Please note: This review is of the location on 31st and 129th only and not of the Duffy’s in Broken Arrow which is under different ownership than this Tulsa location.
We all know that Duffy’s in Tulsa and Broken Arrow has been serving up good eats for a long time, but when I paid a visit to the Duffy’s location on 31st and 129th Street in Tulsa, I was surprised to find Asian food as a second choice to the burgers and fries menu!
I paid the visit to Duffy’s because I recently stopped off for a beer at Willie’s Bar and noticed a sign on Duffy’s next door that mentioned Asian food being served there. The whole ‘Asian Food’ thing peeked my curiosity because I’ve always associated Duffy’s with ‘Meat and Potatoes’ , which of course they still serve… The diner is under new ownership and this is where the plot thickens…
I was told by the cook that the Asian food is made up from traditional Hmong recipes… “Hmong?” I said, having no clue as to what Hmong food was. I was told by the owner, that Hmong food is made up from tastes in between Thai and Laos foods.
I have eaten at quite a few Asian restaurants in Tulsa and across the U.S. in New York, New Jersey, California and as far away as in Asia and Europe but not once have I come across Hmong food.
The flavors at Duffy’s are closer to Thai and Indian than anything else with some dishes prepared with curry, some with coconut milk and quite a few with peanut seasoning and fresh Asian vegetables.
My guest and I ordered Curried Beef that came with sticky rice and we also ordered Pork Fried Rice, though these same dishes can also be prepared to include shrimp or chicken as well.
Thai iced tea was also offered on the menu along with the common fare, Mountain Dew, Coke, Gatorade et al.
My guest and I ordered the Thai Iced Tea which is a somewhat creamy iced tea with hints of the spices cardamom and cinnamon, topped of with milk, sugar and of course black tea. The drink hit the right spot on this hot and humid Oklahoma day.
I asked the cook to make the Curried Beef a little hotter than normal even though it was already listed on the menu as being SPICY and HOT. I love spicy and hot food and to me a true test of a good restaurant is for the cook to be able to work ‘outside the box’ when asked to do so buy a patron.
I told the cook that most of the Fried Rice I have found in Tulsa, seemed to be missing an ingredient or two, whether I had visited a buffet or an A La Carte Chinese restaurant… The owner agreed and said that most places here that claim to make Chinese Fried Rice, are actually making a Vietnamese version toned down for American tastes. I had to agree with her about that point since it’s something my friend Bobby and I have been talking about ever since we moved to Oklahoma from the Northeast. That is not to say that the Fried Rice served up in Tulsa is bad, it’s just that having grown up in the Northeast, the Fried Rice served at Linn’s Garden in New York or any small Chinese take out place along the Jersey shore is what I am used to and the ‘light’ or ‘yellow colored’ Fried Rice served in Tulsa, is quite unfamiliar to me and quite frankly, I rarely order it here in Tulsa… That changed the day I had the Fried Rice at Duffy’s!
The Fried Rice, My new heaven on a plate if you haven’t guessed already, costs about $7 and it’s no small portion at all. The rice is a darker, more flavorful rice than Tulsa’s normal fare, mixed with a special sauce, carrot, bean, corn, celery, cilantro, cucumber, green onion, garlic and egg, chopped finely and served piping hot. The flavor of the Fried Rice is so good and the dish so plentiful, that you could make it a main course instead of a side dish.
The Curried Beef at about $7 was served on a dish the same size as that of the fried rice and is cooked in a special sauce flavored with some coconut milk, salt, sugar, baby corn and Asian vegetables. The beef itself is a good cut of beef, sliced thin with enough meat to compliment the overall wonderful flavor of the dish’s curry base. The curry was not overwhelming even though it is the main focus of the dish, simply the right amount to arouse my palette. The flavors? Incredible to say the least! Hmong food is rich and harmonius to the toungue. The cook did me a favor and added a bit more pepper since I had asked for the dish to be hotter than normal.
The flavor of the Curried Beef dish and the Fried Rice surpassed my expectations by 100%… This one Duffy’s location is now one of my new favorites, not for burgers and fries, but for Hmong Asian Food.
Here are some other items on the Hmong / Asian menu:
- WAI WAI LOMEIN… $6.19
- TOFU… $6.19
- SWEET PORK…$6.19
- STEAMED OR FRIED FISH…$6.19 (Served with sweet or hot sauce.)
- PAPAYA SALAD…$3.99
- BAMBOO SOUP…$2.99
- EGG ROLLS, SPRING ROLLS, CABBAGE ROLLS, NOODLE ROLLS…from $0.75 each
- GRILLED PORK SAUSAGE ASIAN STYLE…$6.19
There are more great dishes served at Duffy’s on the Asian menu and of course great American food for breakfast, lunch and dinner as well.
To learn more about the Hmong people and how they got to America visit JeffLyndsay.com - The Hmong in America: A Story of Tragedy and Hope.
Hours:
Mon - Sat: 8AM - 8PM and Sun: 8AM - 6PM
Location: SE corner of 31st and 129th in Tulsa, next door to Willie’s Bar.
918-665-6607
Major credit cards accepted - To go orders always welcome.
Enjoy!
Vinnie
Im for sure this person in unfamiliar with asian cuisine other than knowing that hmong cuising is nothing but a replica of chinese and thai traditional cooking look for your self see how many hmong restaurants there are on the whole world web ???????? google it if you like im telling not sure what to make of hmong cuisine its not chinese its that its not even fried rice look for hmong recipes you wont find any that is linked to anything traditional im for sure of that trippin ??
I am sorry to report that this restaurant has closed. The new owners are advertising “BBQ and Sanwhiches and More” but as of today they haven’t opened yet. When I know more I will post here or write a new review.
Duffy’s has re-opened and I hope to do a review soon. In response to dareals comment above. I never said that Hmong foord was Chinese at all. I simply stated that it was good food. My stating that the fried rice which is typically known as a Chinese dish, was very good - even though it had been cooked by this Hmong restaurant.
Anyone can make fried rice and you don’t have to be Chinese to make it. The Hmong version of rice that I had was obviously a recipe that took the traditional Chinese dish and then updated it with some different ingredients to make it what it was… very good.
Futher… Since when is it not ok for the owner to call the recipes “Traditional Hmong”? Why if the Hmong people have adopted Thai cuisine and other asian dishes into their families and then changed the recipes to suit their own tastes… How does this make their food non traditional? Just because there is not a vast library of Hmong food resources online, does not mean that the Hmong people and the food they eat, should be discounted by any means.
The statement you made “Im for sure this person in unfamiliar with asian cuisine other than knowing that hmong cuising is nothing but a replica of chinese and thai traditional” - I am not exactly sure where you were going with this statement… The fact is, that I am part asian. My dad is Filipino and Mom, German / Irish. Now of course this doesn’t mean I am an expert in talking about asian food but since the review was to help advertise this restaurant, I compared what I have already have eaten before (Chinese / Thai etc) to help a reader that might be less familiar with Hmong food, to undertand what Hmong food is similar to. Sadly, the Hmong menu is gone… The new owners do have a good selection of food - I will visit them soon and write an updated review.
Thank you for making the comments about Hmong food. I am Hmong and I know that a lot of our dishes are just updated from original recipes to suit our taste but we also have a lot of other dishes that are cooked in the privacy of our homes just for Hmong people to enjoy on a daily basis. I accidently came across your posting and found that you seem to like the Hmong taste as well as other Asian food. You should stop by Minnesota especially St.Paul and try out food especially made from scratch by Hmong people. Maybe you might be lucky to be invited home to taste private home cooked meals that can’t be found anywhere except in Hmong homes. Thank you for your posting and I hope that you will get to experience many more tasteful foods to come.
I was sad to see that Duffy’s on 31st and 129th was sold to a new owner so the Hmong Menu is no longer. I do know the new owners of Duffy’s and they are quite nice and the quality of the food is very good - Pong, one of the owners has added a few Korean dishes but for the most part the menu is similar to that of the original Duffy’s menu.
I did however find Hmong food at The Hmong Cafe - on the Northwest corner of 31st and Garnett. I hope to write a review soon. The food is very fresh, full of flavor and now the second place I have found with Bubble Tea with the first being Bali Fusion Cafe.
It would be nice to visit Minnesota sometime to sample some of the great Hmong food there… I do know that at The Hmong Cafe here in Tulsa, the sausage comes from a sausage factory in Minnesota… so for now perhaps that’s as close as I’ll get to going to MN - until time allows otherwise!
Vinnie
If you want good Asian cuisine go to Thai Garden, 813 W. Kenosha in broken arrow, now that’s good fried rice (Thai fried rice). They bought out “Franks Dinner” a monumental establishment from the late 50’s and converted the entire building to “Thai Garden”. It’s a bit unknown to the general public BUT all the regulars love eating there.
The restaurant owner is a Thai woman who married a Hmong man. They have infused it to make dishes that are to die for! By the way, Hmong people are in fact Chinese descendents and so Hmong and traditional Chinese cuisine are very similar. Sun Chiao (who is Hmong) once ruled the southern region of China until the Hmong people were casted out and forced to spread throughout Southern Asia.
Sammi,
Thanks for letting us know about That Garden in Broken Arrow. I’ll be sure to pay them a visit soon.
Vinnie
Vinnie,
Great comments regarding Hmong food. As for the dareals character, we’re as close to chinky-chinese as they come. Vinnie is correct, nobody holds the authenticity of “traditional” anymore. Today, food and spices are inter-mingled and mix-match to suit the taste of the everyday Hienz 57 American.
hey, my grandpa is the owner of HMONG CAFE. only been there twice though. haha.
Hello..I’m 100% Hmong, and I swear, ORIGINAL HMONG FOOD, does not consist of LOMEIN…From what I know, that’s not something traditional Hmong families would eat on a daily basis. Let alone fride rice?? I’m pretty sure the food was great, but I dont like the fact that it’s other culture’s traditional foods that have adapted and other cultures claiming that it’s traditional. Pork sausages, cabbage rolls, Stewed pork w/veggies like bakchoi, nqaij tsaws (pork boiled for at least 5-6 hours mixed w/ greens and boiled for an additional hour) are considered Hmong Food. Another great example would be chicken, (thai chicken w/ herbs all of our parents grow so sacredly in their back yards and used for women for one month after labor) are Hmong foods. From what I know, and cook daily, my family and my father-in-law does not say ‘I want lomein, or sometype of hmong course that has a chinese origin’ or even curry? That was adapted from Thai and Veitnamese. I’m sorry to say, but where ever it was that you ate, it does not sound like Hmong food to me. That’s like Chinese. And I would not eat it if it was labeled Hmong food. I’m quite offended that whoever runs this resturant can even call it Real and Traditional Hmong Food. I’m pretty sure if that person is Hmong, it’s not what they are cooking at home for their elders…….
oh…and don’t take my note offensively. it’s not meant to offend anyone, it’s just my opinion…