Ginseng Chicken Soup at SGD Tofu House

Sam-gye-tang. Ginseng chicken soup. Koreans typically eat this on the hottest of summer days. It's thought that as the heat wears you out, samgyetang would re-energize you. Me personally, I prefer consuming it on rainy evenings. As the sun sets, darkness blankets across the horizon. The world feels cold and unwelcoming, but a bubbling pot of samgyetang in your stomach will make everything feel like family.

Open for seventeen years as of 2016, it is said SGD Tofu House is the first soondubu shop to open in Santa Clara's Koreatown. Since its establishment other branches have opened in NorCal. They are known for their tofu soup as it suggests in their name. They also offer savory pancakes, bibimbap, and barbecue.

What does SGD stand for? In Singapore, those letters stand for "Singapore Dollar." However if you google it, the first link that pops up is "Saccharomyces Genome Database." In our situation, SGD means "So Gong Dong," a business district in Seoul, South Korea. Sogongdong is near the Deoksugung Palace and Gwanghwamun Square. I once went to a samgyetang shop there once. They served ginseng wine with the soup. Samgyetang and alcohol in the stomach = drunk chicken.

Common banchan of seasoned sprouts, japchae, kimchi, and fishcakes.

Upon ordering, out comes a set of complimentary banchan (side dishes). A common occurrence at traditional Korean eateries.

Up close and personal with Napa Cabbage Kimchi.

Their Napa Cabbage Kimchi is not sweet, which is a big deal. A huge deal. Many Korean restaurants around here make sweet kimchi, so I appreciate SGD for keeping it authentic.

Seasoned sprout.

The Seasoned Sprout is sesame-oily, making it my favorite side dish of this meal. The Japchae is lightly seasoned. If you're health-conscious, it's the type of flavor you wouldn't mind eating on a daily basis. The Fishcake also falls in the same category. The Seasoned Seaweed is spunky with its sweet and sour. The Water Kimchi (dyed pink with beet, I believe) is delightfully refreshing. It's ideal for a spring and summer day, but can be equally enjoyed during cold weather.

Of all the banchan, my favorite is the Seasoned Sprout and Water Kimchi.

Family of banchan.

Mushroom soondubu (tofu soup).

My mother gets her boiling bowl of mushroom soodubu, which looks more bold than it tastes. The bright red color makes it appear so spicy. I try a spoonful, expecting my ears to tingle. My eyes hyped my taste buds up. The tofu soup is actually quite bland. That famous quote runs through my head: never judge a book by its cover! One can't help but judge, so be prepared for surprise.

Why hello there, samgyetang!

Inside the standard samgyetang contains white rice and garlic. In my bowl there is five or six cloves! I lost count. There might've been more. As expected, the meat falls right off the bones. The bones, you can bite into and break apart as well. Watch out for those pieces of ginseng. If you are curious, have a bite. Discover how bitter it is. If you're having a bad day, take a bite of ginseng. More likely than not, your day is probably less bitter than ginseng.

Water in stone bowl of rice to be enjoyed later.

The rice comes in a stone bowl. Your server will scoop it out into smaller individual bowls. Water is poured into the stone bowl and later you shall enjoy what is to be burnt rice. In our case, the rice wasn't burnt at all. If burnt, the rice and water mixture will taste toasty.

My mother and I dined on an early Friday night. By the time we left, SGD Tofu House was filled with families--mostly parents with young children. After paying your bill, grab a candy for the road.

SGD Tofu House
(408) 261-3030
3450 El Camino Real, Ste 105
Santa Clara, CA 95051
Website

SGD Tofu House (Blossom Valley)
(408) 227-8583
832 Blossom Hill Rd
San Jose, CA 95123

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Legit Kimbap & Grocery Shopping at Hankook Market

This week on "Kingdom Koreatown," my mother and I give you a tour of Hankook Market. A couple weeks ago we went to Kyo Po Market. Both Korean grocery stores are recommended for different reasons. Depending on what product you're looking for, you would go to either. Some Korean restaurants shop at all the Korean markets for a particular ingredient.

Looking towards dried goods and fresh produce.

The banchan (Korean side dishes) are set up in a very inviting manner. Near the fresh produce and mini food court, a wide range of seasoned vegetables and marinated meats are divided into a couple stations. I like to refer to the longest station as the "Side Dish Palace." What a pleasure for the eye to observe!

Side Dish Palace. What a tasty rainbow :)

I advise shopping towards the noon and later in the day. Early in the day, side dishes are still being prepared. When my mother and I strolled in around 10:30am, several containers were empty. But don't come too late in the day either. They'll be gone, digesting in the people who beat you to them.

Seasoned lotus.

Yum yum in the tum tum.

Glistening meats in the cooked food section.

The food stations at a glance.

Can't wait to go home and eat your colorful side dishes? Head on over to the HK Super Deli, a small food shop at the back. They sell some of the tastiest Kimbap I've ever eaten! You don't have to be in Korea to have legitimately delicious Korean food. It's not about where it's made; it's about who made it.

Take the Kimbap rolls to-go or have a seat in the dining area. Take a look at the menu. The classic Korean dishes, including Bibimbap and Nengmyeon, are so affordable. All under $10 USD!

Stacks of kimbap ready to go. Come to mama!

Considering how tasty the Korean rolls are, I'm excited to try the Bindaetteok (mung bean pancake) on our next visit! Sure, we could've ordered every single item just for the sake of trying, but these foods wouldn't taste as yummy if taken to-go. Kimbap can maintain its flavor and structure, but fried food, not as much.

Bindaetteok and jeon. Mung bean pancakes and savory Korean pancakes.

My mother orders a bowl of Udon and two rolls of Kimbap. Don't forget to ask for a smaller bowl if you plan on sharing.

The Napa Cabbage Kimchi that comes with the noodles ranks on the top ten kimchi I've tried in Northern California. Slightly fermented. Made with love and care like the kimbap. You can taste it.

Udon with kimchi and kimbap.

The Udon is simple and clean. The star ingredient I say is the spongy fried tofu. What a delight whenever you bite into a piece.

Baby bowl of udon.

Of the items we tried, the Kimbap still outshines them all. Each slice is bigger than your average kimbap. But you won't mind having fat cheeks while chewing on them. Their taste is worth looking chubby!

Vegetarian kimbap. So good you won't care that there's no meat in it (if you're big on protein).

Need a generous jar of kimchi? Rice cakes? There's no shortage. Native Koreans and foreigners alike can depend on Hankook Market. Ah yes, if you're not Korean, don't be shy. You'll be welcome here. During my visit I saw Chinese and Middle Eastern families as well. After all, this is America.

The kimchi section with random decorative leaves above.

For those of you who love dessert, welcome to rice cake heaven.

The storefront.

Hankook Market
(408) 244-0871
1092 E El Camino Real
Sunnyvale, CA 94087

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Oppa Gangnam Fries at Burnt Rice

1:43 PM on President's Day. My mother and I venture into a part of San Jose we rarely step foot on. We're on a mission to film the latest episode of Kingdom Koreatown. Remember Psy? The man who horse-danced his way to international fame with "Gangnam Style"? There are french fries inspired by him. And once you eat them, you will have energy to dance all night. And you will dance all night to sweat them carbs off!

My mother sips on her warm cup of water during this Palm Spring-like afternoon.

"Oppa Gangnam Fries" are their official title at Burnt Rice. Topped off with sweet pieces of bulgogi, fresh kimchi, scallions and an over-easy egg, these fries are the perfect go-to finger food for a sporting event. Not into beef? Customize your order with pork belly, spicy or sweet koriake chicken or spicy pork instead. The egg doesn't need to be over-easy either. Have it your way!

From far away, the beef bulgogi may be shaped like a fried fish. But nope, it's the Oppa Gangnam Fries!

In plain and simple English, the Oppa Gangnam Fries are sweet, spicy and salty. It is said to be the most popular dish at Burnt Rice. It is also the most flavorful of the three dishes we ordered.

There's also the Gangnam Fries, which contains less toppings and goes for only $5.50 ($4.25 less than its fancier version).  They're like Oppa Gangnam Fries minus the protein. For less flavoring, order the regular French Fries. They can be tossed in garlic seasoning.

Oppa Gangnam Fries from the side. Just because.

Burnt Rice is a fusion eatery. While they serve the classic Korean foods including Kimchi JJigae and Ddeokbokki, other cuisines are seen on the menu. From Kung Pao Calamari to Pork Belly Musabi to Cajun Salmon Salad, this joint is all over the map. Hello Japan, China and America!

From way left to right: Bibimbap with Fried Tofu, Oppa Gangnam Fries, Japchae. Bottom: Banchan (Korean side dishes).

Banchan (Korean side dishes) are not free like most Korean restaurants. From a business perspective, I endorse. Everyone loves getting unlimited refills on free banchan. However I do believe that traditional Korean restaurants should charge considering how much effort and time it takes to prepare each side dish. At Burnt Rice, you get a set of four types for $2. Doesn't taste like an experienced Korean mother made them, but hey, within the neighborhood, it's the only banchan around. Better something than nothing.

Bibimbap with Fried Tofu and Over-easy Egg

The Bibimbap comes with a set of banchan. Order it with your choice of bulgogi, tofu, spicy pork. koriake chicken, spicy chicken, shrimp, salt & pepper chicken breast or pork belly with an egg your way. Add kimchi fried rice for an additional $1 on top of the $10.50. My mother and I decide since we already have beef bulgogi with the Oppa Gangnam Fries, we will order tofu for the Bibimbap.

Mixing the Bibimbap ingredients. Don't forget to squeeze in some Gochujang sauce!

My first reaction when the Bibimbap arrives: Where's my beloved mushroom? How about the bean sprouts? I remind myself that this eatery serves Americanized Korean food. The Bibimbap is bland. I recommend it for those who want to order something healthy. My mother liked it. As for me, I added Oppa Gangnam Fries to the Bibimbap bowl. The two dishes complemented one another.

Slurpin' those Japchae noodles!

My mother and I agree that our favorite dish during our dining experience is the Japchae. The noodles are traditionally prepared by boiling them in hot water, then marinaded. At Burnt Rice, the noodles are stir-fried. Though portions of the noodles were slightly burnt, I liked them that way. These burnt bits reminded me of crispy, brown rice found on the inside bottom of Dolsot Bibimbap bowls. In fact, the restaurant is named after that thin layer of lightly burnt rice in the hot stone bowl.

While waiting for our food to arrive, I couldn't help but admire the colors my mother donned. Gotta love the hot pink combined with the grey hair and dark purple shades.

Our meal is concluded with two Soju Bombs: one with lychee flavoring, the other with strawberry. The lychee soju bomb will leave a smile on your mouth. The strawberry flavor is supposedly a popular order, but it tasted kiddish to me. Maybe it's because I used to eat everything with a strawberry flavor when I was a wee little girl.

Looks like my mother doesn't need to cook dinner tonight!

If you like the sound of breezy palm tree leaves and frequent roars of airplanes, go for outdoor dining. My mother and I sat outside for filming purposes due to lighting. For common customers, I recommend sitting inside. If there's a football game going on, television screens await you! Wherever you sit, you can watch your favorite team score.

See, I told you there was a TV!

Burnt Rice is located at The Plant Shopping Center. Aw, what a healthy sounding name! Images of flowers and leafy greens may pop in your head. Alas, see the signage at the entrance. There are two industrial workers embellishing it. "The Plant" refers to factories. Double entendre.

The Plant Shopping Center is massive and filled with many, many parking spaces. If the internet on your phone goes dead like mine did, you'll have an adventure looking for Burnt Rice. The eatery is located across from Best Buy and right next to Wingstop and Krispy Kreme.

The first thing you see when you enter the restaurant: the bar.

Burnt Rice facade.

Burnt Rice
(408) 490-4776
121 Curtner Ave #20
San Jose, CA 95125
Website

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