•Weekday Getaways at the bu•ku BAR•

Leisurely afternoons. Globally inspired BAR specials and small plates. Amazing atmosphere.

•Weekday Getaways•

mon•day     $1 Sake* / $2 Sushi Rolls

tues•day     $3 Draft Beers* / $3 Wings

wed•new•day     $4 Sangria* / $1 Emapanas

thurs•day     $4 Martinis* / $5 Cheese Plates

fri•day     $15 Friday Night Wine Flights*

the bu•ku BAR

1:10pm-6:10pm

110 E. Davie Street

(*Available All Day)

Lunch ($15pp) and Dinner ($30pp)

to celebrate  Triangle Restaurant Week.

You will definitely want to reserve for this one:
919-834-6963
www.bukuraleigh.com/buku/reservations/

Join us every Friday night for a first class trip to wine regions all over the world to experience new, fun, global wines.

Each month, on Friday Nights, we will feature a flight of wines from a different region of the globe. Join us as we host weekly world tour wine adventures as only we can!

For the Month of January

we will feature a Flight of Sakes from Japan for only $15

We hope to see you this Friday in Japan!

Book your Flight Now at www.bukuraleigh.com/buku/reservations/

“I love Scotch. Scotchy, scotch, scotch. Here it goes down, down into my belly…” – Ron Burgundy

Love Scotch? Want to learn more about it? Want to taste some of the world’s best scotches? Well, alrighty then. We’ve got you covered.
Join us in the bu•ku BAR with Scotch Ambassador Chris Williamson for a night of Single Malt Scotch tastings and a 4-course globally inspired dinner.

We will be featuring Chivas 12, Chivas 18, The Glenlivet 15yr, The Glenlivet 16yr, and The Glenlivet 18yr

Reserve now, as there are only a limited number of seats available.

5 Scotches
4 Course Dinner
Scotch Ambassador Chris Williamson
Wednesday, January 18th in the bu•ku BAR
$39 per person

Buku Raleigh
919-834-6963
www.bukuraleigh.com/buku/reservations/

Please specify SCOTCH DINNER in reservation.

Get excited, Raleigh! New Year’s 2012 is almost here, and we have big plans!

Celebrate New Year’s 2012 right where all the action is! We are located in the heart of downtown Raleigh, literally steps from the official First Night Raleigh celebrations.

We will be offering an amazing 5 course menu, a Champagne Toast at Midnight, and DJ Triple B will be spinning all night in the bu•ku BAR!

Be sure to make your reservations for our special New Year’s dinner now, as there are only a limited number of seatings available and they are going fast!

Not joining us for dinner? The bu•ku BAR will be open all night with DJ Triple B and there is No Cover charge.

Bring in 2012 in style at bu•ku! Happy New Year!

We would love to host your holiday party or special event!

Celebrate. Elevate.

Give your guests a global experience they will not soon forget. This Holiday Season, experience the Triangle’s Most Innovative Menu.

We are still taking reservations for groups of ten to one-hundred and ten.

Call us at 919-834-6963 or email at events@bukuraleigh.com

Happy Holidays and we look forward to hearing from you!

There are so many ways to get your bu•ku gift certificates this holiday season!

Come in and see us any time of the day. We are open from 11am- Last Call, 7 days a week. Be sure to stay and each some global delectables while you are at it!

Call us at 919-834-6963

Right here on the website: Clock on the ‘Store’ link in the top navigation bar

or just follow this link : Follow Me!

Happy Holidays, All!

Think Global. Eat Local.

Join us every Friday night for a first class trip to wine regions all over the world to experience new, fun, global wines.

Each month, on Friday Nights, we will feature a flight of wines from a different region of the globe. Join us as we host weekly world tour wine adventures as only we can!

For the Month of December

we will feature a Flight of Wines from the Mendoza region of Argentina for only $15

We hope to see you this Friday in Mendoza!

Book your Flight Now at www.bukuraleigh.com/buku/reservations/

Join us every Friday night for a first class trip to wine regions all over the world to experience new, fun, global wines.

Each month, on Friday Nights, we will feature a flight of wines from a different region of the globe. Join us as we host weekly world tour wine adventures as only we can!

For the Month of November

we will feature a Flight of Wines from the Burgundy region of France for only $15

We hope to see you this Friday in Burgundy!

Book your Flight Now at www.bukuraleigh.com/buku/reservations/

Join us every Friday night for a first class trip to wine regions all over the world to experience new, fun, global wines.

Each month, on Friday Nights, we will feature a flight of wines from a different region of the globe. Join us as we host weekly world tour wine adventures as only we can!

For the Month of October

we will feature a Flight of Wines from South Africa for only $15

We hope to see you this Friday in South Africa!

Book your Flight Now at www.bukuraleigh.com/buku/reservations/

We are so lucky to have received SO MUCH good press and awards since our opening in February. We’re glad you like what we’re doing and just know that we are hard at work trying to make the menus, the food, the drinks, the entertainment and every dining experience even better.

We have a lot of plans for new and exciting additions to our concept this Summer, so stay tuned!!!

When William D’Auvray abruptly closed Fins in January, it caught many by surprise. D’Auvray is widely regarded as one of the area’s most talented chefs, after all, and his restaurant had enjoyed a solid fan base dating back to its opening in 1997. But when he moved Fins from its original location in North Raleigh to larger, tonier quarters in the high-rent downtown district in 2007 – just months before the recession hit – the timing couldn’t have been more unfortunate.

To some, the blow would have been devastating. But D’Auvray, who grew up in the Philippines and has traveled extensively in Asia, was no doubt aware that the Chinese word for “crisis” is composed of the characters for “danger” and “opportunity.”

A month after closing Fins, he opened bu.ku in its place.

Inspired by the food sold from pushcarts and street vendors of the world – everything from Filipino lumpia to Colombian arepa – bu.ku’s menu ventures far beyond the Pacific Rim boundaries of its predecessor. It’s emphatically more affordable, too. Small plates, which make up the bulk of the offering, are with few exceptions priced in the $5-$10 range.

Don’t be misled by the prices. D’Auvray still uses exclusively wild-caught and sustainably farmed seafood (his sashimi selection remains the envy of Japanese restaurants), and he stocks his kitchen with organic produce and naturally raised meats. The chef’s considerable culinary skills are still abundantly evident, too, and his reputation for attention to detail remains intact in everything from precise knife work to eye-catching plate presentations.

In D’Auvray’s hands, Hawaiian yellowtail poke – traditionally a rustic salad of raw fish – is transformed into uniformly diced gems of irreproachably fresh yellowtail in a light dressing of sweet soy and lime, punctuated with cashews and served on a bed of fine julienne cucumber and jicama. Ribbons of fried plantain, a refined variation on the traditional chips, add a welcome crunchy counterpoint.

You’d search in vain among the floating markets of Thailand for as elegant a rendition of Thai barbecued pike as the dish you’re served at bu.ku: fingers of moist filet with an ethereally light, subtly spiced crust, served on a plate lined with carefully arranged bamboo leaves. Rounding out the dish is a refreshing green papaya salad which, while not authentically pungent with fish sauce, is nonetheless perfectly matched to the delicate fish.

D’Auvray’s stated aim atbu.ku isn’t slavish devotion to authenticity anyway, but to create broadly appealing dishes that capture the essence of the originals that inspired them. Time and again, he succeeds.

His success with Pacific Rim-inspired dishes such as sake-braised short ribs and Chinese steamed barbecued pork buns (bao) will come as no surprise to those who have eaten at Fins. The coconut red-curry hot pot with straw mushrooms and chicken, ladled out at the table, will surely evoke fond memories among longtime fans.

So will plantain-crusted Chilean sea bass and Indonesian-style snapper, two immensely popular Fins entrees that were carried over to the small entree list that bu.ku offers for those who opt for a traditional meal.

If there is a surprise, it’s that D’Auvray is equally comfortable when he ventures out of his Asian comfort zone. Polish pierogis, filled with beer-braised chicken and cooked in brown butter, are first-rate. So is an entree featuring a bone-in Kurobuta pork chop, roasted on the rack (don’t let the “crown rack” on the menu fool you; it refers to the cooking method, not the size of the dish) and served with trumpet royale mushroom over spring onion spaetzle.

It’s hard to go wrong, really. The only advice I can give is not to consume too much of the Korean chile sambal (it’s intended as a dip for one of the house-baked flatbreads, but you’ll be tempted to eat it with a spoon) before you’ve had a chance to taste delicate dishes such as grilled octopus with white beans. Unless, that is, you’ve cleansed your palate with a few sips from bu.ku’s eclectic selection of beers, wines, chilled sakes and specialty cocktails.

Large black-and-white photographs of market scenes and pushcarts from all over the world pay tribute to bu.ku’s inspiration, but the decor is otherwise little changed from the previous incarnation as Fins’ dining room. If at first the setting seems a bit posh for a restaurant that celebrates street food, don’t worry. After a few bites, it’ll feel just right.

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