One, two, three, four. I declare a food truck war!

Spotted: The Coreanos guy grinning sly while saying, “We tried what Chi’Lantro had to offer, and we thought we could do better.” Them’s L.A. fightin’ words!

He wasn’t just blowing smoke from the grill, either. Sure, Chi’Lantro has perfected their sweet-spicy sauce, their assortment of tacos, and the cheese-induced coma that you will surely fall into upon finishing your food, but Coreanos’ menu is more varied, their flavors more interesting, and their kimchi as tongue-scorching and plentiful as it should be. In other words, Coreanos (which means “Koreans” in Spanish) understands the fusion part of Mexican Korean fusion food. (If you don’t believe me, take a look at their awesome logo, which manages to address and reclaim two ethnic stereotypes at once.)

My favorite was the simple yet satisfying Coreanos hot dog, a grilled dog with thick pieces of grilled onion, spicy caramelized kimchi, and creamy knock-your-socks-off el scorcho sauce. The only thing missing was a toasted bun to round out the textures.

The OG Korean BBQ burrito was pretty unbelievable too, with bite-sized nuggets of marinated beef short ribs, a scattering of french fries, Korean slaw, caramelized kimchi, onion, cilantro, and a garlicky sauce all wrapped Mexican-style into a big, crispy tortilla. Despite all of this caloric goodness, the burrito tasted surprisingly light. Same went for the delicious twice-cooked pork belly taco, on thick corn tortillas with crunchy Korean slaw, grilled onions, cilantro, and sesame oil vinaigrette on top.

Let’s just pause for a moment and talk about Coreanos’ proteins. Fall-apart-tender beef short ribs, fatty and delicious pork belly, marinated, juicy chicken pieces. If you were served these delicacies at a five-star restaurant, you’d be shelling out the big bucks. As it is, you can sigh and swallow over the heavenly pork belly at Coreano’s for about five small ones.

They’ve even named a dish after how smart you are to eat there. The Three Wise Fries lets you sample all of their meats on top of a huge pile of hand-cut, salty french fries, grilled and raw onions, a bit of cheese, and plenty of the aptly named el scorcho sauce. Oh, el scorcho, as Weezer said—and I’m positive they had Coreanos in mind—“I think I’d be good for you, and you’d be good for me.”

Check their Facebook and Twitter for locations and hours.

Posted by Megan Giller.

Tagged: Chi'Lantro, Coreanos, Korean Mexican fusion, tacos, Trailer Thursday