426945 Wed Aug 01 14:01:49 -0700 2007 32 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 2804431 A couple days ago, I saw what looked like a taco truck with the words "Korean BBQ" written on it. It was parked almost under the Bay Bridge in SF. While driving by, I caught the phrase "Seoul on Wheels" written on a sign and even found a somewhat incomplete website at http://seoulonwheels.com/ Has anyone eaten from this rather unique truck? Wed Aug 01 14:01:49 -0700 2007 11947 Benny Choi 1 2806904 ha! I just saw it for the first time this morning. It was parked near Main. I'm going to try to head over there today for lunch. Thu Aug 02 09:06:15 -0700 2007 2804431 10252 larochelle 1 2812877 Any reports? Fri Aug 03 22:28:04 -0700 2007 2804431 10039 Melanie Wong 2 2817733 I drove by it again this morning. It was parked on Bryant at Main. I still have not eaten from it. Hopefully larochelle or someone else can report on it soon! Mon Aug 06 09:41:53 -0700 2007 2812877 11947 Benny Choi 2 2822946 I didn't make it over there before my trip - even though I work only three blocks from there, its really hard for me to get out of the building. I'm going to try to get over there sometime this week. Tue Aug 07 14:56:03 -0700 2007 2812877 10252 larochelle 1 2826113 I walked by Bryant & Main just now. The truck was not there. I assume it parks elsewhere during lunch. Hopefully someone will spot it and let us know. Wed Aug 08 12:47:42 -0700 2007 2804431 10252 larochelle 2 2826383 It was on the Embarcadero today, right where Spear dead ends. I had just eaten though, so didn't end up trying it. Wed Aug 08 13:46:50 -0700 2007 2826113 91018 teresalynne 3 2826413 Where exactly was it? Was it on Embarcadero or Spear? Today, I started at Folsom & Spear. I walked down Spear. Since Spear deadends under the bridge, I continued along Embarcadero and turned right at Bryant and walked up to Main. I thought I had my eyes peeled but alas, I never saw the truck. Wed Aug 08 13:52:55 -0700 2007 2826383 10252 larochelle 4 2826565 It was on Embarcadero, on the side of the street away from the water. It was opened up to the sidewalk facing the little cul de sac where Spear ends under the bridge. I walked by at 1pm. Coming from Folsom it would have been on your left. Wed Aug 08 14:23:30 -0700 2007 2826413 91018 teresalynne 5 2826592 Aaaargh -- I walked by it TWICE! But I wasn't scanning Embarcadero, I was scanning Spear. Guess I'll try for it tomorrow. Wed Aug 08 14:29:17 -0700 2007 2826565 10252 larochelle 2 2829623 Here's the schedule: 6:45-8:45: BRYANT & MAIN 9:15-9:45: BRYANT b/w 4TH & 5TH 10:00-10:25: HARRISON & 1ST 10:30-11:45: 4TH & TOWNSEND 12:00-12:25: HARRISON & 1ST 12:30-1:45: EMBARCADERO & BRYANT Please post if you try it. Thu Aug 09 11:33:03 -0700 2007 2826113 14580 sf2006 3 2830869 Are people really buying bulgogi at 6:45am? This seems kind of crazy. Do you line up at Harrison & 1st and wait for the truck to show up at noon? What if you get in line at 12:20pm, and haven't been served by 12:25? Does it drive away in order to get to Embarcadero & Bryant by 12:30? No wonder no one has tried it. Thu Aug 09 16:48:49 -0700 2007 2829623 82741 kresge86 4 2831739 I haven't tried this truck. But it sounds like I might be more familiar with catering truck routines than some, so let me try to shed some light on this. Trucks that have an early morning stop will often have prepackaged snacks and meals for early birds to buy to eat later and also coffee and donuts, bagels, etc. for breakfast seekers. The mid morning times are to cover coffee breaks with more snacks and maybe the grill is fired up too. It would be rare in my experience for a truck to leave when there's still a line of customers. It may also leave early if there haven't been any customers for a while. You can expect arrival and departure times to vary somewhat for just that reason. Thu Aug 09 23:22:05 -0700 2007 2830869 10039 Melanie Wong 1 2830608 I hope someone tries this soon. The suspense is killing me, and I don't even live or work in San Francisco! Thu Aug 09 15:17:35 -0700 2007 2804431 11534 The Librarian 2 2833717 I'm going try it on Monday come hell or high water! Fri Aug 10 12:47:02 -0700 2007 2830608 10252 larochelle 1 2831780 This thread has all the ingredients of a science fiction thriller! Does this truck really exist? Can ordinary mortals approach it? Thu Aug 09 23:52:54 -0700 2007 2804431 10724 Mick Ruthven 1 2834786 So... I shared the schedule posted below with my sister and brother-in-law, and they actually (drum roll please) tried the Seoul on Wheels today! They said it was delicious, cheap, with generous portions, and that the meat is of high quality. I can't wait to try it. Fri Aug 10 18:21:15 -0700 2007 2804431 82741 kresge86 2 2835317 Very cool! Which stop in the schedule did they catch up with the truck? Fri Aug 10 23:06:48 -0700 2007 2834786 10039 Melanie Wong 3 2844786 Harrison & 1st. Tue Aug 14 11:51:36 -0700 2007 2835317 82741 kresge86 4 2845047 I dragged a co-worker and we walked to the truck for lunch today. 4th and Townsend. I hate to say this since I was so excited about the truck but... not really that great. Inexpensive, yes. Large portions, yes. Julia is really nice. She gave us a sample of the kimchee rice. It was spicy but the rice was mushy. Still I gave it the benefit of the doubt and ordered it with the ribeye. The beef was on the well done side, bit dry and not very flavorful. I guess I was expecting the beef to be marinated. The rice was indeed too mushy and the noodles also too soft and lacked flavor. (My co-worker ordered with brown rice and she said for brown rice it was mushy, too. She wasn't fond of the noodles.) She threw in some free egg rolls and potstickers, which was really nice of her. My co-workers really liked the eggrolls and the thought the potstickers were okay as well. They were a bit too greasy for me. Forgive me, Julia. I think the truck has a lot of potential. Tue Aug 14 12:44:41 -0700 2007 2844786 14580 sf2006 5 2846120 I got a half pork/half ribeye bowl. I should have mentioned the spicy pork was more juicy and flavorful of than the ribeye. I did not find the rice to be mushy. http://www.chowhound.com/topics/430855 Tue Aug 14 17:28:01 -0700 2007 2845047 10252 larochelle 1 2845085 I finally found the Seoul on Wheels today, and am happily munching on the bulgogi bowl as I write. The truck was at Fremont and 1st at 12:20 (a LONG ways away from my office, but what the heck). Bulgogi bowl with brown rice and japchae for $5.50 (larger portions are available, but the "regular" is quite generous in size). The meat is delicious. The meat was marinated, but not in covered in a sauce like Hahn's Hibachi (which is not "authentic" - at least my family never made bulgogi with teriyaki sauce). The brown rice is... well, brown rice. I've had much better japchae (I agree with the previous poster that it's mushy), but it is dotted with yummy mushrooms. Next time, I'll see if I can get kim chee instead of the japchae. All-in-all, a good deal for lunch. Note - According to the owner, her busiest stop is at Embarcadero and Bryant. Tue Aug 14 12:51:30 -0700 2007 2804431 82741 kresge86 2 2845689 Fremont and 1st are parallel. Did you mean First and Harrison? Tue Aug 14 15:11:28 -0700 2007 2845085 10159 Ruth Lafler 3 2846114 DOH! Yes, I meant Fremont and Harrison. Tue Aug 14 17:25:09 -0700 2007 2845689 82741 kresge86 1 2857124 The Bunrab.com guys have a report: http://www.bunrab.com/dailyfeed/2007August/dailyfeed_august-07_p3.html Looks yummy! Fri Aug 17 22:24:44 -0700 2007 2804431 11534 The Librarian 2 2857446 Thanks for the link. Nice pictures. They should put the schedule on the website ... and maybe a phone number. I assume they cater like most of these types of trucks. Sat Aug 18 07:02:29 -0700 2007 2857124 10264 rworange 1 2864817 I finally ate at the Korean BBQ truck! The details of my experience are in line with what's already been reported - the lady is very friendly, the spicy pork lacks any spicy sauce, the rice is on the mushy side, the regular sized portion is huge. I'm curious to try other items on the menu, except most of the locations on the schedule aren't so convenient for me. Mon Aug 20 23:50:37 -0700 2007 2804431 11947 Benny Choi 1 2867065 i have eaten there a few times, it's good food and good prices. i say go for the spicy pork rice bowl. Tue Aug 21 13:50:24 -0700 2007 2804431 121054 YeloSno 2 2867444 My sister suggests that you try the spicy pork with the kimchee fried rice. I had no idea that was an option when I went, but my sister insists that it is... Tue Aug 21 15:39:14 -0700 2007 2867065 82741 kresge86 1 2867560 Is this truck any better than Sorabol, which at Rincon Annex seems to be right in the middle of their route? Menus seem similar. Tue Aug 21 16:22:29 -0700 2007 2804431 13192 chocolatetartguy 1 2892602 SF Chronicle reviews the Korean BBQ truck: excerpt: "Burning for a little kim chee with your morning coffee? Or a peppery pile of grilled rib-eye over rice for breakfast or lunch? Look for Seoul on Wheels, San Francisco's shiny new Korean take on the taco truck. Julia Yoon pilots her 3-month-old rolling Korean barbecue grill all over the eastern end of the South of Market district on weekdays, from 6:45 a.m. to 1:45 p.m." http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2007/08/29/FD2CRQ6J8.DTL picture: http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/object/article?f=/c/a/2007/08/29/FD2CRQ6J8.DTL&o=0 Wed Aug 29 09:08:15 -0700 2007 2804431 10689 zippo 1 2982914 Julia sent me an email after the first time I tried her food. I wrote her the same as what I wrote in my previous post. She was great, took the criticism in stride, accepted it as honest feedback. Today the truck appeared at my building. She was totally friendly and even remembered my name. She told me she made some changes to her recipes and offered me some samples. The kimchee rice is better, still spicy and not as mushy. The beef was flavorful (not dry), although I think it could use a bit more marinade. The pork is tasty but not really spicy. The noodles still needs some work, too soft and bland. The egg rolls were hot and crunchy. The people in my building are definitely fans. The line was 40 long at one point. Go Julia! Will definitely go back. Thu Sep 27 12:42:09 -0700 2007 2804431 14580 sf2006 2 3306776 i finally had a chance to try seoul on wheels today after stalking Julia for a few months. I really, REALLY wanted it to blow my mind but it just wasn't that great. I had the rib-eye rice bowl with fried brown rice and the jellyfish noodles. The steak was very dry and the jellyfish noodles were mushy. I had to add a lot of tamari and fish sauce to give the whole thing some flavor. I LOVE the concept of Korean BBQ on wheels and Julia is very sweet and hard-working but the food just needs to be a little better for it to be a slam-dunk. Thu Jan 17 18:58:55 -0800 2008 2982914 84252 arriadevoe