A New Haiku

Haiku Asian Bistro is fast becoming a Westchester staple. With four locations already open in the County, the restaurant debuted its newest outpost on White Plains Road on the border of Eastchester and Scarsdale on March 16. 

“We know the area well [being from Eastchester] and we see that there is a demand for something new,” says Christian Runco, a co-owner of the Eastchester location.

Haiku, which got its start in Bronxville, is known for its fresh and inventive pan-Asian cuisine. While the original is smaller and more understated, the newest location displays a sleek ambiance with a warm and welcoming glow—complete with a full bar and a lounge area for patrons looking for a pre-dinner drink or waiting for their table on busier nights.

Fans of Haiku will also be pleased to know that the menu stays true to its roots. As Runco says, “It’s 90 percent the same, with the chef’s twists on certain dishes.”

The idea to bring Haiku to the area came about in the early spring of 2010. According to Runco, it took eight months of renovation to turn the empty space into a full functioning restaurant.

“We basically built the whole thing from scratch. Everything is new—from the kitchen to the bar, dining room, décor, etc.” Runco explains.

Each Haiku locations boasts a different type of atmosphere—the White Plains location, for example, provides a trendy, almost club-like ambiance. The newest version is still lounge-like, but without the intensity of the White Plains bar scene.

“We don’t want each location to be exactly the same, we want people to experience something different,” says Runco.

Of the new restaurant, Runco says: “We wanted people to feel comfortable. It’s a mix of themes, including some culturally inspired, something that would fit the area. You feel like you’re traveling in another world, [with] little elements that remind you of different parts of the world. We play on colors and shapes. It’s subtle but it all came together nicely.”

Runco says that the location will be featuring specials and “definitely incorporating desserts.”

In particular, they’ll be serving up “sweet sushi”—a fun take on dessert that parodies sushi, their most popular offering.

“At the White Plains locations, we launched sweet sushi,” says Runco. “I was thinking for a long time, ‘How can I up the ante with dessert?’ Asian restaurants aren’t heavily focused on dessert.”

He explains that the dessert takes the form of a sushi roll with chocolate, cake, pistachio paste—meant to look like wasabi—and fruit ganache.

“The pastry chef created it and plated it like you would sushi. [It’s] served with a chocolate dipping sauce, which looks like soy sauce,” he explains.

In the business for ten years, Runco has always been interested in “concept design,” which is about putting yourself in the mind of the customer.

“What do they want, how can I create that and how can I deliver it?” he says.

Runco, who had a big part in the opening of the new location, says,  “I believe Haiku is really strong. We're young. I think we’re growing and I think we have room to grow, so I'm excited."