Get a taste of Korean street food with Koryori

The Korean culture wave has brought much more to the table than just K-pop and the spicy ramen challenge. As Korean media began to rise in popularity, a desire to taste authentic Korean food began to find its way to people. From watching people in dramas devour rice cakes to the famous Ram-Don from the movie Parasite, we all found ourselves craving dishes made with exotic spices and broths. 

Many Korean dishes use fermented ingredients such as gochujang and kimchi, which are foreign to the Bangali palette. However, you should not write Korean cuisine off just yet. Food joints such as Koryori are here to introduce you to just how delicious these foreign flavours are. 

Koryori operates as a cloud kitchen and specialises in Korean street food, such as spicy rice cakes, Korean-style corn dogs, and more. We tried some of their signature dishes to find out if they are worth the hype.

Corn Dogs 

Korean-style corn dogs are quite different from the American-style ones we are familiar with. While the American version uses a cornbread batter, the Korean one uses dough. Korean-style corn dogs also have various fillings alongside the sausage, such as cheese. However, what people know the Korean-style corn dogs for is the coating. They are sometimes coated with cubes of potato or dusted with sugar, which makes the corn dogs look exciting to bite into. 

Koryori's corn dogs demand to be in the spotlight. They have three types of corn dogs, the Classic corn dog with sausage, Ramen corn dog with half cheese, half sausage, and Potato corn dog with mozzarella. All three corn dogs come in heaping portions, decorated with bits of ramen or cubes of potato.

Though the portions did not disappoint, the flavours did. Even though the bread was fluffy, it took up a large part of the corn dog, making the dish feel a bit lacklustre. It is almost as if the look builds up your expectations, only for the taste to let you down. 

Out of the three corn dogs, the Potato Corn dog with Mozzarella one was my favourite as it had a better balance of flavour and costs Tk220 each.

Rose Tteokbokki

This dish is the one you need for your next K-drama binge. The Rose Tteokbokki is a variant of the traditional rice cake that is submerged in a spicy sauce. The Rose Tteokbokki adds cream to the sauce base, making it a beautiful pink colour. 

While the corndogs demanded to be in the spotlight, the Rose Tteokbokki actually deserved to be in it. The dish consists of rice cakes, fish cakes, and an egg submerged in the spicy sauce base. It also comes with pickled radish on the side. True to its origins, it uses cream, which helps cut through the spice. However, the biggest surprise was how delicately soft yet chewy the rice cakes were. 

If you have a low spice tolerance but still want a bit of heat, this would be the perfect pick. This dish is not only beautiful to look at but is also deliciously comforting. A one for one serving costs Tk420.

Beef Kimbap

No, the Korean kimbap is nothing like the Japanese maki roll. Even though both items look the same, they are prepared differently, which leaves them with their own unique tastes. The filling for kimbap can vary, but it will usually contain cooked fish or meat and pickled vegetables.

Koryori's kimbap contains rice, shredded carrots, eggs, beef, spinach, and more. Wrapped in a sheet of dried seaweed, this dish is truly a treat to the eye. Each piece displays a beautiful cross-section, flaunting the vibrant colours of the vegetables. 

Out of all the dishes, my expectations for the kimbap were the highest. Though it is a simple dish, you can make something outstanding with the right ingredients. 

If you are picky about pickled radish, you will be surprised to know that the pickled radish in the kimbap is the best part. The bite from the acidity ties in all the flavours from the rice, vegetables, and beef, without taking over. 

However, Koryori's kimbap fell somewhere in between the Rose Tteokbokki and the Corndogs. Even though the filling did justice to the dish, they could improve on their rice-to-filling ratio. The rice does all the talking for the kimbap, leaving little space for the filling to show its magic. 

Regardless, the Beef Kimbap is still insanely addictive. If you are having this with a bowl of tteokbokki, we highly recommend that you dip it in the tteokbokki sauce. Each serving contains 16 pieces,and costs Tk600.