Food truck review: Ssahm BBQ has killer kimchee fries

by Terry Eddington of Food Truck Connection

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Now, there are two Ssahm trucks: twice the pleasure.

It takes some nerve to boldly describe your food as "gourmet Korean tacos," especially here in Texas where we take our Mexican food as seriously as our barbecue. The words just don’t seem to fit together. Gourmet and tacos? Korean and tacos? Gourmet from a truck?

And then you take the first bite. It doesn’t take nerve when you serve up gourmet Mexican-Korean tacos that taste like nothing you’ve ever had before.

Let’s get right to it: The tacos and burritos are unlike any you’ve had before, but my absolute favorite food from Ssahm are the kimchee fries. What do fries have to do with Korean or Mexican, you might ask? Who cares? These are the best fries I’ve ever had, anywhere, anytime! The caramelized kimchee is smooth and spicy at the same time, there’s Monterey jack and cheddar cheese with a bit of cilantro and onion thrown into the mix. Add your choice of meats and this is a meal all by itself. The regular order at $5 is generous, and the $7 large order assures leftovers for breakfast.

Food trucks can be a challenge to find (but isn’t that part of the fun?), but they make it simple by listing their location on their website, Facebook, and they tweet them, too. And, they’ve made it easier than before. Now there are two Ssahm trucks, red and black, bringing you twice the pleasure!

When it comes to the burritos and tacos, you have your choice of meat:

• KALBI (beef) – marinated certified Angus chuck short rib
• DAEJI (pork) – spicy marinated pork
• DDAK (chicken) – spicy marinated chicken; or
• DUBU (tofu) – grilled organic tofu

The kalbi taco has a sesame soy vinaigrette topping with caramelized kimchee, salsa rojo/verde, Cilantro, and onion. The balance of ingredients is just right. Top with a squeeze of fresh lime and you’re all set!

The burrito is another meal all by itself. It may not be as big as Freebirds, but the flavor is so big you’ll never miss the bulk. The key is the cilantro lime jasmine rice. Lighter than most rice found in burritos, it avoids that heavy, sometimes sticky sensation in other burritos and then gives you the hint of citrus from the lime. The flour tortilla is filled with your choice of meat or tofu. There’s a great balance between the meat and the rice. It is stuffed with Monterey jack and cheddar cheeses, and caramelized kimchee play their supporting roles perfectly.

And now Ssahm is offering a BBQ hot dog. Yep, buried under that mountain of dressings that includes everything but the kitchen sink is a plump all beef BBQ dog. Good luck getting your mouth wrapped around this monster dog. And a word of warning, do not attempt to eat this sitting down unless you have a table you can lean over to protect your lap.

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