Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Takorea

Hankook Taqueria failed to impressed me time and time again. It was so bland, it was like eating a cardboard box on the side of the road. I don't know why people rave about it... Oh, wait, this is Atlanta. They never had Korean tacos ever in their lives so I can understand why they ate up the novelty. Only one problem, this shit was not the Korean tacos you find all over California nowadays, but whatever.

So, not long after they decided to do the food truck thing with Yumbii and now a fancypants dining location in midtown where it was once Abrigo, an awful excuse for Mexican grub (c'mon, you can't get any worse than Uncle Julio's overpriced slop or El Azteca where someone died from the food but at least they're still in business). Anyway, they didn't change the space out much from the previous short lived tenant. It looks basically the same, but let's hope the food here is half way edible at least...


Sticky Chicky: crispy, apricot glazed

Like cheekan nuggets... They're always a hit. Tasty lil morsels. It seems like there were more huge chunks of red onion than nugs. They were fine but needed a little more seasoning. Something to make them pop... Because the jalapenos had no heat to them whatsoever. How did they source bland peppers, too? Amazing.


Dumplings: fried with pork, ginger, scallions

They come six per plate but the table Jesuses snatched a couple away like it was their last supper. I don't know why for their impatience... But the filling had this pink doughy like consistency, it look like pureed SPAM. Eh.


Tempura Sweet Potatoes

Giant slices of bland Korean sweet taters with an even thicker coat of blander tempura. I didn't know if I should eat it or wear them as flip flops. They tasted like sliced Duraflame logs. Zero seasoning... Wait, I think there's sodium in the Duraflame logs. Do they have salt back there or what?


Kimchi Fried Rice

Mushy overcooked rice and no kimchi found. My guess is that old leftover rice was the building block to this dish. Bland. The dishwasher amigo in the back wouldn't even eat this.


Sesame Fries: Chipotle Ketchup

These things usually suck big time from their truck but somehow these were prolly the best thing eaten all night... Yeah, french fries.


BBQ Pork Sliders: two spicy, Korean style pulled pork sliders with cucumber kimchi, lettuce, mayo

Cheap plastic bag buns and flavorless pulled pork. Is that even possible? Baffles the taste buds. I think I had similar ones at a really bad backyard BBQ this summer.


Bibim-Bop: rice, meat, fried egg, ‘shrooms, spinach, mung beans, zucchini, topped with spicy Korean pepper sauce

It looked kinda impressive when it was placed on the table. But after 5 seconds, it looked like ketchup squirted on top or what my neighbor's dog just shat out this morning. It was ok but why was this so bland? It's beginning to seem like that's the theme here.


Takos: calamari, beef, shrimp

Take a guess which is which... Because I was hoodwinked on a couple guesses. It tasted how it looked. Really no discerning flavors to separate the three different fillers. Weird.


Takos: pork, pork belly

I know its pork but which is which? Who knows... It all goes to the same place anyways. Just eat it. These were some of the ugliest display of tacos I have ever seen. I swear, I can't tell you how they tasted because everything blended together. I have had Mexican water with more flavor.

The space feels a little depressing, maybe due to the muted colors and silence felt around the room, the staff was sufficient and attentive. I was wishing for a more funky and festive atmosphere in a Mexican't Fiesta kinda way. But thank God there was booze to be had or else this party woulda ended early. It's fine to come here with some friends to hangout and catch up with some nibbles and drinks on the side but don't come here for a true dinner experience. But at the end of the day, it's just a tad better than Hankook (no rating). Really no need to waste your time and money on a second visit. But if you must there's like 4 free parking spaces around back.

Time to hit el takobano.

1 Star.

818 Juniper Street
Atlanta, GA 30308
404-532-1944
http://mytakorea.com/

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