Curbside takeout is a disaster at GCM — literally nowhere to park when I went. I gave up and parked in the garage and walked in to pick it up. Perhaps you’ll be smarter than me and avoid peak lunch hour on a Saturday, but the place is jam-packed, so be mentally prepared for that.
Basically got OOE (except for the fries) because why not? Very happy to report that nearly everything met expectations and then some. The only misses for me were the Mu Namul (the texture just isn’t my thing) and the kalbi which was fine but nothing amazing. Best part of this smorgasbord is that we have tons of delicious banchan left overs that will be paired with many a bowl of rice.
Now if they could just set up a second location that isn’t located in the hell pit that is GCM…
For curbside, what I do (and what they’ve told me) is to pull up on the Broadway side, drive past the outside dining area, and then head into the right lane that the cars are parked at, then just double-park as close as you can to the parked cars and turn on your hazards. STAY IN YOUR CAR. I went on a Sunday and did that and no one bothered me. Then call them when your order is ready and let them know the make & color of your car.
you can also pull into the rideshare pick up area off of hill and to the left of the parking garage entrance and have them drop your food off there. i’ve done this for fat & flour too.
I didn’t wait to heat this up and dug in cold. The flavor and umami here is so deep that just a little bit goes a long way. The shishito peppers stand up and carry some of the richness from the beef cheek in solo bites.
I think the chicken is the sleeper of the menu–it’s consistently been my favorite.
It’s a bummer to hear about the banchan. I’ve noticed some inconsistency between pick ups, but found that picking up on Wednesdays first thing when they are fully stocked is usually the best. The Baechu Kimchi Bokkeum now my personal favorite (and something I order multiple of now).
I picked up a couple of the specials from this past week:
Dallae Ganjang
Such a great dipping sauce. I’ve never had dallae before, but I really loved how packed the soy sauce is with it because you can scoop pieces of it up to get a lot in each bite.
Shiku absolutely crushes it when it comes to Jeon. These small seaweed/daikon pancakes are obviously best heated up and dipped in the dallae ganjang, but I can also confirm they’re great eaten cold standing up at the fridge dipping them in leftover sauce from Daybird.
Had lunch at Shiku the other day. The food was not at the level of Baroo or Baroo Canteen. They were cranking out lots of orders, maybe it was impossible to scale the quality.
Doshirak: Maekjuk chicken was surprisingly good, rice was fine, three banchan in the set were all good. Pork belly was OK though I preferred the chicken, which is the opposite of my usual prejudices.
Peanuts in the jinmichae bokkeum (dried squid) had a weird texture. Squid was great. Eating the leftovers with wine a few days later, I thought maybe they meant the peanuts to be that way, like boiled. Maybe they got more interesting sitting in the sauce for a while.
Mu namul (braised radish), didn’t get this at all at first, didn’t expect it to be soft and warm, but liked the leftovers once I knew what to expect.
Just had a taste of the myulchi bokkeum (dried anchovies, dried tiny shrimp, walnuts, etc.) at Grand Central as to me it desperately needed to go with drinks. Was great with wine a few days later.
Naengi muchim (Shepherd’s Purse) was good. Subtle flavor, excellent texture.
Japchae (glass noodle) was weirdly dry and stiff. Eating the leftovers I liked it better, maybe they meant it to be that way.
Fried chicken pieces were pretty good but we couldn’t tell which was supposed to be spicy. Receipt suggests the order didn’t go through correctly and we didn’t get spicy.
Fries were dry and terrible. If I’d thought of it I’d have asked for my money back.
Find myself liking these homey foods they’re offering. In case you run out of things to dip, dallae (wild Korean chive) ganjang is also good with rice and plain, roasted seaweed (not the kind roasted with sesame oil and salt) or over rice with a fried egg/bibimbap.
The seasons are rolling over and so are Shiku’s seasonal banchan!
Yuchae Namul 유채나물무침
With shepherd’s purse going out of season, Shiku has replaced their Naengi Muchim with this rapeseed greens (aka canola greens). It’s got a more substantial bite to it than the shepherd’s purse, and I quite prefer it because of the softer chew.
This new dish a stunner. Dried radish and chili leaves combine to be one of the best banchan on the menu. The sweet and spicy sauce is addictive on this chewy dish, and reminds me a bit of the Jinmichae Bokkeum, but vegan. It’s a must order.
I honestly don’t know how they do it, but somehow the Shiku team is able to put out multiple specials a week as well.
Seafood Gan Jjajang Sauce 삼선간짜장
Meant for noodles or rice or whatever the hell you want to put it on (maybe nothing if you’re a psycho like me and just want to drink it) this deeply concentrated and savory sauce is packed with mussels, shrimp, squid, and scallops, as well as bacon (!!!) onion, and zucchini. It’s incredibly flavorful and turns into a hearty meal quite easily.
Some of their other recent specials have been galbi tang 갈비탕 and dongin-dong jjim galbi 동인동찜갈비. It’s pretty much a given that I’ll eat whatever it is the cook up next.
I was heartbroken when Baroo (and Baroo Canteen) closed because I felt it was among the most inventive and exciting food I’d had in the world. Fast forward to Shiku, which I quickly fell head over heels for. I love both the traditional Korean dishes and ones they put through a Baroo lens—but I’ve been secretly (selfishly?) hoping to see some bits of the old Baroo menu pop up as well. The Kimchi’d Corn is a crack in the door and just what I’ve been looking for. Part of their Karma Circulation dish at Baroo Canteen, it’s spicy, sweet, and addicting—fitting in perfectly among the other Shiku banchan. I’m not sure how long they will keep this around, so get it while it’s good.
I’m slowly catching up on some reports with a handful Shiku updates—some older and some newer.
Andong-Style Soy-Braised Chicken 안동찜닭
A new special hot dish on the menu, this soy braised chicken is served alongside potatoes, mushrooms, onion, and cabbage and sits on top of a generous serving of rice and noodles. It’s not very spicy, but still quite good. The meat is saucy and juicy, making for quite a hearty meal that’s different enough from Shiku’s other chicken dish which is cooked over fire. This doesn’t come with banchan, so don’t forget to add that on. Depending on availability it’s not guaranteed to make it on the menu everyday, and because it’s a special, it may not be around forever either.
Shiku’s secret weapon is their bench of old Baroo recipes, like this pesto that uses shepard’s purse. It’s absolutely packed with cheesy, nutty umami and is one of those things that I find to be good-on-everything. It’s no longer available, but grab it when it returns because it’s outstanding.
Shiku has been playing around with their gim recipe, with the latest being a bit drier, less sticky, and a bit more savory. I’ve quite preferred this latest iteration and found myself going through tubs of it—eating it by the handful as well as using it as a topper for whatever I was eating at home.
AKA Eundaegu Jorim, the silkiest black cod gets braised in a deeply flavorful sauce along with potatoes, mushrooms, rice cakes, and radish. When it gets warmed up and served over rice, it transforms into one of the most comforting and delicious dishes Shiku has made yet. I know it’s described as humble and homey, but the fatty and tender black cod gives me a luxurious vibe. Its availability is quite limited, so watch their Instagram for when it’s back in stock.
Shiku is great. I’ve eaten there 10 times or so with only good impresssions. I thought the black cod was excellent and really a good value for under $20. Truthfully though, I thought the shepherd’s purse pesto was great except for the fact that it had shepherd’s purse instead of basil. I thought the flavors of the pesto overpowered the shepherd’s purse, which is not as strong as basil.
special banchan alert 
