CABRINI-GREEN — A new quick-service restaurant is looking to speed up public acceptance of the Korean taco hybrid.
KorFusion has opened in a strip mall near the site of the old Cabrini-Green housing projects at 1234 N. Halsted St.
"It's a family affair," said partner Peter Chung, who drew inspiration from his mother's Korean cooking at home.
"The only two people who know the recipes," Chung said, "are my mom and the cook. No one else knows. I don't even know."
The concept of mixing spiced Korean meats like bulgogi with grab-and-go Americana wraps such as tacos and burritos isn't so unusual at this point. But Chung said KorFusion aimed to take that food hybrid and mix in speed and convenience as well. He said the guiding principle was "how we can incorporate some of her flavors into more of a fast-casual service," or into a "quick-service restaurant" as it's known in the food industry these days.
Chung, a Lincoln Park resident, acknowledged Del Seoul at 2568 N. Clark St. as a forerunner, but pointed out that even there one orders, typically sits down with a number on the table and waits for the food to be delivered.
At KorFusion, one orders at the counter and gets the food immediately, to be eaten either at a window seat or carried out. Chung said that suits "the lifestyle of Lincoln Park" in that "people on the go, they don't have the time to sit down the way they would at a traditional Korean restaurant."
The emphasis is nonetheless on fresh, not premade, food, especially in the salad bar and in vegetable add-ons like KorFusion giardinera and spicy cucumbers.
"Everything is made fresh, that morning, and if we run out it's made in the back," Chung said.
Chung said it's proved to be an instant hit with the growing number of office workers in the borderland between Old Town and Goose Island near the New City shopping complex, and word of mouth is now adding to the foot traffic in the area.
KorFusion serves its various bulgogi meats in tacos, burritos and rice bowls, as well as in a more conventional bibimbop. It also has traditional mandu, or a Korean take on potstickers, while mixing it up a little with what's called a bao taco, using a bao bun as the wrap.
Prices are kept under $10. Hours are 11 a.m.-8 p.m. daily.
