Lunch Ladies: Cupbop — Korean BBQ
The Lunch Ladies not only enjoyed their individual meals at Cupbop-Korean BBQ, they also loved the music.
Shellie's Hot Bop really raised the temperature.
Sylvia's KKO-KKO-Bop was a real knockout.
Jennette's Noodle Bop was so delicious she didn't even order her obligatory Diet Coke.
Gabby's B-Bop was doubly appropriate, as she bee-bopped along to tasty Korean-pop music while she ate.
Some restaurants just feel like home. Something in their ambience reminds you of your own daily environment and it just welcomes you with such a familiar and warm embrace that you instantly feel relaxed, energized and recharged.
Recently visiting the outdoor eatery Cupbop — Korean BBQ was surprisingly this for me. Perhaps it was due to leaving my own home where I was blasting Big Bang, only to step up to their ordering window and once again hear my good friend Taeyang blaring through the speaker, that I immediately felt welcomed into Cupbop’s world.
Then, as soon as we were about to sit down at the outdoor picnic tables, none other than my BFF Eunhyuk and the good ol’ boys of Super Junior came on the lovely sound system. I knew I had arrived; it was a done deal. Cupbop and I were going to be lifelong friends.
You see, there aren’t exactly a plethora of places you can go to in Provo and enjoy the lovely outdoor sun, some great Korean grub and listen to your favorite jams all in one place. These moments have to be savored, so much in fact that I proceeded to inundate my fellow Lunch Ladies by telling them way too much about every song that came on, about each group, and about their upcoming U.S. concerts. (Is now an appropriate time to give a shout out to KCon 2015 USA in both L.A. and N.Y.? Or too early to get excited for Big Bang coming to Vegas in October?) Anyway, as usual, I digress.
Clearly, we enjoyed the ambience Cupbop had to offer, and were quite glad they had progressed from being just a food truck. Now we had to put them to the real test and dive into the food.
Here is what the Lunch Ladies went with:
Shellie: Hot Bop $7.50
I was very excited about our choice this week, having never tried Korean food. I love the look of this place; bright colors and great music! I like spicy food and chose the Hot Bop. The spiciness is rated on a scale from 1 to 10, and after a brief conversation with the worker about what 10 really is; I went with a 7. My lunch was served in a cup (hence, the restaurant name) with rice, lettuce and glass noodles, topped with spicy pork. I enjoyed the glass noodles, and the lettuce was a perfect complement to the spicy dish. I’ll be returning soon, having added some Korean pop music to my playlist.
Sylvia: KKO-KKO-Bop $7.50, Mandu $2.00
Simple ingredients. Complex flavors. This non-food truck, but food truck-feel joint with its funky tables and fun Korean pop music served up tons of flavor in my CupBob. I chose the Korean BBQ Chicken. My hearty cup was packed with sticky rice, lettuce and glass noodles topped with sweet and tangy chicken. The Mandu (potstickers) were served on top. I chose medium for the heat level, and it was just right (maybe next time I will go a little hotter). The biggest surprise were the glass noodles! I had never tried them before. I thought they would be slimy … what a fool; they were delish!
Jennette: Noodle Bop $7.50
I love restaurants with outdoor seating and great music. Cupbop has both. Cupbop is Korean food so it plays Korean-pop, which is awesome. A couple of years ago my fellow Lunch Lady Gabby introduced me to Korean dramas and K-pop and I fell instantly in love with both. So I was very happy to spend my lunch hour listening to some awesome tunes and eating a delicious meal from Korea. Now on to what I ordered — I chose to have the Noodle Bop cup. This cup has noodles, carrots, onions, lettuce and rice, topped with some delicious sauce. I added some hot sauce to give it just a little kick. I didn’t order a drink, but I noticed that there were several choices of canned soda you can get and, yes, I saw a can of Diet Coke.
Gabby: B Bop $8.00
So for those familiar with Korean food, the B Bop is bulgogi, and every cup comes with jap chae. Delicious! I was super excited to have jap chae included with my bulgogi and rice. I loved that the dish was also served with diced lettuce throughout, giving a crisp, cool contrast to the meat and rice. There were also soft onions, carrots and sesame seeds adding great flavors to the dish. The meat was tender, flavorful, and a little sweet. I opted for no gochujang to spice up my meal, so instead our server drizzled two other sauces, one on the meat and one on the noodles; both were tasty, subtle accents. I was so amazed at how much food fits into the cup. So filling! I loved every bite!
Obviously this food review may have sounded like it started out as a love letter to K-pop, but really the food of Cupbop delivered satisfaction in such a way, that much like Norm of “Cheers,” I think Cupbop just might have to reserve this Lunch Lady a permanent seat!
– Cupbop-Korean BBQ: 815 N. 700 East, Provo. Open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Saturday. Closed Sundays.