Asian Fortune Your source for all things Asian American
By Amanda L. Andrei
This is the penultimate installment in a series of food tours by our resident foodie, Amanda Andrei. Our next stop will be right here in Washington, DC!
Back in high school, seniors used to do the Philly Cheesesteak Challenge. You checked into your first class in the morning. When the right time came to escape, you drove like mad to the City of Brotherly Love, devoured a cheesesteak, and made it back to your last class before the final bell rang.
Like most Americans, that sandwich—thin strips of steak stuffed in a soft hoagie roll and topped with gooey Cheez Wiz—was the extent of my knowledge of Philadelphia’s cuisine. Now that those high school years are behind, a full daytrip to Philly as part of the East Coast Food Tour helped me discover the marvelous Asian twists on the cheesesteak.
Zigzagged with blue, red, and purple stripes, KoJa Food Truck is conveniently parked in University City, the prime location where alimentary automobiles (everything from Chinese takeout to fresh espresso) cluster from late morning to evening. Offering simple Korean and Japanese food (mostly noodles and stir fry), nothing on KoJa’s simple menu costs more than six dollars. Its special, bulgogi steak sandwich, costs a mere three bucks. After a few minutes of perusing the menu, we ordered the subs and a box of spicy beef rice noodles.
The bulgogi steak sandwich is a delightful spin on the Philly cheesesteak. Slices of white American cheese melt into cuts of grilled beef marinated in a mix of soy sauce, spices, and sugar. The typically tangy and sweet taste of the bulgogi is heightened by the soft and creamy cheese, all the savors married together by a long roll of white bread. Healthy? Probably not. Delicious? Amen.
After devouring the subs, we opened the box of noodles. What the spicy beef rice noodles lack in taste, they make up in volume. Given that this is street food made on the spot, the noodles often do not have time to soak in enough of the oil and sauces, leaving a dry dish that is not the greatest if you’re looking for a festival of flavors, but is more than enough if you’re looking to fill your stomach.
Dinner took us to the Bella Vista neighborhood in South Philadelphia, a place originally settled by Italian immigrants. Stix Asian Eatery was nestled in a residential neighborhood, quiet and clean inside with bright sleek posters advertising its bubble tea and smoothies. Its menu holds no allegiance to any specific ethnicity, offering wonton soup next to miso, kimchi fried rice along classic curry. It even has American favorites, such as buffalo chicken wings and regular cheesesteaks with French fries. However, after our venture into Korean cheesesteaks, we couldn’t resist the menu item, “Cheesesteak Banh Mi.”
Created with French ingredients (such as a baguette and spread) and Vietnamese fillings (grilled meats, pickled vegetables, and fresh herbs), the banh mi is already an established sandwich in Asian cuisine. How would it compare when combined with an iconic American sandwich?
Where the Korean version benefited from a simple mix of cheesy, sweet, and spicy, the Vietnamese version had more complex flavors, tasting crisp, fresh, and airy (once you took the jalapenos off). A slightly toasted baguette held together marinated beef, white American cheese, julienned carrots, pickled daikon, diced cucumber, and slices of jalapeno. Instead of just grab-and-go food, this was a sandwich you wanted to sit down for.
Stix Eatery also specialized in wings and bubble tea. Their wings were crispy and meaty, the “BangBang” flavor giving a kick while the “GarlicGarlic” was sprinkled with roasted brown garlic clusters. Although they were out of lavender bubble tea, the jasmine bubble tea was just as good—honeyed milk with a floral taste. The pink tapioca pearls were the perfect consistency—bouncy and chewy, not overly soft or tough.
As we crossed over the Schuylkill River that evening, I realized that the Philly Cheesesteak would never be the same. No longer is it simply a gooey hot sub of cheese and bread, a mandatory tourist checkbox, or a challenge to be savored with your friends while skipping class. The Korean and Vietnamese influences have transformed this humble sandwich. Imagine if other ethnicities took it and made it their own. Teriyaki and wasabi, maybe? Or adobo and carabao cheese, or naan and curry marinade? Thhat would be the best challenge: sampling the best and most diverse of one of America’s favorite sandwiches.
