Bul Go Gi Korean BBQ, which just opened at the corner of Bee Ridge Road and Tuttle Avenue. (STAFF PHOTO/BRIAN RIES)
Bul Go Gi
Marathon gas station at the corner of Bee Ridge Road and Tuttle Avenue, Sarasota
Open 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Mon.-Sat., as well as 5-9 p.m. Fri.-Sat.
(Don't count on it, however, as Chi said the hours may change soon.)
The food trailer had been out in the parking lot of the Marathon station at the corner of Beer Ridge Road and Tuttle Avenue for a couple of weeks before it finally opened on Friday. Maybe it was the anticipation, as drivers saw the signs promising Korean barbecue during their commutes, but that first night owner Charlie Chi ran out of food before the evening was half through.
Charlie Chi dishing out barbecued meat at his new food trailer. (STAFF PHOTO/BRIAN RIES)
His wife Soomi Chi - who cooks the meat for the food trailer - delivered a second batch of pork, chicken and beef. That was gone before the night was through.
There's obviously a demand in Sarasota for Korean food, an underserved ethnic cuisine in the area that's experiencing a mini-resurgence. Chi's new Bul Go Gi trailer hopes to satisfy that demand, as will the new Shilla Korean Restaurant (501 N. Beneva Road, Sarasota; 941-366-9700) at the corner of Beneva and Fruitville Roads.
Before this, Sarasota fans of bibimbap, galbi and bul go ki had to trek past the airport to Bradenton's Sam Oh Jung (6032 14th St. W., Bradenton; 755-3568), or go even farther afield to the much more robust Korean restaurant scene in Tampa.
Bul Go Gi offers just a few choices: thin slices of tender seasoned beef, chunks of sweet and savory chicken, or pieces of pork glazed with a red sauce laced with chilies that provide a moderate kick. No matter which you choose (you can also combine two or three different meats) Chi piles it into a bowl filled with crisp lettuce, white rice and a mound of tender cellophane noodles scented with sesame oil.
Bowls from Bul Go Gi, with beef in front and chicken/pork in back. (STAFF PHOTO/BRIAN RIES)
The chicken and beef both taste subtly of sweet and soy, simple flavors that call out for a blast of sauce from the several options Chi offers. Most are variations on a base of soy, garlic, ginger, sesame and chilies, with varying levels of heat depending on your spice tolerance. There's also a thin white sauce that's mild and sweet, with a hint of pineapple that works well with the beef.
Chi's pork is the best of the bunch, mainly because that sweet and spicy flavor is built into the marinade, although one of the sauces is still welcome to add some spice to the rest of the bowl's fillings.
The bowls are all $7.50-$8 (a little more if you want to mix meats), and with all the extras under the beef, chicken or pork, a single bowl is easily a meal.
It's exactly what you'd expect from a humble food trailer like Bul Go Gi, a little taste of ethnic home cooking that's convenient and more affordable than you'd expect.
