I was excited to finally try the one and only Kogi, the original spiffed-up, non-roach-coach food truck. Chef Roy Choi and his mobile Korean-Mexican cuisine are veritable media darlings, having been featured in Time, Gourmet, Bon Apetit, Food & Wine, and The Wall Street Journal.
Kogi is a new institution. I felt like I was the only one in all of L.A. who hadn't sampled it. I'd heard tales of serpentine lines and hour-long waits for Kogi. Not for me. Again, lucky!
Here's what started the food truck craze -- Korean short rib tacos and Korean spicy pork tacos ($2 each).
I can see how these little babies could draw throngs of fans. Good flavorful stuff, but I still wouldn't Twitter-stalk or wait in a long line for them.
Kogi Dog ($5).
Kogi Sliders ($5).
Easily my favorite of the day. Smoky, yummy, and cute. No shortage of meat.
Just so it's clear, I didn't eat all of this. Mr. Monkey ate most of it!
So you finally tried it.
ReplyDeleteWon't blame you if you ate all of those, they look absolutely worth the calories. And the big tummy-ache after.
Glad you finally tried it. Kogi is OK, but I'll never wait for it again. For me, I'll stick to roach coaches :)
ReplyDeleteI love your versatility. From The Bazaar to the the food trucks.
ReplyDeleteI wish we had food trucks in Chicago.
ReplyDeleteI think now I'm the only person in L.A. that hasn't tried this. Everything looks so good! Glad to hear it was as good as people say. I take the Monkey reviews very seriously! ;)
ReplyDeleteI really like Kogi, but over time, I've liked them less and less. Glad you finally got to try them. And SCORE of Chef Roy actually being there.
ReplyDeletenow i'm really the only person in LA that hasn't tried it. i may this weekend, though. uh oh.
ReplyDeletei haven't had them in a long time. seems like their products are still going strong though. mr. monkey must be stuffed!
ReplyDeleteAfter Tater tries it, I'll be the only person who hasn't. Is the slaw on top of everything very kimchi-like? If it is, I probably won't like Kogi very much. Not a fan of kimchi. I know I'm a disgrace to my motherland.
ReplyDeletei haven't tried it either, but i don't count since i live in BFE.
ReplyDeleteI love your disclaimer about Mr. Mo eating most of it.
ReplyDelete*sigh* I dream of the day I don't live an hour away from cool food trucks.
I'm shocked you hadn't tried it yet! I agree, those are the best things to order, and we're lucky that they are in our neighborhood pretty often. Haven't had it in a while!
ReplyDeletei've only had kogi once and i thought it was just so delicious. no i wouldn't wait in line forever for it, but it is definitely a welcome treat.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't wait in line for Kogi. The only times I've had it are late Thursday nights when they happen to be on frat row haha. They're good but the satisfaction significantly decreases after the first few bites for me.
ReplyDeleteYour pictures are making me crave a short-rib taco right now though!
I wish it would drive up to my door! I've only had the knock-off Kogi truck, and they didn't have sliders!
ReplyDeleteFor once I think I know what you're talking about re food. I had a burrito from the Kogi Truck a few months ago. I wasn't a fan, but I think I could learn to like it if it came to my door. =)
ReplyDeleteI wonder when the truck craze will find it's way to my south OC suburb. The ice cream man just doesn't cut it.
ReplyDeleteHi KogiMonkey, there was a huge discrepancy between the first time I tried it and almost 8 months later. The first time was handmade by Roy himself... but the last time was simply awful. A chef's hand is so important.
ReplyDeleteI'm lucky yet again! Roy was manning Rojo that day!
ReplyDeleteAnd, yes, venn, that stuff on top is kimchi-like, but not very strong at all, if that makes sense.
I still have not been to Kogi! Maybe one day I'll try it, but you know how I feel about tracking down my food thru Twitter. You're so lucky they stopped so close to where you live!
ReplyDeleteStill haven't tried Kogi. And to be perfectly frank (like a hot dog), I don't really want to try it! I'm saving myself for Dim Sum, Flying Pig and World Fare next.
ReplyDeleteWow that looks great
ReplyDeleteCheck my blog out peeps
aaronfood.blogspot.com
This reminds me of the dumpling truck that people used to chase all over Manhattan. I finally tried it and was happy, but it didn't seem worth the wait. Hehe.
ReplyDeleteHi weezermonkey,
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you: After I tried it (after waiting for ~1.5 HOURS for the food), it's not something I'd wait more than 5 minutes for. Thanks for the pics. :)
Ahhhhh I love you blog! But you didn't try the kimchee quesadilla, what's the deal?!!
ReplyDeletegreat review. i unfortunately have not had a chance to try these food trucks...for obvious reasons (pointing to menace of a wife looking over my shoulder).
ReplyDeleteA Kogi truck made its way to my work complex for the first time on Wednesday! My co-workers and I waited 1.5 hours for these yummy tacos and sliders. The slider was easily my favorite too.
ReplyDeleteI still haven't tried it either. Heh. The tacos look delish!
ReplyDeleteBetter late than never! I really like their shortrib burritos and kimchi quesadillas.
ReplyDelete