Support local news. Join the Binhe Times Press Club.
Bibimbop is served with roast beef, carrots, mushrooms, bean sprouts, zucchini and fried eggs.
Terry Lee always knew that his mother could cook, but he didn't fully understand her talents until he started to notice something strange happening in the church.
After the service is over, the members of the congregation usually divide into small groups to cook for the other participants and take turns taking responsibility every week.
Normally, everything will go on as usual, but during the weeks when his mother's team is on duty, the service will be extremely full-so that people who have never participated start to come out of the woodwork. At first he didn't understand why, until his sister told him what had happened: they were there because of their mother.
When you dine at Sides of Seoul in Seoul, the restaurant Lee and his family opened two and a half years ago is Mimi Lee’s cooking showroom, and you will understand why she followed enthusiastically. Sides of Seoul in Seoul is hidden in an obscure Overland shopping mall, which is undoubtedly the gold standard for traditional Korean food in the two countries. Part deli, part take-out counter and all mimi, this restaurant attracts crowds from all directions, although its unpretentious atmosphere and unexpected location dilute its culinary gems.
For Lee, his sister Youni Cho, and his brother-in-law James Cho, Sides of Seoul makes sense as a way to share their mother’s talents with the wider public-after her culinary business started, they I feel it is necessary to normalize this to live my own life. Because of those church cooking performances, her talents spread in the Korean community, and Mimi found herself overwhelmed by catering requirements. Whether it is preparing food for birthday parties, church events or other special occasions, she strives to meet every requirement, turning her small apartment kitchen into a narrow production line.
View all restaurant reviews by RFT food critic Cheryl Baehr
Seeing the demand for her food, Lee began to think: What if he, Mimi, Youni, and James opened a real restaurant in order to formalize and expand the growing catering business? All three children have backgrounds to learn from. Lee has been working in restaurants since he was 13 years old, holding various positions from dishwasher to waiter to chef, and even owns a restaurant in Columbia, Missouri. His sister has also worked in this company since she was a teenager, focusing on the front of the house, and her husband James was born and raised in South Korea, which also made her familiar with the country’s food culture as a production called kimbo The knack of Korean rice rolls. They should use their talents to support their mother's culinary genius, which makes sense.
In the beginning, Soul’s four ideas, Sides of Soul, was a banchan restaurant that focused on a large number of Korean side dishes with main dishes. However, even if they opened in this way, they continued to receive so many requests for other dishes, so much so that they decided to add them to their repertoire. Before they knew it, they already had a complete menu of Korean cuisine, from kimchi to fried rice cakes, and everything in between—and a group of loyal followers who couldn’t get enough of Mimi’s food. .
Lee believes that the reason Sides of Seoul is so special is because it adheres to the old-school way of doing things. As he described, Mimi's food is "Korean old lady cooking". This way of doing things avoids the touch, feel, sight, smell and taste of measuring cups and teaspoons. The result of her insistence on doing things the right way is an explosive taste-you can taste the care and passion of this kind of food. For example, Seoul’s kimchi pancakes are fluffy masterpieces on the sides, dotted with cabbage kimchi, and infused with spices and funk into the pancake-like dough. There is a subtle sweetness that touches the tip of your tongue, giving way to the spicy heat that warms your entire mouth. Unpretentious and pleasant, but when dipped in the accompanying vinegar soy sauce, it will enliven every millimeter of taste.
Kimchi jjigae is equally superb. The key to this dish is the broth, which is a wonderful nectar, as if all the typical flavors of Korean cuisine—garlic, fermented soybeans, soybeans, sesame, and chili—are distilled into a delicate liquid form. The cornucopia of pork, tofu and fermented vegetables flows in this liquid gold, nourishing the body and spirit.
The shape of Seoul's fried rice cakes is perfect: the sticky tube-shaped rice cakes, the thin fish cakes that add a soft seafood flavor to the whole dish, and the sweet chili sauce with warm spices in between. The whole hard-boiled egg accompanies this dish and adds to the richness of the mixture.
Lee credits his brother-in-law James for the restaurant's excellent seaweed rice. Similar to sushi, seaweed rice rolls are a canvas on which various ingredients can be placed, but they have a distinct Korean flavor. Pickled radishes, crabs and eggs bring earthy and sharp flavors to the "Normal Kim Bopu", while the barbecue version uses typical Korean barbecue beef to infuse the burritos with sesame and soybean flavors and a touch of sweetness.
The grilled meat also shines on the "Beef Bulgogi Bowl Bop", which puts the meat on rice and glass noodles to allow them to fully absorb the delicious marinade. Assorted vegetables and sesame seeds garnish this dish, and a drizzle of fiery mayonnaise takes the meat to the next level, bringing mild spices to the bowl, which perfectly matches the sesame flavor of the marinade. You can enjoy the grilled meat as a bowl or as a plate with rice, various kimchi and other sauces. Or, you can choose different proteins presented in this way, such as gorgeous spicy pork, which pairs skewered meat with medium-spicy chili sauce. More like a paste than a liquid, this hot and fashionable condiment sticks to the pork, forming a delicious coating between friction and glaze. It must have heat, but it is more like the warmth you get by sitting close enough to the fire pit to feel its comfort effect, but not too close to be burned. With the accompanying cabbage kimchi, make your mouth go wild.
Lee is proud of what he learned from his mother Mimi and was able to turn it into an army of loyal customers. Every day, he hears how delicious the food is. This is a compliment to him, because he spends most of his time grilling. However, what kept him down to earth was his mother's unapologetic and merciless criticism. When he talked about that he still had trouble with her, he smiled; just when he thought he had a recipe, she would tell him other things. He knew this was her way of expressing her love for him, his family, and the customers who visited this gem restaurant-because of this, he wouldn't have any other way.
10084 Page Avenue, Overland; 314-942-8940 on both sides of Seoul. Monday to Saturday from 11 am to 3 pm and from 4 pm to 7:30 pm (closed on Sunday). Regular Kimchi $3.99 Kimchi Pancake $11.99 Beef BBQ Bowl $9.99
Support local news. Join the Riverfront Times Press Club. Local news is information. Information is power. We believe that everyone deserves accurate and independent reporting of their community and state. Our readers helped us continue this report in 2020, and we are very grateful for your support. Help us continue this report in 2021. Whether it is a one-time confirmation of this article or an ongoing membership commitment, your support comes from the reports carried out locally by our small but powerful team. Join the Riverfront Times Club for only $5 a month.
Tags: Cafe, Side of Seoul, Korean Food, St. Louis, St. Louis Korean Food, St. Louis News, Mimi Lee, Lee Terry, Unijoe, James Joe, fried rice cakes, kimbop, barbecue, land
St. Louis Standard: 73 years later, Kreis' Steak House is still in its heyday
Grand Spirits brings natural wine and Italian snacks to South Grand
9 Mile Garden Rings New Year Cocktail Party
Subscribe now to send the latest news directly to your inbox.
All parts of this website are Copyright © 2021 Riverfront Times.
© 2021 Riverfront Times website powered by Foundation