BBQ Kalbi’s hand at a Korean-Mexican culinary sensation fizzles

Don’t worry, Taco Bell and Chipotle. The new kid on the block with kimchi and Sriracha hot sauce may be original, but BBQ Kalbi has a long way to go to reach your level of popularity.

BBQ Kalbi categorizes itself as Korean-Mexican, a new hybrid cuisine that sets its roots in the Korean-Hispanic melting pot of Los Angeles. After the big Southern California boom of Roy Choi’s Kogi BBQ trucks and his unique kalbi (Korean BBQ) tacos, similar vehicles have begun popping up all over the nation.

That brings us back to our local equivalent, BBQ Kalbi. Although the truck roams around the San Francisco Bay Area Tuesday through Friday, it was stationed at the parking lot of GTS Auto in downtown Mountain View for a couple of nights.

If only the food were as incredible as the atmosphere, which consisted of live bands playing and charming shops across the street. The menu offers offers unusual choices such as tacos and burritos with fillings ranging from kalbi to unagi (eel), and specials like the Bibimbahp Burrito ($7.50) and Daejee Nachos ($6.50), none of which do justice to either Korean or Mexican food.

The Kalbi Taco ($2) entices the customer with its moderate price, but such things are often too good to be true. Wrapped in a soft, hand-sized tortilla, the kalbi is tough and overly salty, undiluted by the sprinkle of chopped lettuce thrown in as an afterthought. If you’re hungry, this tiny taco will be gone in two bites—definitely not worth a dollar a bite.

On the other hand, the Bibimbahp Burrito is considerably more substantial. Inside the flawlessly-folded tortilla is bibimbahp, a mixture of rice, various vegetables, meat, sesame oil and hot pepper paste, which is usually served in a big bowl. The doughy pocket has a surprisingly pleasant feel and keeps the bibimbahp flavors from exploding in your mouth. But the burrito doesn’t match its exorbitant price at all, especially considering the fact that you can get a full meal with sides for the same cost at most Korean restaurants.

Daejee Nachos is an eruption of corn chips, cheddar cheese and daejee kalbi (barbecued pork). This unfortunate plate is obviously a don’t-ask-don’t-tell in terms of calories, but at least other fattening foods account for their unhealthy content with inexplicable goodness. The jalapeño zing of the cheese and the garlic-sesame harmony of the pork destroy instead of complementing each other. Nestled on the bottom are the salted corn chips, bombarded with even more salt from the cheese and pork—BBQ Kalbi has given a whole new meaning to “salt bomb.”

This isn’t to say that every Korean taco truck out there is a failure. Kalbi burritos and kimchi quesadillas have earned national praise from food bloggers and chefs alike, so the perfect fusion of Korean and Mexican cuisine does exist somewhere. BBQ Kalbi is simply a sad mistake with overcooked meat and ludicrous prices.

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