world a better place, one donut at a time,” boasts many savory and sweet treats and drinks. The milk tea with boba was delightful and sealed in a can to order! The drink menu also includes sparkling fruit ade, ube, matcha, Thai tea, lavender milk tea and lemonade, and several varieties of Korean rice. Hot dogs round out the menu with some interesting options; Crispy Ramen, Hot Cheeto, Mexican street corn, and potato.

I spoke with the owner, Kitty, of Kittys Family Dumpling, a Chinese-cuisine family-owned business. Kitty, originally from Shanghai, started with a beloved food truck at Ogden Farmers Market. A customer favorite from the menu is the potstickers, which can be filled with beef, chicken, pork, or the vegetarian option. Wonton soups, steamed Bao, and Beijing noodles are other great selections from this oh-so-enticing menu. 

Next door is Pinky's Food Hauz, Filipino family-owned with a menu I am curious to know more about! Pinky let me know that she is a brand-new business offering dozens of mouthwatering options. Delicious baked treats are a specialty, many flavors I am not familiar with, such as buko, halo, and turon. They also servie mango, apple, and banana pies and cakes. On the savory side of the menu are traditional dishes from the Philippines; suman, espasol, bilo, maja blanca, sapin, calamay, hopia, puto gata, pichi, tupig, tortang, and pancit among so many others! Unfortunately, I've unfamiliar with these dishes. However, I am confident that the warm and welcoming Pinky would love to share details with you for a wonderful culinary experience. 

Another great option is Dakine Grindz, a Hawaiian and Filipino-themed restaurant, which started out as a food truck business seven years ago. Owner Leilani has masterfully curated the perfect menu, offering large family platters, bowls, and lunch plates. Huli-huli sweet or spicy, Katsu chicken, pork adobo, bbq pork, the smoky pulehu steak, and lumpia are some of the fabulous menu items. 

Enticing aromas from Habaneros Latin Kitchen drew me in to speak with owner Raul, who kindly answered my questions. He let me know the popular carne asada plate was a guest favorite, served with guacamole, rice and beans. Many El Salvadorian favorites include pan con pollo, fried yucca, de bistec (steak sandwich), casero breakfast with chorizo, tamales, burritos, tacos, loaded fries, nachos, sopa de gallina, tortilla soup, and other traditional soups. Raul plans to offer catering, and these dishes should be a hit at any event.

Many of these great restaurants mentioned that they would be thrilled for the opportunity to offer catering for local events. I recommend reaching out for information from their websites to find out more.

My visit was a pleasant and fulfilling experience, truly a culinary journey. As a loyal patron of Ocean Mart for many years, I used to drive out of my way for the Roy location's large selection of bento-box ingredients, especially because my elementary-age child was set on making a fancy and admired bento box lunch to bring to school for a good period of time. Now, my Ogden gym happens to be next door. So, an after-workout, hopefully well-deserved snack is likely going to become a good habit.

The food court's host, Ocean Mart, was established in 2001 in Salt Lake City. Other locations in Utah are Sandy, Roy, and West Jordan. Ocean Mart's mission states "We strive to bring fresh and wide variety of Asian groceries to the local community. Our mission is to satisfy the daily grocery needs of the local Asian-American population, as well as help introduce Asian cuisine and culture to those interested in learning more about it."