Mixing Mexican and Korean isn’t something new. But doing that in Chicago? Maybe. Just maybe. Thus, I found myself at Del Seoul, a perfectly fused name of a restaurant in Lincoln Park. What’s unique about Del Seoul is that it’s not simply content to drop Korean meats into Mexican conduits, but has expanded Korean-style offerings and more.
But, I started out with a taco because that seemed like the right choice. I went with the Spicy BBQ Chicken taco, and made sure to order it without the veggies. The results was a pretty flavorful chicken taco, but it was actually on the dry side and this could only be remedied with salsa – which is not really a remedy at all.
I also ordered their Kalbi Poutine, which was not at all poutine, but I was happy to see some Canadian thrown into the mix. These were topped with the Korean Kalbi beef, shredded cheese, pickled onions and a crema sauce, plus a bunch of green onions. I ordered without the pickled onions and then went to work on this beauty. It was a great mix of flavors that did what they could to make up for the dry taco. The fries also held their own pretty nicely under the weight of meat, cheese and crema.
I’ll say it – LA spoiled me. Del Seoul made a good attempt to satisfy my need for Korean food, in taco form or not. Unfortunately, it just fell a bit flat and only made me long for some Kogi BBQ. Perhaps this is less of a knock on Del Seoul than praise for what LA has to offer. Regardless, I left a bit less than satisfied.
