3.036
10 (Fri) February 2012
Chicken Burrito with Pico De Gallo Salsa Fresca
3.0
from Fog City International Café
by me
at home
-Oksu, Seongdong, Seoul, Republic of Korea-
with W and DJ
On Fog City’s delivery menu, the most intriguing item is the burrito – not intriguing as a burrito per se but intriguing for being available for delivery all the way from Incheon. Turns out that the burritos are vacuum packed and frozen and delivered the next day, alleviating concerns about spoilage and sogginess. In fact, the lettuce and guacamole that come with the burritos served in-store are omitted from the delivery burritos, apparently for those very reasons. Bob, the proprietor of the restaurant: “Given the dearth of good burritos available in Korea, we think our customers will enjoy our offering.” It was an offer that I couldn’t refuse.
The burrito, specifically the chicken burrito, was something of a hit and a miss. Consistent with the other items that I’ve tried, the burrito was immaculately constructed, fundamentally sound, pleasingly simple: chicken, beans, rice, and cheese in a flour tortilla. Fully frozen and foil-wrapped, I popped it into the oven at full whack for about 20 minutes, resulting in a toasty tortilla on the outside with juicy chicken, gooey beans, fluffy rice, and oozing cheese inside. In terms of taste, however, I found it to be rather timid as is, the way that the flavorings of many foreign foods are watered down here in Korea so as not to offend the local palates. However, topped with Fog City’s own fresh salsa, which was gorgeously chock full of cilantro, the burrito came alive. A vigorous dash of Tapatio hot sauce sealed the deal. So, in summary, the burrito was a bit boring on its own, yet well made with the potential to be excellent when paired with the right toppings, such as salsa, hot sauce, or perhaps guacamole, sour cream, or even additional vegetables. Indeed, the main weakness here was the lack of fresh ingredients – in fairness, an inherent drawback to any frozen burrito. At 5,000 won apiece, not a bad deal, though I’d need at least 2 to constitute a full meal. I may order a few more and keep them in the freezer, just in case.
Incidentally, I had their vegetarian burrito earlier in the day for lunch, pretty much drawing the same conclusion. It featured small cubes of tofu, which didn’t really taste like anything, but the squishy texture combined with the cheese made it feel like ricotta. Interesting.
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