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: Tie

Salad:
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!

Good hot sauce though, and the rice is sticky.

3 strikes you’re out.