Wild Ginger has been serving Asian cuisine from Thailand, China, Vietnam, India, Malaysia, and beyond since 1989. You may have visited locations in downtown Seattle or Bellevue in the past. In August, Wild Ginger opened their third location in South Lake Union on the ground floor of the McKenzie Apartments. I had a chance to attend the Media/VIP Pre-Opening Cocktail Party to celebrate! The party was filled with smiling faces, boomerangs, and photo ops! It was great to catch up with folks I haven’t seen in awhile and to make new friends.

The space is beautiful with many accenting touches in the lighting fixtures and artwork. A well-stocked bar is the centerpiece of the room. The kitchen gives a glimpse of flames dancing on seared cuts of meat and veggies as you talk by. The floor-to-ceiling glass windows open up to seating on the West side of the building.

Upon entering, towers of macarons from Lady Yum were ready for tasting! Servers worked the room with cocktails, mocktails, and appetizers. The entire restaurant was buzzing with media, fashion bloggers, food influencers, and other VIPs!

Wild Ginger spoiled us with food and drink! I got to try fragrant duck with housemade bao, Hamachi crudo, Siam lettuce rolls, sesame flank steak rolls, tamarind burnt orange shrub and more! Here’s a few highlights:

The butterfly effect is a beautiful cocktail composed of Thai chili infused tequila, ancho reyes, grapefruit juice, and butterfly pea blossom.

The shiitake mushroom satay blew me away! You know I love meat but these hearty, savory mushrooms hit the spot. They were divine!

The room lit up when the lion dance started! Lion dances are said to bring good luck and fortune to new businesses. It was a great way to cap off a lively party!

Recently, the flagship Wild Ginger location in downtown Seattle launched a happy hour. Small plates, handcrafted cocktails, beer, wine, and more are available Monday-Friday from 3pm-5pm! Wild Ginger McKenzie’s happy hour is Monday-Friday from 3pm-6pm. Thank you Wild Ginger for the wonderful evening and I’m looking forward to visiting for happy hour soon!