Come to the food truck that is your passport to Korean street food

While you wait for K-Bop Street Food to reopen its Washington Road location, stop by the local food truck for its signature Korean corn dogs.

According to the statistical database Zip Atlas, Koreans make up only 0.57% of Augusta’s total population.

But their popularity is growing as the number of Korean supermarkets, restaurants and other businesses increases in the Augusta area.

The newest Korean restaurant in Augusta is K-Bop Street Food , 3328 Washington Rd., but good luck getting in. After opening in March, it closed temporarily in late June with a sign on the door announcing a reopening the first week of September.

But finding the food truck is a lot easier. In recent years, K-Bop’s mobile operation has been a popular fixture at the Augusta Market at The River, which runs Saturdays in the city center from March through November.

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The name “K-Bop” is used by many Korean restaurants in North America, although they are not affiliated with each other.

One of them – The Bop, a Korean restaurant in Vancouver, Canada – explains on its website the meaning and purpose behind the generic restaurant name:

“The word ‘bop’ literally means a bowl of rice or a meal, but for Koreans it has a deeper meaning,” the site says. “‘Bop’ goes beyond just a simple meal and becomes a way to connect and show affection to others.”

K-Bop Street Food’s menu touches the heart of Seoul.

Although other meats can be used, bulgogi generally refers to marinated, thinly sliced grilled beef over a bed of rice.

Bulgogi is a good benchmark for Korean restaurants. The secret to the marinated, thinly sliced beef is often in the sauce, and K-Bop’s version offers a sweet heat with a tangy burr that appeals to customers who might otherwise look askance at spicy food.

K-Bop’s other big seller is their selection of Korean corndogs. Their twist on the original corndog has put the food high on the list of growing culinary trends.

Korean corn dogs often combine melted cheese with the filling, which can be a hot dog or other meat, or even rice. It is then dipped in a rice flour batter and topped with panko bread crumbs, diced potatoes, or even ground ramen noodles.

Korean corn dogs are sprinkled with a pinch of sugar. Don’t ask your server to leave out the sugar, or you’ll miss out on the sweet kick of this savory food-on-a-stick.

There are few better ways to get in touch with your inner bop.

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Augusta Eats: Restaurant/Food Truck Unleashes Korean Corn Dog Glory