Taste Of The Town: Fusion Of Flavors At Est. 33 Thai Craft Brewery & Kitchen

MIAMI (CBSMiami) – There is a new restaurant in Miami blending eastern and western cultures and throwing in refreshing homemade craft beers.

Welcome to Est. 33 Thai Craft Brewery and Kitchen located on the 4th floor of the Brickell City Center.

This popular new eatery has a huge connected indoor and outdoor space, with an open kitchen in the center of the restaurant.

"We are fusing Thai cuisine and southeast Asian cuisine and infusing them with American-style barbecue and a brewery. So, you can imagine the possibilities are endless," said Executive Chef Sean Bernal.

The design is clean and sporty with an Asian flair.

The name, Est. 33, is an homage to the startup of the company's brewery in Bangkok that was established in 1933.

"That's actually a dragon that is the symbol of Singha beer, which is the largest beer producer in Southeast Asia," the chef said pointing out the mascot on the wall.

Head Brewer Todd Space makes seven beers at the in-house brewery.

For him, it's all about pairing his beers with chef Bernal's dishes and improvising at times.

"Sometimes just for fun, I'll take one of our beers that we already have, and I'll treat it with toasted rice or lemongrass, just to give it a little bit more of a Thai flavor so we have more variation," Space explained.

Chef Bernal and CBS4's Lisa Petrillo start with a sampling of Todd's beer flight.

"Let's you pick your favorite and then you come back, and you can order a big boy glass. I'm starting with a little girl glass."

"Fruity and cool perfect for today," said Petrillo.

Back in the kitchen, chef Bernal prepared the fun food options. They began with Thai-spiced rubbed beef brisket with bao buns. Perfect for sharing.

"That's how we're making our fusion by introducing these Asian flavors to American style barbecue. I think it works beautiful," said Chef Sean.

"Crispy, crunchy, great flavor. It's so fun, like a hug. It's everything I love in a sandwich," said Petrillo.

Next, crispy fried whole red snapper with a side papaya salad.

"The fish we're eating today is a mango snapper. It's caught in key largo so I'm interjecting the local catch here," said Chef Sean.

"This is a really exciting fish, if I can say that," said Petrillo. "The crunch of the veggies is so great, and it has heat but not too much. There's so much flavor and all the spices you put in there are wonderful. It's really tender and it doesn't taste fried."

And finally, Est. 33's signature shrimp pad Thai. You choose how spicy you want it, with a squeeze of fresh lime juice.

"The texture of the pad Thai noodles is so perfect. I'm tasting so many flavors which is really the key to this food. Everything is extra unique," said Petrillo.

Est. 33 Thai Craft Brewery and Kitchen is open seven days a week for lunch and dinner.

For more info, click here.

RECIPE: Whole Fried Snapper

Ingredients For Fish:

• 1-1.25lb whole fish (scaled, gutted and gilled)
• 2 cups rice flour
• 2 cups cornstarch
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Cilantro sprigs for garnish

Directions For Snapper:

In a bowl mix cornstarch and rice flour. Score snapper vertically at an angle to the bone. Season with salt and pepper, and be sure to season in all scores as well as the cavity of the fish. Next place the fish in a flour bowl and coat completely with flour ensuring all parts have been dusted. Then fry in a preheated deep fat fryer at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately 15 minutes or until meat flakes easily from the bone.

Sauce Ingredients (Makes Four Portions):

• 1 cup Teriyaki sauce
• 1 cup tamarind sauce
• 1 cup sake
• 1 cup sugar
• ½ cup julienne ginger
• ¼ cup minced lemongrass
• ¼ scallion sliced on bias
• ¼ cup julienne red pepper
• ¼ cup julienne green bell pepper

Directions For Sauce:

Bring the teriyaki sauce, tamarind sauce, sake and sugar to a boil and reduce by half. Once reduced, add vegetables and simmer until the vegetables are tender. Reserve sauce.

How To Plate:

Once the fish is cooked, drain on paper towels to remove any excess oil. Once drained, place on a plate and spoon sauce over fish. Garnish with cilantro sprigs.