May 14, 2014

Dim Ssam a Gogo

If you’ve ever been to Sakaya Kitchen, you will have a respectable idea of what is going on at Dim Ssam a Gogo. This food truck is one of the originators when it comes to the Miami food truck scene, and it has paved the way for many of the trucks that came after it. The menu is similar to what you will find at Sakaya, but it is condensed and features more of the prevalent items. Although the menu items are analogous and it is coming from the same recipes and family, I favor Dim Ssam a Gogo to Sakaya Kitchen.

At Dim Ssam, you experience Asian fusion cuisine like it should be experienced, in a non-pretentious setting. Not to knock Sakaya Kitchen, but I have been there at times where the service could be better and the crowd is there more to be seen than to enjoy the food. When it comes to Dim Ssam, I don’t expect the type of service that I do in a restaurant, and it all becomes about the food. Like any other food truck, you pick what you’re going to order, go to the window, pay, and wait. Less than ten minutes later, you have your made-to-order food sitting in front of you waiting to dig in.

The two all stars on the menu are the Dirty South Korean and the Chunk’d Tater Tots. The South Korean features two pulled pork sliders with house made kimchi slaw and quick pickle. The pulled pork is sweet and unctuous but not overly so, complimented by the acidity of the kimchi slaw. Since the kimchi in the slaw is somewhat pickled and acidic, Chef Hales cleverly chooses a quick pickled cucumber instead of one that is fully pickled. This leads to a more refreshing pickle than one would be accustomed to, bring together the whole dish as a balanced sandwich. The Chunk’d Tater Tots are perfectly fried tator tots with cheese sauce, an Asian dressing, short rib, and chopped scallions. The tator tots are fried until crispy and dressed with a combination of cheese and asian sauces, which provide sweetness, richness, and spiciness all at once. The short rib makes the dish more of a meal than what one would think to find in tator tots, since it is generously applied and flavorful all on its own.

I’m a huge fan of Asian fusion, and Dim Ssam a Gogo is one of the places in Miami doing it right. Although you can find the same food at Sakaya, there is something about getting the food from their truck that makes the experience better.