The Bulgogi Cart on 49th St. (Finally, a proper review…)
Who says 4 posts about a mediocre Bulgogi cart is overkill??? (Clearly you didn’t see me the week Chipotle opened in my building) Well, I said on Monday I would post more info about the food- but I promise this is the last one (until the $1 “bulgogi sandwiches” arrive in a few weeks). I wanted to post some real pictures of the cart, and tell you a little bit about what they’re doing along with a proper +/-. Despite the $1 Bulgogi Sandwiches not being available, what they are serving is a pretty amazing deal.
They have Bulgogi (Korean BBQ’d beef) or Chicken, served with rice, & salad for $5. But here’s the real kicker… they throw in a drink for free! (Soda or water) It is a pretty amazing deal. The menu has spicy and non-spicy versions of each of the two dishes posted, but if you order it “spicy” they just give you a cup of red hot sauce to pour over it yourself. They also give you a very small cup of kimchi (fermented cabbage), which is a real nice touch.
What I ordered, a picture of the not yet available $1 bulgogi sandwiches, and the +/- after the jump…
The first weird thing I noticed about the meal was the rice. It is yellow. I’ve never had yellow rice at a Korean restaurant before. Very strange. It would have been forgivable if the rice hadn’t been crunchy (and not in that good Dol Sot Bi Bim Bap kind of way). I’m not sure if they undercooked it, or if they scraped it off the side of the pan- but it was pretty bad. Of course, it was their first real day of business, so I’m sure they will iron out that kink as time goes on. The bulgogi had a nice flavor, but it was not chopped up very well, so it highlighted the poor quality of the meat. (Bulgogi is made with fatty meat, but you need to chop it up into little pieces to mask that. They didn’t do this very well). There was also no onions or scallions, which was a bummer.
The salad was pretty good, and the kimchi was a welcome addition. They don’t give you a ton of it, but it was of a pretty good quality. The hot sauce I wasn’t so into. It looked like the red bean paste sauce you get with Bi Bim Bap (Gochu jang), but it had more of a red chili pepper flavor- like something you would get at a BBQ joint. It was really spicy, and really strange. I had one bite with the sauce, and then tossed it. If you like your food super spicy, you may like the sauce. I believe it is called ssamjang. I’ve never had it at a Korean restaurant before, but apparently it is authentic.
All in all, for $5 it’s a great deal (especially with the free soda)- but I can’t help but thinking Kim’s Aunt Kitchen Cart on 46th St. had better Bulgogi. Sure you don’t get a free soda or kimchi, and it’s an extra $1- but sometimes that extra buck is worth it (you get white rice, and there are scallions in the bulgogi). I haven’t given up yet though… it’s only their first week, and I’m sure it will get better. PLUS I have high hopes for the $1 Bulgogi Sandwiches. I’m sure they don’t fill you up, but from the looks of the picture, I’m thinking it may end up being the greatest snack of all time.
THE +
- $5 gets you bulgogi, rice, salad, kimchi and a free soda (or water). A better deal cannot be had in all of Midtown.
- The flavor of the bulgogi is spot on.
- The kimchi is good, and a nice addition (although they don’t give you that much)
- If you like your food super spicy, they give you ssamjang on the side to add to your bulgogi
THE –
- The rice was terrible (but it was their first day, so it will probably get better. If you try it, feel free to comment on the progress below)
- The low quality of the meat was highlighted by the fact that they didn’t cut up the bulgogi well enough
- The hot sauce is not the sauce they give you with Bi Bim Bap so be careful if you are not into red chili pepper spiciness
The Infamous Disappearing Bulgogi Cart, 49th St. btw. 6 & 7th
Posted by Zach at 8:52 am, January 24th, 2007 under 49th btw 6+7th, Bulgogi Cart, Cart, Korean.
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25 Comments
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i just ordered the medium sized bulgogi with white rice and some salad with no kimchi for $6.
the bulgogi is dry with barely any marination. it’s just plain beef that is a bit oversized. i’ve been to many korean restaurants in manhattan and flushing, and this cart does not compare. but for the price i paid, the food is overpriced.
i will not return. -__-
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X-posted from the Korean BBQ Cart review:
http://midtownlunch.com/2009/06/10/new-korean-bbq-truck-to-serve-bulgogi-dogs-korean-tacos/So I did a in-depth look at the two carts side by side. Here’s my assessment:
As a Korean, I love the fact that Korean food is becoming ‘mainstream’ enough to serve streetcart style in Midtown Manhattan. Will they ever become as popular as the ubiquitous chicken & lamb halal carts? Probably not, but all of a sudden, 6th Ave has drawn two unlikely and scrappy competitors to the street meat scene.
Enter the bulgogi and kimchi cart (I’ll call it B&K for short) located at 49th & 6th and the Korean BBQ cart (I’ll call it KBBQ for short) just a block away 50th & 6th, in the vacated Happy Well Being Cart space (not sure if they’re related?). The proximity of the two carts to each other of course warrants a comparative review, so here we go!
The Bulgogi and Kimchi Cart (front):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chris6sigma/3842518241/
The Bulgogi and Kimchi Cart (side):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chris6sigma/3842513923/
The Korean BBQ Cart:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chris6sigma/3843304900/I ordered the bulgogi and rice combo from both carts, each coming in at $7. Bulgogi, an extremely common entrée in any Korean restaurant and household, is thinly sliced beef, marinated in soy sauce, sugar, ginger, scallions and other seasonings. It’s usually pan fried (though sometimes BBQ’d), with scallions, carrots and other veggies.
With both bags in hand, the KBBQ cart was noticeably heavier. Upon closer inspection, the KBBQ container was a few micrometers larger than the B&K container.
Guess they source their bags from the same place:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chris6sigma/3843312418/KBBQ on the right is slightly larger than B&K on the left:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chris6sigma/3843322984/An inside look (side by side):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chris6sigma/3843314924/An inside look (Bulgogi & Kimchi):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chris6sigma/3842530355/An inside look (Korean BBQ Cart):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chris6sigma/3842528131/Both meals come with a generous serving of white rice, bulgogi, and a small side salad. Here’s a quick breakdown:
Bulgogi:
Both bulgogi’s were approximately the same texture – slightly juicy, not too fatty, and tender. However, B&K upped the flavor quotient with a heavier hand of soy sauce and sugar marinade. If you’re averse to salt, this is probably a negative trait, but I thought it was overall tastier.Edge: Bulgogi & Kimchi
Rice:
The rice bedding of each cart were nearly identical – slightly dry though still retaining the sticky and fragrant nature of a good short grain rice. I sampled the rice side by side multiple times and couldn’t come up with a clear winner.
Edge: TieSalad:
The salad category is where the carts truly started to deviate from each other. KBBQ’s salad was composed mostly of romaine lettuce, with a single wilted cherry tomato. The salad had been heavily doused with Italian dressing and left to sit for some time, so it turned into green mush. I didn’t want to take a bite of it, but for this reviews sake, I had to. It tasted like it looks – mushy, over-seasoned, horrible, FAIL. B&K on the other hand, had a delicately dressed salad of crisp mesclun greens. I finished the B&K salad with gusto.Edge: Bulgogi & Kimchi
The ‘X Factor’:
Much to my delight, after killing the B&K salad, I discovered a hidden treat. A small, but very well made side portion of japchae. The noodles were slightly al dente (I prefer my jap chae to be a little more tender), but the flavors were good, and it gave a little more variety to the meal.B&K’s japchae!:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chris6sigma/3843321550/I guess you could give credit to the KBBQ cart for giving slightly more food for the same price, but both meals are very filling regardless.
Edge: Bulgogi & Kimchi
The Winner:
Bulgogi & Kimchi is the clear winner with their more flavorful bulgogi, crisper salad, and jap chae surprise. Now everyone can stop whining about how there’s no good Korean food outside of 32nd st.Kamsahamnida!
the $1 sandwiches are no more. Not even offered. A $2 version served on a hot dog bun takes it’s place. Really.
I had the beef bulgogi on white rice. came with small salad and spoonful of kimchi. Good flavor, served hot… no line.
All in all, just fine for a quick tasty cart lunch when I am too tired to walk down to 53rd for chicken and rice :)