K is for: Korean & Kimchee {HRD Coffee Shop Restaurant Review}

Today is not a good day in the world of Jaymee. First of all, I spent the entire morning re-uploading dozens of photos into past blog posts. I had to do this because I accidentally deleted a bunch of them from my online picasa album, which I wasn’t aware does the web hosting for blogger. So that sucked.

Of bigger consequence, my boyfriend of almost two years just moved to L.A. this morning. I’m an emotional person and I don’t do well with goodbyes. So that *really* sucked.

There are lots of other sucky things going on in my life today that I could bore you with, but I won’t. Instead I want to tell you about HRD because I think it will cheer me up, and hopefully it will do the same for you.

HRD Coffee Shop isn’t really a coffee shop in the traditional sense. It’s Korean food served up in some pretty ridiculously amazing and creative ways. As you can see from the first photo, there was a line when I went yesterday. There’s almost always a line. And they often run out of food before they close for the day. That’s a sign of a good spot. That, and it was featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. Oh, and the prices are pretty reasonable for San Francisco too.

I call this sequence: “Anatomy of Spicy Delicious Bliss.” Actually, it’s my go-to order at HRD, the Spicy Pork Kimchee Burrito, which is only $7.25. It’s kimchee. And spicy pork. In a burrito. As I told you in my post about Curry Up Now, I’m totally on board with putting non-traditional items in a gigantic flour tortilla. This burrito is seriously out of this world good.

It’s got the kimchee (or kimchi if you prefer), which is a traditional Korean dish made with fermented vegetables, along with perfectly tender pork that’s seasoned with a mixture of spices I could only dream of recreating. It’s got cucumber, sprouts, fried rice, and KIWI. The first time I had one I didn’t realize there was kiwi in there until halfway through. For you people out there who don’t generally like fruit and meat together (I hate Hawaiian-style pizza), don’t be alarmed. The symphony of flavors all work together to make sweet music in your mouth. If you really like it spicy (which I do), it comes with more spicy sauce for dumping on each scrumptious bite.

This photo I took when I was there a couple months ago. I had gone too late in the day (after 2PM), and they were literally out of almost everything. Gary, the friendly cashier, suggested some pineapple fried rice topped with a fried egg. Done. It was delicious.

Another one of their signature items is the Mongolian Cheesesteak. As you probably know by now, I hate bell peppers, so I haven’t been able to try this. But I hear nothing but rave reviews from my friends who have. They basically take a Philly favorite and put an Asian spin on it with Hoisin sauce and different spices and then melt some mozzarella cheese on top. Genius.

Another great thing about HRD is it’s not too far from AT&T Park, so it’s a great spot before a day game. They also have a soft shell crab sandwich there I’ve been eyeing for awhile. (And It’s about half the price of the Crazy Crab sando at the ballpark!) And the best thing about HRD and this post? I’m feeling better already.