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A new way to sample the traditional tastes of South Korea has opened along the Peninsula.
Simmer & Steamer, a restaurant chain with more than 200 locations in South Korea, recently opened in downtown Palo Alto occupying the store where Shekoh Confections used to be. The fast-casual spot offers affordable Korean rice bowls decorated with mouth-watering sides of meats and vegetables.
While the food is Simmer & Steamer’s first priority, CEO Jin Seok Kang has an ambitious goal to revolutionize the restaurant industry.
“In a couple of years, we will change to a fully automated system,” Kang said. “When the humanoid robots are released, we will first test the robot and eventually mix humanoid robots and human workers (in stores).”
Kang opened his latest restaurant in Palo Alto because he wants to collaborate with local tech companies to develop humanoid robots that will operate the stores. He said that the best robots for the restaurant industry are manufactured in the United States, simply because the “hands” of the robot are better suited for cooking.
“We want to contribute to the local society,” Kang said. “We are not just selling food, we want to be a global big tech company.”
One of the overarching missions when he started the company was to provide an inexpensive, healthy meal that appealed to people from all walks of life. In Palo Alto, it is rare to find a filling meal for $15, but Simmer & Steamer keeps costs down with self-ordering systems and meal preparation that only requires one worker, according to its website.
Kang opened his first location in Seoul in 2016. Since then, the business has grown to more than 200 franchises in Korea. Now, Kang is setting his sights on expanding to the United States, with three locations already open in Palo Alto, Berkeley and San Francisco. Kang hopes to establish branches in Los Angeles and New York.
I tried four dishes at the Palo Alto location, and here are my thoughts.
At Simmer & Steamer, customers have the option to dine in or order to-go, but either way, it still comes out in a stone pot-inspired plastic bowl. If you choose to eat in, there’s a clean, minimalist seating area toward the back of the restaurant. Catchy K-pop music bounces off the walls, making you feel as if you are in a store in bustling Korea. All ordering is done via kiosk, and you can watch the chefs assemble your meal through the glass barrier.
Everything on the menu starts with a fresh white rice base with 10 different combinations ($15-$25) of meat and vegetable sides to top it off. A couple options include your choice of hard-boiled or sous vide egg.
The Gan-jang Beef Rice Bowl ($14.99) is a combination of pulled sweet and sour galbi beef, chili peppers, sesame seeds, a healthy drizzle of sesame oil and a soft runny egg. The beef has a smoky taste, and although it is marinated in soy sauce, it is not overly salty. This bowl is a solid choice, but one that doesn’t fail to bring flavor and texture to the table.
Looking for heat? Then the Gochujang Chicken Rice Bowl ($14.99) hits the spot. The rice is topped with huge chunks of chicken and covered in a fiery red sauce with an umami taste that lingers on the tongue. Without the red sauce, the chicken is manageable for people with a low spice tolerance. The bowl comes with an egg, beef sausage, crispy onion flakes and, just in case it wasn’t spicy enough, pepper flakes.
For the very hungry, try the Super Bowl ($22.99), a meat extravaganza with gochujang chicken, grilled samgyeopsal (pork belly), gan-jang beef and an egg all in one big bowl. It can be slightly overwhelming with the three distinct flavor profiles mixing altogether after a couple of bites, but it is a great way to sample everything from the menu. The grilled samgyeopsal has the perfect meat to fat ratio, and it melts in your mouth.
Simmer & Steamer’s number one dish in South Korea is the Avocado with Cod Roe Mayo Rice Bowl ($12.99), according to Kang. I thought the dish was light and perfect for any time of the day. It includes a big scoop of soft avocado paired with liquid cod roe drizzled onto the rice and an egg. Alone, the cod roe can taste salty with a fish-forward taste, but pairing it with the avocado balances out the dish perfectly. The cod roe provides the saltness needed to bring out the avocado’s fresh flavor with the avocado helping neutralize the roe’s powerful taste.
All toppings are made fresh daily. Some ingredients, like roasted seaweed, are imported from South Korea. From the first bite, I could tell something was different about the seaweed, because it was less oily and crispier than typical.
The side menu is small but mighty. Customers can indulge in a gooey mozzarella cheese corn dog ($6) or Korean dumplings ($4) with a tender beef interior and crispy wrapper that lets out a satisfying crunch when you bite into it.
Multiple Korean refreshments like Milkis ($2) and sikhye ($2) are offered along with American sodas. Milkis is a sweet cream soda made with milk and yogurt. A sip of Milkis is the perfect way to soothe your tongue after a few bites of spicy Gochujang chicken. Sikhye is a traditional sweet rice and barley drink typically served as a dessert because the fermented ingredients help with digestion.
Kang played a critical role in developing the menu alongside a team of chefs back in South Korea. You can expect the menus to change slightly as Simmer & Steamer makes adjustments based on customer feedback.
“Our main purpose is to meet the customers’ needs,” Kang said. “We are continuously improving with new menus.”
Simmer & Steamer, 444 University Ave, Palo Alto; 669 344-5050, Instagram: @simmersteamer. Open Monday to Sunday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
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