Mott St. Chicago

by Sun

The Kim Family (Ed Kim, Jenny Kim, and Vicky Kim) of Ruxbin Kitchen have done it again!

This time I like the food even more than Ruxbin - and Ruxbin is good.. For one, it's "Tapa Style!" menu, and second, for it's fusion of Western and Asian (mostly Korean).

You know how I get excited about Korean food! The awesome part of Mott St food is that the chef Ed Kim has achieved the excellent fusion of Western and Korean I have ever tasted. Most of the Korean fusion dishes I've experienced in the past are salty, no flavor or just have a hint of Kimchee taste with a result that makes you question what it is that you are actually eating.

Interestingly, the Kims don't mention anywhere that it's a fusion of anything. They simply state that the menu is inspired by the post-service cravings of a hungry Ruxbin team. They don't specify which cuisine or certain type of restaurant they are. They simply created a menu with all the things they enjoy eating. The result is that now everyone else is enjoying them too!!!

The restaurant is casual, friendly, understated, and always packed. There is no signage outside, not intentionally according to Jenny but she mentions that people are liking the underground hipness of anonymity in some way.

Every plate we ate was notable but some of the ones you can't skip are Brussels Sprouts, Oyster Mushrooms, Everything Wings, and Stuffed Cabbage.




A few of the dish names might sound familiar, but the dishes you get are something completely unexpected. Like the Stuffed Cabbage, its likely that you haven't tasted it like this before. It looks like Lasagna but it has layers of Kimchee, Shredded Pork, and lightly burnt rice. Kimchee soup cooked with pork is one of the most authentic and popular dishes in Korea. I was so happy to taste the transformed version of it at Mott st.


Obviously I haven't tried everything on the menu but I'm making it a mission to do so at least to cover 90% of the menu before 2013 ends.

Last time I was at Mott St., we came out of the restaurant after dinner and we were met by a cozy fire grill. It is part of their outdoor space. Some people were sitting around, grilling Marshmallows on the fire and eating them with dark chocolates.

We couldn't help ourselves but to join them and ended up enjoying a beautiful Fall evening outdoors with the fire and good conversations.

Thanks Mott St. for being 4 blocks away from our house!

Good Eating!



From our partner: LO+JUNE

From our partner: LO+JUNE
Artisanal French products in our Swiss fine food boutique