Whenever I hear about a restaurant being within a store, market, liquor store, or any related location, I know it is a must visit. Through my food adventures, most of my best experiences have been at food joints within a building not intentionally built for food service. One example is Kukje’s International Tofu House in Daly City, California.
This little hot spot, is a restaurant served in a typical Asian Market. This market has your typical vegetables, snacks, fish…. and a Korean restaurant at the corner of the building.
If you are clueless about this spot, it may be confusing at first finding their location. However, it is pretty simple to get to. Generally, it is at a corner of the store next to the registers. If you see this sign, you are at the right place.
Once you come to the entry way, you are basically treated as if you are entering a normal restaurant except it is in a market. Some who are new to this may be confused, but if you forget the market part then it will feel like any other restaurant.
Overall, their menu is focused on bibimbob, Korean BBQ, sushi, and many other Korean related dishes. The great thing about this place though is they serve you a free package of complimentary side dishes.
Another free service they provide is their hot tea. To be honest, I have no clue what type of drink this is, but it is really delicious. If I were to describe it though, the drink generally tastes like tea with sesame seeds. Honestly, this drink is probably one of the biggest reasons why I am always coming back.
As for dishes, the popular ones I frequently order are their BBQ beef and vegetable stoneware bibimbob, boneless wings, and dragon rolls.
Overall, their bibimbob is very satisfying. All of their bibimbob dishes are cooked and served in stoneware bowls. This is good if you like this dish because it allows the food to stay warm and make the rice crispy. Another highlight about this dish from Kukje is their knowledge of not overpowering one ingredient over the other. They combine enough of each part where it doesn’t feel like I am only getting eggs or meat. I am, honestly, able to taste the mixture of vegetables, beef, rice, eggs, and seaweed in every bite. This is big plus because some restaurants make the common mistake of putting too much of one ingredient where it doesn’t taste like bibimbob, but instead something else.
As for their boneless wings, they are very sweet and soft. In reality, I am not big on eating meat with bones. I am just spoiled and rather prefer them boneless. However, sometimes when I order these they commonly turn out bland and boring. These, however, are very good and a well complimentary side with any of your main plates.
And lastly, the dragon roll. This is probably one of the most saucy dragon rolls I have ever had. This isn’t bad, but I think this is a good mix to have with rice and shrimp tempura. It is able to add moisture for the other parts of the sushi that would normally be dry. Overall, I would probably rank this dragon roll one of my top favorite from sushi places. Consequently, this is a good dish to try if you decide to order sushi at this restaurant.
In conclusion, this is a great place to come to with a big group. They serve dishes that should meet everyone’s satisfaction. They also serve complimentary side dishes so if you don’t want to order too much yet still get full. This is not a bad spot to stop at. Therefore, check this place out because even though it is in a market, it is definitely worth experiencing.
Later Days…
2350 Junipero Serra Blvd
Daly City, CA 94015
Dingle Fairy's Food Adventures 