We were in the mood for a cheesesteak for lunch, but neither of the two food trucks in NYC serving cheesesteaks were nearby. One vendor nearby though was the Kimchi Taco Truck, who have one of the more unusual dishes around, a kim-cheesesteak. We’ve tried the beef about a year and a half ago, but never the chicken cheesesteak.
Korean fusion cuisine is very popular these days, with Korean tacos and burritos gaining a toehold in the lunchtime routines of New Yorkers. Kimchi Taco Truck gives it another twist with their kim-cheesesteak.
One of the things Philadelphia is known for (besides cheesesteaks) is soul music, with the O-Jays, Teddy Pendergrass, Gamble & Huff and others. This sandwich is more like Philly Seoul. (Whew, that was a long way to go for one joke.)
Like many food trucks these days, you have to make some choices when ordering. There are three Korean marinated meats to choose from (beef, pork & chicken), two Philly cheesesteak cheeses (provolone and Cheez Whiz) and regular or extra spicy. We went for chicken and provolone cheese, extra spicy. All sandwiches cost $8.
Opening up the wrapper, this was a big-ass Chicken Cheesesteak sandwich. It was 10″ long, and stuffed with meat and kimchi that spilled out when we cut it in half. They serve the hero whole, which is neater to eat, but we cut it in half so you can see inside.
When they say extra spicy, they mean extra spicy! Kimchi can pack a lot of heat, and this Chicken Cheesesteak sandwich certainly did. Luckily there was plenty of bread to soak up the heat.
The smell of kimchi was pretty strong, enough that we were glad the office elevator was empty heading back upstairs.
The taste of kimchi was strong too. There are several Korean trucks around town at this point, and Kimchi Taco Truck seems to have the strongest and spiciest kimchi of the bunch.
We got chicken as the protein, and it was good. There was a mixture of white and dark meat, and it was all boneless. The chicken was a little on the mild side to stand up to the kimchi and hot sauce, but still good.
As for the provolone cheese, it was not much of a factor. The cheese added some creamy texture, but not a lot of flavor. A sharper provolone would have been better.
Kimchi Taco Truck was recently off the road for a few days for maintenance, but they are now back in full force. Check their location on Twitter here or on our Mobile Munchies Twitter feed.
