When an Asian woman tells you to add the sugar, you add the sugar.
That’s the lesson I took from a recent visit to K-Bop, a fun and authentic little Korean café inside the La Pavilion shopping center. K-Bop has been a familiar fixture at the downtown Saturday Market and now has its own storefront, open since May, according to the restaurant.
Somehow, I’d never sampled them at the market. So, when a friend posted photos of some of her dishes on Facebook, I was kicking myself for missing out.
The menu is small, but I always think that must mean that everything is well-made. K-Bop features Korean fried chicken, beef or pork bulgogi, japchae (clear noodles) or tan su yuk (sweet and sour pork) either in a cup or a plate with rice and your choice of two sides: fried dumplings, cucumber or napa kimchi, steamed vegetables or japchae. There are also croquettes, chicken wings, and something (tantalizingly) named a Korean hotdog.
Inside, it feels like some of the Asian restaurants of my childhood, no frills, only a few tables and impeccably clean, with a small rack filled with colorful bags of Asian snacks. But it’s modern, too, with a brick accent and huge posters of their delicious food on pale jade walls.
But you don’t need to just look at the posters because the food items are all there on a steam table behind glass at the counter. The smiling Korean lady offered us a sample, adding that the Korean fried chicken is very popular. I was also fascinated by a large poster with the Korean hotdog options (regular, or with a coating of French fries (!) or ramen noodles (!)). I had to order one, along with the fried chicken, while my husband ordered a longtime favorite, bulgogi, but made of pork instead of the usual beef.
“You want white rice, right?” the lady asked with another smile. I recognized the challenge and accepted—if you’re Chinese, of course you get the white rice! Plus, I added a side of the steamed vegetables and the japchae.
But the corndog had us both confused. As she offered it, the lady asked, “With sugar?”
Instead of answering, I asked, “Do most people get the sugar?”
She nodded, but my husband and I looked at each other and shook our heads. So, with a shrug, she handed the corndog to us.
We set it to the side to dig into our entrees first. It’s clear the Korean fried chicken is popular for good reason. Each nugget of tender white meat is enrobed in a light, sweet and saucy fried coating, with a warm heat—with the white rice perfectly soaking up the rich sauce.
The bulgogi was just a little spicier, and this version leaned more on the tangy side, with that rich marinated flavor that also is a little sweet and a little sour.
What I loved was that everything was full of flavor—and it wasn’t just the entrees. The japchae noodles are just glass noodles, dressed—I think—with soy sauce and sesame oil, but sometimes I’ve had these noodles at other places and they’re either bland or overcooked. This cold noodle dish was perfectly cooked so each noodle held its shape, and they were flavored by a master. I could say the same about the cucumber kimchi, which my husband ordered. It was spicy, naturally, but not overly so to my tastebuds, mouth-puckeringly tangy in the best way, a little sweet and each bite was crisp and fresh. Even my steamed vegetables, which were just cabbage, carrots and broccoli, were just so well flavored—with just enough seasoning to bring out the flavor of each individual vegetable. And my husband’s dumplings were excellent, all crisp exterior with a tender pork filling inside.
But the corndog? We’d chosen the corndog with a French fry coating—and inside it was half hot dog at the bottom and half cheese at the top. It was fried well, but—we had to admit—bland. After a couple of bites, I went back up to the counter. “Could we try the sugar?”
Normally, they’d roll the dog in sugar, but after a little conferring, they sprinkled some on with a spoon. And that first bite blew my mind. The sugar transformed it almost to a cheese Danish—slightly sweet, slightly savory and very, very good. Even the hot dog section seemed to have its flavor enhanced by the slightly sweet coating.
I love trying new and different foods. And I especially love it when a secret ingredient transforms a dish into something pretty spectacular. K-Bop delivers on both counts. And when you think about it, that’s pretty sweet.
Make Your Reservation
K-Bop Street Food
3328 Washington Rd. (inside the La Pavilion shopping center)
Entrée cost: $24 to $60
