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| http://instagram.com/ichompsf |
I have yet to find a Korean kimchee fried rice better than the one at Toyose aka Chamse in all of SF and even the surrounding areas. That's a bold statement and I stand firmly by it.
If you don't know what Kimchee is, it's usually napa cabbage, each layer rubbed with sea salt for a couple of hours to draw out moisture then marinated with korean chili paste that you can purchase from a korean supermarket or make it yourself. The napa cabbage is then stored away to be fermented... best at around 2 maybe 3 weeks.
Growing up with a good amount of Korean friends and having dated a couple of first generation Korean girlfriends in my late teens and mid twenties, I was lucky enough to have some real authentic stuff all these years... from really good restaurants that only the Koreans know about to real home cooked meals by all the 엄마s (eomma - mom in korean) n 이모s (imo - aunt in korean) in my life. The kimchee fried rice they make here is always consistent. I find it hard to get sick of it and I'm sure most of my friends would agree with me as well as all other patrons if they saw my post. Rice is always perfectly cooked... unbelievably fluffy al dente bites with every spoonful that goes in. Rice is stir fried with beef (if you don't mind an unhealthier option then I'd ask for spam), their delicious kimchee made in-house, sesame oil, topped with sesame seeds, roasted seaweed, scallions, and a sunny side up. Most likely missing a couple of ingredients there but I'm sure I taste cheese in their fried rice... maybe american... not sure. That may be another secret to their recipe. One main reason their fried rice is so damn good is that their kimchee is fermented in-house and the combination of spices they use to make the kimchee is also made from scratch in-house by the boss lady herself. It's her own secret recipe. A very successful n delicious recipe at that. I know it's made from scratch after being a zealously loyal diner there for the last 12-13 years of my life. After countless soju bottles and fried rice plates at least 4-5 days a week (not commanding my post as much these days), you can probably find my name n phone number at the very top of their VIP list on a very old piece of mini notepad paper taped against their wall or kitchen door somewhere which dates back a good 8-10 years ago... if it still exists that is.
You have to pay them a visit if you are in the area and let me know what you think of their Kimchee Fried Rice. You're gonna have to school me on what a great kimchee fried rice is supposed to be like if you totally disagree with me on this pick. Before we can even have that discussion you're gonna have to break into that yolk, mix that golden gooeyness in, and take a big bite. Enjoy... now I'm hungry and want one also.
http://instagram.com/ichompsf
FYI: Your night can't go wrong with their chicken gizzards, chicken wings, or pork shanks for sharing.
Toyose
3814 Noriega Street
San Francisco, Ca 94122
(415)731-0232
