Kim Jong Grillin - Portland, OR
Nothing is more exciting to a foodie adventurer than the food truck scene, especially when in Portland OR. I've heard that Portland has the largest food truck scene in the world and there is truly no shortage of them wherever you go. Since I'm usually here on business travel I haven't had much opportunity to experience Portland's food truck scene. However, I was not going to let that opportunity pass by again for this trip. I was lucky enough to have the executive chef at Departure personally recommended this food truck. And let's be honest, how could I resist going to a place with a name like Kim Jong Grillin?
Kim Jong Grillin won the Judges Award at the 2011 Eat Mobile festival. Unfortunately that very same day the food cart burned to the ground by a fire. Fast forward to a few years later and we're lucky to have this award winning food truck back up and running near the corner of 46th and SE Division Street.
In case you couldn't tell by the name, Kim Jong Grillin serves up fast and tasty Korean food. It's a simple menu with key staples like bulgogi and jhapchae. I ordered the bibim box, which comes with your choice of any Korean BBQ (including chicken and pork) served with jhapchae, rice, and my personal favorite, a fried egg.
The bibim box is the best Korean food I've ever had, regardless if served from a food truck or a traditional brick and mortar. The short ribs were tender and very well seasoned. It was grilled to perfection. The jhapchae and rice it was served over was steamed, but also grilled so there was a great crunch to it. It added a lot of texture and truly completely the dish for me. The fried egg was simply a fried egg and nothing really gets better than that. The sauce that looks spicy was actually not too bad (for someone that doesn't like spicy food). I was able to eat most of it until it just got too hot for me. Overall it was a very delicious and filling meal.
I would definitely put Kim Jong Grillin on the foodie bucket list if you're planning a trip to Portland. Order what you want because it's all good, but the bibim box is the best of everything they have to offer and is "Portland's Favorite Hangover Cure".
