Cycle 16 – Item 163
Post 5,642
17 (Tue) June 2025
Birria Tacos
3.5
(Coex Mall)
-Samseong, Gangnam, Seoul, Republic of Korea-
solo
Starting tomorrow, in collaboration with Penguin Random House, dbBOOKS will be running a booth at the 2025 Seoul International Book Fair. However many books we end up selling, I will see our presence at the event as a moral victory in itself. We used to be a regular vendor at SIBF until 2018, when we were denied entry, apparently because the organizers had decided that our haphazard flea market set-up was undignified, and/or despite that because other vendors were complaining that we were taking all the business. We reapplied in 2019, only to be denied again and gave up thereafter. I tried my hand in 2024 but also failed. The organizers claimed that SIBF is intended for publishers, not retailers – which is bullshit, because many retailers and other non-publishers operate booths at SIBF. So this year, I had the idea for PRH to apply, as a publisher, and for us to run the sales behind the scenes. And it worked.
The Taco Booth NYC is a Tex-Mex restaurant. Offers tacos, burritos, quesadillas, fajitas, and … poke. Franchise launched in 2023, already 18 locations.
DJ, while working at AllSaints in the mall, had recommended the place to me, knowing my affinity for such food.
Birria is a Mexican dish. Meat – typically beef, goat, or lamb – braised in broth with adobo seasonings. Traditionally cooked in a pit over coals/fire. Served as a kind of stew with tortillas for dipping, or wrapped in tortillas as tacos.
The birria taco was good. Juicy strips of beef, melted cheese, wrapped in a fried corn tortilla, topped with cilantro, served with a side of richly chili-flavored braising broth. Very close to the real deal (see for comparison 16.073 Jeonguk Odae Jjambbong: The Yeongbinru).
I will likely be in and out of the mall this week, so I’ll be back to explore more of the menu.
(See all GLOBAL FOOD GLOSSARY)
(See all RESTAURANTS IN KOREA)