Sidewalk Deli & Sundries

Inspired by fellow blogger FatMan Seoul and all of the yummy Korean food that he gets to eat daily, I decided that I would have some Korean food for lunch today.  There are many Korean restaurants here in Hawaii, but since I was at work, I decided to visit somewhere close to the office.  Sidewalk Deli & Sundries is on a small side street near Hawaii Pacific University.

A proper restaurant this is not.  In fact, the food was probably an afterthought.  The store started off selling drinks and snack items, as well as homemade kim chee.  Hot food items were added later and now there are about 10 items that are offered daily. 

The food used to be cooked on a small hot plate located on the floor below the cash register.  The shop owner used to sit on a small stool to cook the food.  Now the hot plate has moved to a corner behind the register and next to the sink. 

Today, I ordered two of my favorites.  The first is the duk bo ki (tteokbokki, US$5.00).

I have lots of trouble finding this dish on the menu at most other Korean restaurants here.  Don't know why since I understand it to be a very popular dish back in Korea.  In fact, I think it's one of the more popular dishes amongst Korean university students.

This dish is usually made with sautéed bul go gi (thinly sliced marinated beef), rice cake noodles and vegetables (round onions, green onions, carrots and cabbage) in a sweet, spicy sauce which is probably made with ko chu jang (hot chili and bean curd paste) sauce.  This version, however, is made with odeng (fish cake) instead of bul go gi and adds a boiled egg.  This is delicious and probably one of my lunchtime favorites.  It has a nice balance of sweet and spicy flavors with neither overpowering the other.  My only wish...is that it were just a bit spicier.

For dinner, I decide to take home the kim chee fried rice (US$4.00).

The rice is fried with minced/ground beef, kim chee, onions and shredded carrots.  Like the previous dish, this could use a bit more spice (heat) and it could be cooked using a lot less oil (yes, it was very oily).  Other than that , this is yummy.  The egg, which is served over easy, is an added bonus. 

If you're in the neighborhood and want some home-style Korean food at a reasonable price, stop by Sidewalk Deli & Sundries.  Once you've had the food here, you will definitely be back for more.

Sidewalk Deli & Sundries
1154 Fort Street Mall Suite 107
No telephone number listed

Comments

[santos]

hey reid

i don't really care for korean food, but i've been looking at fatman seoul lately, and everything looks so goooood. so does this.

i don't think the health dept. would let anyone get away with a hot plate by the register here on guam! that's just fantastic. does he cook to order or is it all prepared in advance? do you look at the same snack items over and over again while you wait for your food?

[Janet]

mmmmm, yummy! Kim chee fried rice is delish!

[Reid]

Hi Santos,

The food here is like home cooking and is very delicious. The shop owner is a 40-something year old woman and everything is cooked to order. I normally don't wait around while she prepares the food. I order, then walk down the street to the post office to pick up my mail. By the time I get back (5 minutes), my food is ready. And yes, all of the food on FatMan Seoul's website looks yummy! I also don't think the Health Department would approve of this, but I assume that either they don't know or since it's such a small operation, it doesn't matter.

BTW...I love Korean food!

Hi Janet,

Thanks for stopping by. Yes, kim chee fried rice is one of my favorites. I only wish this were spicier, like the kim chee fried rice at Taiyo Ramen.

[pieman]

I think this is called kimchi dobbap in Korea. Decent snack food, but not the full fill.

[Reid]

Hey Pieman,

Welcome back! Hope you had a nice trip. This could very well be the dish that you speak of and it probably isn't the same as what one can get in Korea. That said, I don't expect too much of the Korean food here in the islands as I know most of it is not truly authentic.

[Mr_Me]

Wow...I walk past this joint almost every day and would have never thought they serve food like this! I'll have to try it next time.

While we're in the same geographical area, have you been to "2 Go Bar-B-Q and Okazukya", a few doors down? It's a tytpical platelunch/okazuya, but I've discovered that they serve one of the largest servings of any platelunch place Ive been to recently. I order thier fish/meat/oyster jhun, and i swear to god, I can never finish the whole thing in one sitting (and im a big piggy when it comes to grinding food!)...Nothing particularly groundbreaking here, but it has great bang for the buck. And it's nice to be able to get Oyster Jhun too.

[Reid]

Hello Mr. Me,

Thanks for stopping by the site. Yes, you would never know that this place actually sells food if you didn't read the menu that's posted on the door outside.

I actually have been to 2-Go, but found that they give just way too much food. I found myself overeating...so now, I buy one plate and split it with someone in the office. I'll actually be doing a post on it soon enough.

[lance]

I never saw that dish (duk bo ki) at any korean restraurant here in Honolulu as well. Not until I watched the TV program "Electric Kitchen". The women from Elim Restaurant made it and serves it at their restaurant. Check it out. I think they said they have two restraurants.

[Reid]

Hi Lance,

Thanks for dropping by the blog. Actually, I used to get duk bo ki at a Korean bar called Hoban on Kapiolani back in the 80s (they also had another location called Hoban II in Kalihi near Dillingham). I've also had the duk bo ki at Elim in Samsung Plaza, but I don't think it's as good as the one here. Have you tried the duk bo ki here?

[Lance]

Reid,

I've never tried duk bo ki before. But it sure looked good. If I get a chance I'll check out Sidewalk Deli & Sundries. I rarely go downtown, maybe once/twice a year to buy roast duck/look fun/roast pork, etc. Since I found out about "pata" at Mililani Golf Course Restraurant, I rarely buy roast pork. It's pork shank that has been boiled in some spices to get rid of the fat and then deep fried cripsy on the outside and moist and soft on the inside, laying on a bed of fresh tomatoes and sweet round onions and served with a vinegar shoyu spice dipping sauce. Fall off the bone ono......check it out. Just found out about your site and enjoying it..

[Reid]

Hi Lance,

I've never tried pata and I've never been to Mililani Golf Course. I guess when you live in town like I do, you seldom venture further than you have to. If I'm ever in that vicinity, I'll have to try the pata as it sounds quite good.

Thanks for the comments about the site. I hope you continue to stop by.

[lance]

If you're ever in that area. Stop by JP Spagettini in Waihiwa in the shopping center that has Longs Drugs. It's a small place that services really good pasta for a reasonable price. Plate lunch prices. The owner used to work at Castinolagas (sp.) and other places.

[Reid]

Hi Lance,

I don't often go that far from town, but maybe it will be worth it to check one of those places out the next time I go to WalMart. In fact, I'd probably stop at Kilani Bakery (for the brownies) or at Sunnyside (for the chocolate cream pie) while I'm there! Thanks for the suggestions.