I just tested out walking up on Sunday and it was fine. The one hiccup being that they needed to check that they had the banchan I wanted available to sell me in their inventory (even though they are loaded in the case).
So if you plan on showing up at opening you’ll probably be fine—though you might want to still look at their web store to see if any items are marked as out of stock.
Agee with the power rankings of the banchan. Our favorite was also the myulchi saewoo bokkeum with walnuts. Reminds me of similar Vietnamese condiments/snacks can’t remember the name of.
Instead of left over rice, we put it in a thick rice pudding called banh duc and dressed it with fish sauce. Sooo good!!!
The shop is updated for the week with wanja jeon and Baroo yak gochujang—I highly recommend grabbing both. The yak gochujang is a real treat with the chunks of beef in it.
(I also added the new-ish shredded potato and fish cake banchan to the power ranking)
https://www.instagram.com/p/CK4hy8vjSnd/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet
banchan just got harder to acquire. fyi kimchi is back in stock.
Seriously looks like they got blown up already:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CK9P91vjXkD/?igshid=1xj1z823kp7b4
Luckily I snagged a pint of kimchi right when if went in stock 
finally got to try the kimchi. loved it, another winner. funky, refreshing and with a mild subtle heat. doesn’t get any better than cold kimchi with a hot bowl of rice.
Sook min park said they are ramping up production of banchan in response to recent press so hopefully it’s good problem.
Don’t sleep on Shiku–they released three new banchan this week.
Seaweed Japchae 김당면
I was so happy to see the Japchae added to the banchan menu, as it was previously only included as part of the doshirak. It’s perfect: a robust savory seaweed flavor, with creamy hints of sesame, and it has an addictive kick to it like Hot Cheetos (the sensation not the flavor) that makes you want to just keep shoveling in bite after bite.
Asparagus with Pine Nut 아스파라거스 잣소스 무침
What an absolute banger. Asparagus probably doesn’t get much love, but when it gets the Baroo treatment it absolutely sings. Of course, the real star here is the pine nut and mustard seed dressing. The dressing’s flavor is very reminiscent of what you’d find at Baroo instead of a more the more traditional flavor profiles that Shiku trades in, but they should seriously consider bottling and selling this because it is absolutely chuggable.
Baechu Kimchi Bokkeum 배추 김치 볶음
Shiku’s house Kimchi is phenomenal, but this is better. Here, white kimchi is wok fried perilla oil and perilla seeds, and has also only been included previously as part of the doshirak. It’s a challenger to the throne–do not miss it.
Updated banchan power ranking as it stands right now:
Normally a power ranking goes from Elite to Trash, but even those clocking in at the bottom half here are phenomenal. I can’t recommend any one of Shiku’s banchan enough.
I’m not a big fan of Korean food, but this food is pretty good. The chicken has excellent flavor and good moistness.
I admit… I LOVE Korean food… but am particular about it. I love things like KimBap and JapChae… but generally find the soups dish watery and meat dishes one note. I really never had any interest in Baroo… because as much as I love pickled and a good Banchan spread… even then… I rarely just went to a place for the Banchan or KimChee. It was just a nice bonus…
Still, there something SO appealing to me about ShiKu. We had done a lot of house stuff this week and finally felt good enough for a nice long bike ride (although ask my knees tomorrow) So in the morning, ordered Shiku to go and we went meandered on up!
I am so glad we ordered to go because GCM was SOOOO Crowded! They are not minding the entrances (I imagine it would be hard…) and even though lots of places are closed, the places open were doing bang up business! There was lines for the scant out door seating… and the park over by Angel’s Flight is completely blocked off. Still on Hill there is a nice strip of grass over at Angelus plaza. So we were able to procure a nice distanced spot and enjoy our order while it was hot and fresh and crispy…
We got the KFC. It was very nice… Crispy, juicy and the sauce was really good. Still… it was KFC… we probably won’t order it again. We hope that next time they may have more specials… or we order another plate…
For the plate we did order we got the Mushrooms. HolyCau. These were great. SUPER crisp and so yummy with Mushroom flavor (We love mushrooms.) Generous portion too. They also give you plenty of rice and three small, but a nice taste of Banchan. Would order this again for sure!
The other thing we ordered, was the Chili Chamchi… Spicy Tuna Salad. I was hesitant at first because I’ve had Korean Spicy Tuna from a can… and as I say… I used to make Cat Food. I have eaten cat food (stand by your products people) and so I know cat food quality tuna especially… and so… if you have seen our Fancy Tuna thread… I am super super super picky about my Tuna…
Nevertheless… this was excellent stuff. I was worried it would be greasy… and it kinda is… but it doesn’t taste that way. It’s remarkably clean when eaten with rice. Doesn’t coat the mouth at all like some Korean Omma magic… For $5.50… this is a STEAL because it would make such a great meal with just a bowl of rice. Or how I plan to have it next time… on top of a tostada with some mashed avocado…
I did not buy the Sesame Oil… I WILL BUY IT. As soon as I use up what I have… But I did purchase Sonoko Sakai’s Curry Powder. You can smell the rich tumeric scent through the bag! I look forward to trying as Curry Rice and Noodles are a staple here. The scent already reminds me more of my long lost Sam Woo Singapore Noodles… so that will be had…
A very successful first outing. With this and Sari Sari house… many rice lunches will be had a GCM in the future… although to go for the time being…
Finally found time to make a visit.
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.
Now that is a great tip. Thanks!
special banchan alert
https://www.instagram.com/p/CMkq039h-1G/?igshid=1kyzk0hoyrr1w
Jang Jorim
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’m really looking forward to heating this up and building a full meal around it.
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.
Maesaengi Mu Jeon
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.
Updated review:
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.
