Picture a half-Japanese, half-Korean twenty-something with a 10-gallon hat on his head and a stalk of wheat hanging from his lip. That’s KoJa. Don’t be fooled by the name (a portmanteau of Korea and Japan)—when it comes to style and soul, KoJa’s all-American. Burgers, wings, tacos, fries. Their menu looks like a Hooters' menu, only built from rice and miso, kimchi and barbecue—the staple ingredients of Korean and Japanese cuisine. Curious? Let’s start with a look at their Koja burgers. Instead of dough, KoJa makes their burger buns from sticky rice—fried crispy on the outside, but gooey on the inside. And instead of a patty of ground Holstein, they’ve got Korean BBQ favorites. As a beef man, I ordered their Short Rib Koja ($8.75), which features boneless short rib slathered in a sweet BBQ sauce filled with onion cubes. Sarah—who, for reasons unknown, only eats beef if it’s ground—opted for the Braised Pork Koja ($7.75), a sweet-n-savory combo of garlic aioli and coconut-miso seasoned pig. French fries aren’t spared from KoJa’s delicious culinary appropriation, either. KoJa’s Kamikaze Fries ($5.95) are buried underneath Japanese mayo—sweeter than American—and a Sriracha sauce deadringer, topped with minced BBQ beef, green onions, and a friggin heap of kimchi. A little spicy, and plenty pungent in the best sense of the word They also offer their unique take on traditional cocktails by substituting traditional mixing liquors with the Korean drink soju—a clear spirit with mildly grassy flavor, typically around 20% ABV. Kudos to KoJa for finding a way around San Francisco’s insane liquor licensing in a manner that fits with their concept. Double kudos for actually making a halfway decent Moscow Mule sans vodka. KoJa was born from a food truck and their atmosphere hearkens to that: chalk art on the wall, top-20 music, “secret” menu items that the guy behind the register informs you of on your first visit, etc. While KoJa still sends out their truck to likes of Off the Grid, they’ve grown into a three-restaurant chain with locations in San Jose, Berkeley, and San Francisco (the location where I ate). They plan to further the franchise with new restaurants in Emeryville and San Mateo sometime this year. Don’t Go If: -You’re hankering for Japanese or Korean. KoJa is a burger joint in spirit—more likely to satisfy a Big Mac craving than your hunt for the best bowl of ramen. -You don’t want to smell like their food all night. You will, I repeat, you will smell like BBQ meats afterwards. Then again, it’s a delicious smell, maybe you want that. I won’t judge you if you do. Go If: -Your palate swings a little sweeter and you’re not turned off by the pungency of fermented condiments, namely kimchi and miso. -Added bonus of the SF location: If you can’t get into the uber-crowded Burma Superstar, KoJa’s just down the block. (Psst...it’s also better). KoJa 343 Clement Street., San Francisco CA 94118
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |