Kicking it with Korilla from Amanda Tien on Vimeo.

Amanda Tien takes on the difficult duty of sampling delicious gogo gui and kimchi for the sake of Culinarian‘s Fall 2013 feature.

Our main feature is about Korilla BBQ and its founder, Eddie Song (a 2008 Columbia grad).  As part of my research and photograph-gathering, I was allowed to go on one of the Korilla trucks!  Naturally, I geeked out, as any self-respecting foodie at Columbia would.  I was welcomed onto the truck by Tae Lee, Mitch Wong, and James “Vanilla Rice” Jung (loving the moniker) just before the lunch rush hour.

I won’t get too much into describing Korilla lest I give away the most exciting parts of my feature, but I will say that Korilla is a great local establishment.  Korilla, despite being on wheels, is a great standard on the Morningside Heights dining scene.  Korilla is here for lunch on Thursdays and for dinner Monday through Friday underneath the SIPA bridge (117th and Amsterdam).  Walk by the east side of campus and you are sure to smell the fantastic scent of grilled beef and succulent chicken, both well doused in a finely-tuned marinade.

Korilla was parked on campus on October 26 for Night Market 2012, an annual fall festival hosted by the Chinese Students Club that celebrates cultural unity by inviting different groups to come together on the center of campus and share information, host games, perform on the plaza, and eat delicious food.  The Korilla truck already had a line well before it opened.  As soon as students got a whiff of Korean barbecue, they immediately rushed towards the truck and its energizing music.  Korilla is easily a beacon of sultry flavors and bright colors, whether at Night Market or parked on Amsterdam.

To read more about Korilla’s menu or find out where their trucks are right now, visit korillabbq.com