Fat Kid Reviews: Bumblebee

 (Full Disclosure I went to the location in West Valley City but it did not have a Zomato page at the time of this being posted.)


The surge in food trucks of a few years ago has started to live out its life cycle. Though (thankfully) our food trucks seem to be going nowhere, there is a number of successful food trucks who have made the move to brick and mortar. Bumblebee Korean American Fusion just happened to be the one in closest proximity to me.

Of all the types of food I’ve had Korean is the one I have the least experience with. It’s mostly due to proximity. However, this place made it more of a priority for me.

When seeing the decor and general vibe of the place is fun. They have sort but legally distinct from videogame characters on the walls and a friendly atmosphere. Before I did this review I actually ended up going here three times, and the experience was pretty consistent. Which honestly, is a mark in the pro-column.

But anyway, on to the food.

They have a mix of Korean and American played well together over all. They’re Bulgolgi (stewed beef) was generally the hit and regardless of vehicle. Sandwich, taco, fries, bun, or piled on top of more Bulgolgi. It was properly delicious. Their chicken and pork are tasty but pale when compared to the beef. Most of their sandwiches and K-Pop fries came slathered in a mix of sauces. They hit all the right notes though a bit more acid would have moved it from “delcious but a hair sweet” to that move where you through your head back and mouth “oh my God” to the ceiling.

We had two main dishes (that weren’t just the korean meats wrapped in something). The Kalbi Burger, and the Katsu Burger.

The Kalbi was a burger made from Korean short ribs. It was simple but tasty.

I’m a bit fan of Katsu which is a pounded and fried piece of pork served with sauces or over rice. They had a Katsu burger that I very much enjoyed but it had the same issue of being just a little too sweet and needing just a little bit of acid. It wasn’t until after I had finished that I notice the pickles on the condiment bar and realized that that would have fixed my problem wholesale.

They had a “snack” (little appetizer sized portions) called “Noodle Poppers”. I purchased an order out of morbid curiosity.

They were weird. Little fried balls of rice noodles topped with cheese and some of their tasty sauces. It was arguably one of the strangest legitimately food items I’ve put into my face, but there was something strangely delicious about it. The texture was just lovely. Crunch followed by that lovely chewy smoothness that only a really good rice noodle can give you. I suggest giving them a shot.

So I guess the lesson for todays review is… always look at the condiments.

And also check this place out.

Like, Comment, and Share if that's your thing.

See you in the Chow Line,
-The Fat Kid

Hospital Food

So there was a lack of an update for mid August. This was partially due to mismanagement but mostly due to an extended stay at a local hospital. I’m (mostly) fine afterwards but as I owe the internet a new article I decided to do a simple review of LDS Hospital inpatient kichen.

Now admittedly I was there for far longer than I actually got to eat. Part of my treatment was full gastric rest. Which by the way, if you can in any way avoid I suggest it. It’s…. Not fun.

But anyway, eventually I got to eat something. After four days of nothing but IV fluids I got to have a little italian ice. It was hard frozen and very difficult to eat…

But by the jiggling belly of the Gourmand it was delicious. Bright and sweet.

I mean it was basically sugar water. But man. That and a diet Coke? Heavenly.

The next day was basically just ice cream and the like. And drinking my water, through my mouth. Like a sucker.

Finally after what seemed an age of man I was allowed solid foods. Graham crackers taste amazing when you’re starving by the way. But my first real meal.

I had a salmon lunch with mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli. I mean I could have gone exciting but decided to play it safe.

The salmon was a little dry and would have been bland if it hadn’t had a nice little tartar sauce to go with it. Not the best I’ve had but pretty tasty. The broccoli was… well… steam and generally inoffensive. The potatoes needed some butter and cream but given the source it was what it was.

Time passed and the next day I was up for food again. Due to a misunderstanding about an “allergy” of mine my dinner ended up being Ice cream and steak.

I know right? Break my heart.

But here’s where something entirely unexpected happened.

That was a damn fine steak. Now it was small, it was well done, but it was a truly fantastic little bite of food. Juicy, good texture, perfectly seasoned and a truly memorable dinner. I was (and still am frankly) entirely blown away by it.

But hey, sometimes you see greatness in the strangest places.


See you in the Chow Line,
-The Fat Kid

Fat Kid Reviews: Express Thailao

I love strange little places. The kind of out in the middle of nowhere that make you for just a moment doubt the life choices that lead you to this series of events.

I jokingly start this entry off because that was my first reaction as my friend and I pulled into the out of the way strip mall in which Thailao sat. I can say that I was quite happily wrong.

There are many words you could use for the inside of the establishment, but I find humble is perhaps the most accurate. The decor was equal parts trying to hard and a little worn down. It wasn’t impressive.


But the moment we walked in, even before I could register the room or anything else, we were greeted warmly. The service was just amazing. All that were in the shop was the jovial and ernest man out front and the lady in the back. He hovered and took care of us like we were family coming in. It was just lovely.

We ordered the Chicken Satay, Chicken Noodle, and Massaman Curry.

He asked me if I wanted to make it spicy. “Medium spicy or Spicy” he said with knowing nod. I being a fool said “Spicy my good man!” (I didn’t actually say this but it makes for a better story.)

They serve their soda in the can which isn’t a mark against it, it’s just more of a personal pet peeve.

But the food. The Chicken Satay was delightful. It was perfectly cooked and seasoned. The peanut sauce was delectable and earthy. They also served it with this mixture of fresh vegetables in a spicy, sweet, vinegar sauce. Of eveything we had this was perhaps my favorite. There was this almost faint alkaline taste from the cucumbers that was just striking.

The mains were like the appetizer delicious. Unlike the appetizer they were spicy. The curry for me was the stand out of the two however. It had a nice burn to it but so many flavors dancing around it, with the coconut milk rolling in ease each bite.

Then there were the Chicken Noodles. Now first I must say that they were delicious. They were sweet, sour, savory, salty, all layered on top of each other. I almost couldn’t stop eating.

Almost.

Because I’d ordered it spicy. And so now I know what it’s like to french kiss the heart of the Sun.

It was hot. I’m even sweating a bit remembering it.

However, if you aren’t as impulsive as I am, or think that our closest star is giving you the come hithers, then go here. Go to Express Thailao. I don’t think you’ll regret it.


Like, Comment, and Share if that's your thing.

See you in the Chow Line,

The Fat Kid

Long time no see

I started this blog with the intent of doing pretty much what we've done. Review things. Talk about food. Throw down the occasion recipe.

And then it stopped.

I frankly got burned out. Trying to work full time in a very stressful education situation is like that. I didn't have the money to go out, and then I didn't have the time, and then I didn't have the energy.

So I just sort of... stopped.

I thought about reviving it, just about any time I ate something delicious. And occasionally when I didn't.

But things have changed again for me. And I'm gonna be giving this an even bigger shot.

I've started a Patreon! One that is not just devoted to my writings culinary but also other things. You are entirely welcome to support or not. It's been a long time so I totally get if you've lost interest. But I'm gonna be getting stuff on here. A minimum of once a month, two if I hit the goal.

SO I guess what I really wanted to say ultimately is...

See you in the Chow Line,

-The Fat Kid

Fat Kid Reviews: Fat Kid Mac And Cheese

So this is one time I have to go full disclosure on this one. My brother (the Illustrious Chef Fatty) actually works for and is in some ways the face of this particular food truck.

I know right? Though the hardest to believe part is the simple fact that we had nothing to do with the truck until he was hired a few months ago.

But gentle readers, I promise to give you the same level of food critique that I always do, as I am his older brother so need to crush his ego as much as anybody else.

So... To the truck. Well atmosphere-wise there's not a terrible amount going on as it's food coming out of a truck. The truck is clean and when I went my brother was out front being personable and loud. While not quite a full carnival barker he would have made a good impression. His decries of "Fat Kid Love" were non-sensical enough to grab interest and say what you will about my bias he was a personable server and got me my food quickly.

Now... on the Mac and Cheese.

There's something deeply linked to childhood in that gooey pasta mass. Not unlike is said about pizza and other more private delights "even when it's bad... it's still pretty good."

This however was really good. Like... damn good. A rich cheese sauce but with niance and deep flavors mixed in. Thier toppings mix in to create a truly magical mix of flavors. Each one is specially chosen and crafted to add to the expieriece forged in the take out cup your are holding in your hands.

Though it was arguably the best mac and cheese I've ever had, there were too points of critque that need to be put out. Their basic mac is rich. Like Bill Gates and Richard Branson merged like Voltron well daaaaaaaaaamn rich.

However this is only a problem with just the basic mac itself. A little of their house made slightly acidic ketchup or barbeque sauce and that problem sorts itself right out. I know that many of you will (or should) balk at the idea of ketchup on mac and cheese but this mac with this ketchup make a complete and wonderful experience.

The other small critique is that the veggies provided need a bit more fat kid love. They were kind of bland in compared with the rest of the ingredients. However that's something they said they were aware of and trying to work on. A great group of people working there and on a purely personal note, it's nice to see my brother's dreams come true.

So please go and track down this particular food truck. If not for the group of Fat Kids that would love you to, then for the Fat Kid inside us all.

Or you know... cause it's really tasty.

See you in the Chow line,
-The Fat Kid

Fat Kid Reviews: Caffe Niche

One of the greatest things of our modern era, in my reckoning, is the "Explore around me" feature on many map apps (Google Maps is my poison of choice.). As I somtimes do I found myself in a part of town I rarely frequent with two hours to kill and a need for breakfast food. So I whipped out my smart phone and magicked myself some recommendations.

I settled on Caffe Niche.

My first impressions of the place were less then ideal. Not that anything was off per say, but the place was trendy to the point of almost off putting (The decor and music being the prime offenders). However despite that, I did find myself enjoying what could only be described as the "vibe" of the place. I could see myself returning should the food be good enough.

The menu was small, elegant, and could have come off as hipster gibberish. Everything was marked with additional adjectives in front. "Local" being the frontrunner. I settled on the Corned Kobe Beef Hash, a side of Local Sausage, and some Local Coffee. I felt like I'd walked into an episode of the League of Gentlemen, which is a very weird show I enjoy.

At this point I have to give the waitress a fair bit of credit because I had two pens explode and she quickly helped me out with narrey a giggle at the suddenly Blueman. The service was fantastic, the perfect balance of attentive without breaching into pushy.

Now, before I move to the food, allow me a poetic indulgence.

Food, at its best, is more than just nutrients to jam into our face ports. It is an art that transports us across time and place. It can remind us of lost love and pull us back to time we had forgotten. It is the most primal of artistries because it ties inot an experience that all human kind relates.

I point this out because that is what their food did for me. The boldly saged sausage perfectly seasoned and cooked. The fresh bread with real butter and the perfect eggs over crispy and chewy potatoes with the beautifully assertive corned beef breaking in to make the whole dish sing.

As I sat there the reality of where I was faded and for a moment I as an eight year old boy sitting at Nana's table digging into breakfast before we ran down to work the garden down the hill.

Basically I lived the critic's part from the Disney film with the Rat Chef.

Now I'm not saying every person will time machine away once they taste their breakfast. But I can say that I did, and I enjoyed the hell out of breakfast.

So... probably worth a shot.


Like, Comment, and Share if that's your thing.

See you in the Chow line,
-The Fat Kid

Fat Kid Reviews: Dem Po Boyz BBQ

I like barbecue. There's something delightfully gluttonous about it, something deeply American. There are few times when I feel like a patriot and oddly it's mostly as I'm chowing down on some ribs or smoked pork. There's an almost spiritual component to it that always makes me think of that "soul food" moniker.

Also it's just damn tasty.

Now technically speaking I've talked about this place before. Though not. Back at the beginnings of this blog we did a showing on the various Pastrami Burgers in the valley and the one I dubbed best was the one at The Grub Box. Now, for reasons that are ultimately none of my business, that lovely burger restaurant (who has improved on it's lack luster fries) is sharing it's space with Dem PO' Boyz a nice little local BBQ joint. The place is out of the way but the service was friendly, and the place was nice and clean if visual uninteresting.

But the look of this kind of place is completely unimportant. This kind of out of the way hole in the wall is about the food. And that... that was worth the drive out to Magna.

They had the usual menu set up for such places a variable number of meats linked to a set number of sides. Between my companion and I we tried four of the meats, and four sides. I had the ribs and the pork, the potato salad and the mac and cheese, while my companion tried the brisket, chicken, beans, and cole slaw. All said a respectable amount of food for the price point. I had two large ribs and a nice pile of shredding pork with similar amounts for my associate's choices.

The sauces were just fantastic. They used a mix of different region sauces, though the Carolina mustard heavy one on the pork and ribs may be my new favorite anything. I could drink that, it's actually pretty close to a recipe I've been working on myself and well, honestly they did it better.

The brisket had a nice bark and flavor to it, and it's sauce was very nice. Deep, rich, sweet but earthy, all those things you want in a BBQ sauce. The chicken had good flavor but either needed a little more sauce or was just dry. Not inedible but the weakest of the meats. The pork was very rich in flavor and just about perfectly paired with that yummy sauce. (Please note that I do not use the Y word lightly) The ribs were just about as perfect as I want out of ribs. Thick smoke ring. Fall off the bone tender. Deep smokey flavor and a solid complex rub. SOOO tasty. I highly suggest it.

I did feel that maybe some of the stuff could have benefited by just a tad more salt but otherwise that meat was all I want BBQ to be.

The sides were a mixed bag. I liked the cole slaw and the beans were good, though they had a flavor profile I hadn't had before, obviously made in house. Sweet but not too sweet, nice little bit of spice and a clear bean flavor. They were interesting, and pretty good otherwise. The mac and cheese was tasty, had the texture of a homemade baked version with just a touch of tomato and spice. Spicier then I expected but I came around to it in the end.

The two sour notes were the oddity of having to buy out drinks from a different register, which was just odd. I mean, understandable given the situation but odd, and the potato salad. It was just kind bland. It was like it was missing something, I just can't figure out what it was.

However, my dear readers, I humbly ask that you try this place out. Not for Dem Po Boyz, and not for yourselves. But for me. So that they can stay in business long enough for me to become a regular.

See you in the Chow Line,
-The Fat Kid