Some new restaurants in Metro Detroit are providing a taste of one of the hottest street food scenes in the world. These Korean spots are shedding light on traditional dishes and flavors you would find on the streets of Seoul.
Min Kyu Kim, the owner of Kimchi Box, joined Live in the D resident foodie Michelle Oliver to discuss these new flavors in the D.
Growing up, Kim says he always thought there was an opportunity for more Korean cuisine and restaurants in America, and that Korean was always underrepresented. During the pandemic, he says he quit his job as a consultant and opened his first restaurant, Kimchi Box, which serves a range of popular Korean dishes in an easy-going and more modern environment.
According to Kim, the Korean-style chicken is the restaurant’s most well-known dish, and the secret to its success is that it is double-fried. A lighter batter is used since it’s a fried twice. He likened it to “paradoxical chicken” because it’s both light and crispy.
The bulgogi box, which includes marinated ribeye, lettuce, purple rice, and the traditional Korean noodle dish jap chae, is one of their most popular lunch items, according to Kim.
Other menu options include bibimbap (a variety of different vegetables and proteins served with rice), kimchi fries, Korean corndogs (a corndog breading loaded with cheese instead of meat and coated with sugar), and Korean street toast (a combination of different veggies, cheese, and eggs).
Kimchi Box has locations in Novi, Plymouth, Auburn Hills, and Sterling Heights.
Watch the video above for the full interview.