Ultimate Korean Comfort Food at Midtown Takorea and Ssam Bar

Hey readers,

Two Thursday evenings ago, my guest & I were invited to dine at Midtown Takorea and Ssam Bar located in the heart of Midtown between 5th and 6th Street on Juniper (a HUGE thank you & shout out to Morgan & ML+A and Takorea teams). For those of you that are unfamiliar with Takorea, a play on the Spanish word taqueria (taco shop), the restaurant evolved from the popular Hankook Taqueria near Georgia Tech, under the leadership of Chef Tomas Lee, a Culinary Institute of America graduate and well-seasoned executive chef with a 12-year history with Buckhead Life from 1990-2002. Wanting to combine his Korean-American heritage and bring the fusion taco truck craze to the East Coast, Chef Lee opened Hankook Taqueria in 2009, followed by Midtown Takorea in 2011 and two other locations in Dunwoody and Athens, 2014 and 2017, respectively. While each location offers the Korean-Mexican fusion menu that Atlantans have grown to love over the years, if you're wanting to try something you won't find anywhere else in Midtown or at any other Takorea location, then you've got to jet towards the one on Juniper Street ASAP! The new build-it-yourself Ssam bar (ssam means "wrapped" in Korean) offers marinated pork tenderloin and short ribs, along with flavorful banchan side dishes, fresh green leaf lettuce, pickled veggies and is as authentic as it gets! Additionally, your Wednesday nights are about to get a WHOLE lot better, especially since they're now Korean Fried Chicken Nights (pics below & reservations via Open Table or by calling 404-532-1944 are highly encouraged!). With the being said, coming from a couple of self-proclaimed Korean cuisine connoisseurs, you can bet that my guest and I were beyond excited to get a sneak peek of Chef Lee's homemade Korean flair and fare! 

Let's get started:

 ☆Exterior *pardon the awful lighting*

☆Tasting Menu

☆Takorea Menu

☆Jalapeño-Cilantro Margarita: Despite not being much of a drinker, I found this margarita to be quite refreshing! 

☆Tempura Sweet Potatoes (Korean yellow sweet potatoes with sweet chili aioli): In Korea, tempura sweet potatoes are by far, some of the best selling street snacks available and for good reasons too! They're filling and delicious, just like Takorea's version! The batter was nice and crunchy, while the sweet potato inside maintained its slight firmness with each and every bite. And just when I thought munching on my favorite childhood snack was enough, their sweet chili aioli blew me away! 

☆Korean Fried Chicken (WEDNESDAYS ONLY): What's not to love about some lipsmackin' fried chicken? Whether you're from the South or just love anything deep fried, you'll certainly love Takorea's take Korean Fried Chicken, or KFC, as they say. Although I typically prefer my KFC to be sautéed with the sauce, I like that Takorea gives its customers the option of using the sauce as a dipping sauce rather than it being sautéed with the fried chicken. This option gives everyone, including children, the option to eat their fried chicken as is, which is great! On to the fried chicken itself, my guest and I not only enjoyed the hearty crunch of the batter, but we also found the succulent white and dark meat inside even more mouthwatering! While I thought the chicken on its own was fantastic, the sweet and spicy gochujang (Korean red pepper paste) added a touch of heat and spice.

☆Fried Rice: Along with the KFC special (priced at $60), diners also receive a large cast iron skillet full of tasty fried rice complete with carrots, scallions, green peppers, onions and topped with two fried eggs. Simple, but delicious and a nice accompaniment to the fried chicken!

☆Banchan: Here's a selection of the banchan (or side dishes) that come with the special. From what I've heard, the selection changes according to the season, but the ones that were available on my visit included green leaf lettuce, cucumber kimchi, pickled daikon and carrots and pickled cauliflower. The cucumber kimchi reminded me of my mom's version, which means you know it's the real deal!

☆Korean Fried Chicken and Banchan

☆Tempura Citrus Brussels Sprouts: Again, what's not to love about deep fried deliciousness? Okay, your arteries may despise you for the time being, but that's why you only treat yo' self every once in a while, am I right or am I right? These brussels sprouts were definitely no exception! Slightly tangy from the seasoning sprinkled on the exterior and zesty from the creamy dipping sauce, I especially loved how the sprouts maintained their firmness so beautifully!

☆Ssam Variety (Top: Kalbi Short Rib-Sweet soy marinated boneless angus short rib; Bottom Left: Dragon Pork-Red pepper marinated pork tenderloin; Bottom Right: Bulgogi Pork-Sweet soy marinated pork tenderloin): Of the three ssam flavors we tried, the kalbi was our favorite, followed by the bulgogi pork and then the dragon pork! The meats were flavorfully marinated and served in a gorgeous Korean stone bowl along with sesame rice and napa kimchi. Here's how I've eaten this dish since I was basically in diapers: Take a medium-sized piece of green lettuce, add 1-3 slices of meat depending on size, add some rice and a piece or two of kimchi, fold the ends to wrap it up like a dumpling and then OPEN WIDE! I try to get everything in my mouth in 1 bite, but sometimes, just sometimes, it may take 2. To be honest, I love this style of eating and would highly recommend it to everyone, especially if you've never had it before! You get so many incredible flavors and textures in your mouth, that it truly is, a unique dining experience!

☆Ssam and Banchan 

☆Fried Elvis Sundae (Peanut butter ice cream, tempura bananas, cinnamon tortilla): Giving this dessert ALL THE "YAAAAAAAAS" in the world! Seriously though, this dessert was everything! The cinnamon tortilla (similar to a sopapilla) was light and airy, the tempura bananas were fantastic and had a wonderful banana-to-batter ratio, but my favorite part had to be the peanut butter ice cream! So creamy and perfect, it really was the happy ending we needed to beat the rush hour traffic home!

As you can probably tell, both my mom & I had a phenomenal dining experience at Takorea! Coming from someone who was born and raised in S. Korea (my mom!) and someone who was raised in a part-Korean household (me!), we didn't know how or if Takorea could meet up to our expectations. Don't worry though, I'm very happy to report that they did! From the moment we entered, we were immediately greeted and seated in the "outdoor" area, separate from the bar and main dining rooms. Within a few minutes of being seated, Chesa, the general manager, welcomed us and brought over both the standard and tasting menus. Before we could even take a glance at our menus, Chesa informed us that the kitchen was already prepping our fried chicken and ssam orders to spare us the waiting time (SO AWESOME! It's almost like she knew I skipped lunch that day due to a work meeting!) and that we could feel free to order anything else on the menu we'd like to try. Moments after, our server, Djenne, introduced herself and walked us through their menu. Not only did she do an incredible job taking care of us throughout the evening, but she also made some fabulous recommendations (i.e. tempura sweet potatoes and Elvis sundae) and was just overall, very genuine, sweet and attentive! Luckily, we arrived and dined right before the dinner rush, so our order didn't take long at all, which is always a plus since I was ready to chow down! Both Djenne and Chesa made sure to check up on us to see how everything was and that we had everything we needed---these two lovely gals seriously went above and beyond made us feel right at home! As for the interior decor, it's got a warehouse chic meets modern eclectic type of vibe to it. The area where we sat had garage-type windows that I assume can be opened when the weather's nice complete with metal chairs, pipes running through the ceiling and dark wooden tables and floors. The main dining and bar areas are much more colorful and loud with its playful decor, spiked light fixtures and funky knick-knacks adorning the multicolored walls. Personally, I love that the decor here matches Takorea's diverse menu. I mean, after all, it's a fusion of Korean and Mexican cuisine! So whether you're grabbing some grub and brew with your guys, mingling with your girlfriends or simply bringing your family in for a nice and relaxing lunch or dinner, Takorea is the place to go! They're easily one of those "any time, any day" types of restaurants, which are the BEST kinds to be, especially since these types of places can be so find to hard in the Midtown area! Despite Takorea's surrounding upscale neighborhood, it's extremely comforting knowing that you can get superior service, food and drinks all at an equally affordable price and in a family-friendly environment. So what are ya'll waiting for? You know you want NEED ssam {play on the word 'some'} Takorea in your lives! Thank you again to Morgan & the ML+A and Midtown Takorea teams, especially Chesa and Djenne, for inviting my guest and I out for a fantastic meal! We can't wait to come back and get SSAM more, get it? ;)

Have a sweet day,

-Sandy

FTC: Although this was a media event and my meal was comped, I will provide an honest review & experience of the restaurant.

If you'd like to invite Bella Vivere to cover & share your restaurant's media events, tastings, or parties, feel free to shoot me an email at bellavivere {at} gmail {dot} com-Thanks!