Noodles are out and rice is in at Union Hmong Kitchen within Graze Provisions + Libations.

Union Hmong Kitchen just started serving a new menu from Mov, a pop-up concept by chef Yia Vang, in its 290-square-foot stall at the North Loop food hall. It replaces another Union Hmong Kitchen pop-up, Slurp, whose brothy and saucy noodle dishes were available for the winter.

To start, Mov is offering six rice bowls with different proteins and vegetables, including two vegan options. Vang told Downtown Voices on Monday that more items will be added to the menu later on.

Vang’s intention with Mov is to showcase rice as the “canvas” for each dish, with other ingredients enhancing it as the “paint,” and to honor the importance of rice in Hmong culture.

Mov (pronounced “maw”) is the Hmong word for rice or food. There’s a Hmong phrase "los noj mov,” which translates to "come and eat,” another reason the name Mov was chosen for the pop-up.

Union Hmong Kitchen itself operated as a pop-up for several years, until it joined Graze in fall 2021. Vang told Downtown Voices that the crew at Graze has perfected a “quick fire” pace to serve customers who often only have 30 minutes to eat. He said ticket times average seven to eight minutes.

Union Hmong Kitchen tested Mov, Slurp, and Mee-Ka, a pop-up inspired by the Hmong-American comfort food of Vang’s childhood, at its Hilltribe space in Uptown for the first half of 2023. Then in July, the building at 901 W. Lake St. became a dedicated Union Hmong Kitchen restaurant, which recently started serving brunch on Sundays.

Slurp took over Union Hmong Kitchen’s stall at Graze in early December. Mov will stay on through the summer. Then it’s possible that Vang will give Mee-Ka or another pop-up a run at Graze, or revert back to a Union Hmong Kitchen menu.

Union Hmong Kitchen can also be found at Target Field, U.S. Bank Stadium and the Minnesota State Fair.

Graze is located at 520 N. Fourth St. It’s open every day starting at 11 a.m. and open until at least 9 p.m. most days.