For lovers of Korean food, there's no such thing as TMK—too much kimchi. Luckily, we're blessed with another Korean fusion opportunity this Saturday with the second iteration of Yooeating?!, a "kicked up Korean comfort food" pop-up hosting its second iteration at Williamsburg's Passenger Bar. The pop-up series is the brainchild of Irene Yoo, a local eater, cooker and lover of all things food, especially the interplay of Korean foods with other culinary styles and cuisines. "I want to simultaneously showcase the types of food I grew up eating, both from my mother and out on the streets of LA Koreatown and Seoul, while reinventing them with other food favorites of mine," Yoo says of her idea to begin the pop-up. "Also, Koreans always eat while they drink, so what better place than a bar?"
For her first event, Yoo offered a "Shin" Ramyun and "Kalguksu," or Korean hand-cut knife noodles; this weekend, she'll lend Korean notes to Cuban food. "Korea and Cuba have parallel backgrounds—both are islands (technically, Korea is a peninsula since the land border is virtually non-accessible) with histories of political strife and restrictions. Their inhabitants have had to rely largely on domestic meats (often cheaper cuts) and produce, cooking them simply through marinading and slow-cooking, but with lots of spices, seasonings, and love," Yoo says regarding the interplay of the two cuisines.
"Coreano Cubanos" (courtesy Yooeating?!)
On the menu is the Coreano Cubanos ($6), a twist on the classic Cubano stuffed with coffee-laced carnitas, fried Spam, gruyere and pepper jack cheeses, gochuchang ailoi, kimchi pickles and a schmear of Brooklyn-based My Friend's Mustard. "I think Cuban cuisine offers a wider variety of starch bases (bread, plantains) that can be really punched up by Korean spice and pickling, and both cuisines use a lot of similar meats, like oxtail and pork, which naturally lends itself to a mash-up!"
Speaking of oxtail, she'll be whipping up a "Post-Commie" Oxtail Soup ($6), which she describes as a "nuclear fusion of kkori gomtang and rabo encedido"—AKA, Korean and Cuban versions of the cattle tail comfort food. If you've still got room, opt for the DMZ Tostones ($5), fried green plantains topped with grilled kimchi, cheese, gochuchang and scallions, which can be further fortified with spicy Korean ground pork for an extra buck. Palate-cleansing sweet pickled radish can be procured for $2 and, as with the previous pop-up, homemade kimchi is free!
There was a large crowd for Yoo's first event, which was about one bowl of soup away from selling out; expect similar crowds for version 2.0. As for the future, Yoo has a few ideas she's playing with: "Every month I want to explore a different theme, whether that’s a feature on a specific type of Korean cuisine (for example, one of my favorites is “school food” like spicy ddukbokki or odeng (fish cakes)) or mash-ups with other cuisines I’m obsessed [with], like Jewish or Cajun food," she explains. "I could cause some real sacrilege by doing something like a kimchi & pork matzoh ball soup!"
Yooeating?! will be popping up at Williamsburg's Passenger Bar (229 Roebling Street) on Saturday, February 28th starting at 6 p.m.; RSVP on Facebook. Cash only.
