Soup Challenge 6: Christine Rivera (Galaxy Taco) - Min Sok Chon
Soups with chefs número 6! This soup dinner was a fun one! I don't get to hang with my lovely friend Christine very much so this date was a much needed moment to connect over one big-ass pot of soup. When Christine Rivera isn't at Galaxy Taco creating imaginative dishes and colorfully artistic tortillas, she is spending time with her family and wishing she hadn't missed going to the Interpol concert with me a few years back! Ha!
We met in the early evening at the Korean establishment, Min Sok Chon, on Convoy Street. I had heard of this restaurant years ago from another chef coincidentally but had never ventured here until that day. Walking in I immediately noticed the karaoke room doors on the far walls and the semi-intimate seating bordering the outer edge of the communal family style seating in the center of the restaurant. Literally something for every type of occasion. To order from their vast menu we pushed the service button and I proceeded to go for flavored soju while we waited. Christine knew what we were eating immediately and explained that after long days in the kitchen years ago, she and her co-workers & friends would come to Min Sok Chon for late night eating and drinking. A great space to let loose with the music and patrons getting steadily louder as the night progressed. A late night kitchen is becoming increasingly and clearly essential in the lives of restaurant staff as I've noticed.
The soup she regularly enjoyed sharing with her co-workers is the large Boo-Dae Jungol pot. This massive bowl of piping hot soup, served on it's own mobile burner to keep it simmering, is a spicy soup with kimchi, tofu, bacon, sausage, spam, pork, ground pork, ramen, rice cakes (personal favorites) and vegetables. Basically a delicious pig in a bowl. Jungol is known for being the main component of a meal, served as a communal dish with the broth being poured over the raw ingredients in a shallow bowl before it is served. A few side dishes (banchan) were included as well as some white rice so I was very content. I wasn't sure how two petite women like ourselves planned on eating enough soup for 5 people but I wasn't NOT going to try my best!
Christine explained that this was their soup of choice because it had everything you could possibly want, she even ordered extra spam and ramen to add! She's a champ! She explained that once the soup simmered for a while, the broth would become thicker and when you added the extra ramen and spam it became a whole new mixture of flavors and textures. The spice intensified over time as well so when she ordered more broth to add it became a milder version of the original which was right up my alley. If we had been out drinking this would be the perfect post bar/club fix for a group of friends. Even if you don't drink, this is a hearty and comforting meal for anyone that loves spice and a rich soup. A meal to fill your belly and make your heart content.
There are several soup choices both large and small pots at Min Sok Chon so I actually went back a few weeks later to try more from the menu, and more soju OBVIOUSLY. This place will definitely be in the rotation and maybe someday I will have the courage to sing karaoke! I doubt it. Thank you Min Sok Chon for allowing me to catch up with a friend and to Christine for showing me a tradition that I hope does not soon die.
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