Steve Shin, with his sister and brother-in-law, chefs Sandy (a private chef for ten years) and Greg Bussey (most recently executive chef at The Joule Hotel and Victor Tangos), announce the Lowest Greenville Avenue location of bbbop Seoul Kitchen will open to the public on Monday, April 20th . Located at 2023 Greenville Avenue and Bell Street – this second location is the result of Shin and Bussey’s evolved concept with new, elevated recipes as well as design.
Bbbop, derived from the word bibimbap (a Korean dish literally meaning mixed up rice), is a fast-casual concept that offers Korean comfort foods and inspired dishes in a casual and comfortable setting. The inspiration for the new restaurant design was a Korean peasant kitchen. It is a modern rustic design with several different types of wood and textures, repurposed iron pipes, industrial lighting made of stone bowls and kimchii jars, metal, concrete and more. The wood tables were handcrafted by Martin Hironaga, a friend of the owners – no two tables are alike.
Husband and wife chef duo Sandra and Greg Bussey along with their well-trained kitchen staff have focused their attention on elevating the entire eating experience at bbbop with their Lower Greenville location. The menu is now divided into four main sections and includes all new recipes and options: Bi Bim Bop (Korean Rice Bowls) are a variety of crafted bowls consisting of rice, vegetables, protein, and an egg. New to this section is the “For Realz Bop” with all-natural short rib and braggs amino seasoned vegetables. Also new to this section is the option to substitute apple cider pork belly or all-natural short rib for an additional charge. Hanshik (Korean Entrees) are Korean classics with both Bussey chef’s touch as well as banchans (Korean sides) made with locally sourced vegetables that change with the season.
All of the dishes in this section such as the “Not Your Mama’s Fried Chicken” and “Heavenly Kalbi” are new with the exception of the Krispy K Wings. Anju (Korean small plates) includes kalbi lettuce wraps, glazed pork belly, mandu potstickers (with hand rolled skins) and more. Finally, the popular Build Your Own Bop where a guest chooses one protein, one carb, three vegetables, choice of toppings and choice of made-from-scratch sauces. Another new addition to the concept is that alcohol will be served at this location. A selection of Asian beer, soju (a distilled rice liquor), soju cocktails like green tea mint lemonade soju and hibiscus limeade soju, makkoli (alcoholic rice beverage that is a milky off-white sweet drink) and bek se ju (a fermented alcoholic rice beverage flavored with a variety of herbs – ginseng being most prominent).
Brother and sister co-owners Steve Shin and Sandra Bussey were raised in the Dallas area by Korean parents. They grew up eating Korean food but it wasn’t until they took their first trip to Korea in 2001, that they started to grasp how few options of this type of food were made available in the states. Shin says, “It wasn’t until we actually visited Korea that we realized how diverse, complicated, and amazing the food can be. We wanted to bring the cuisine to the mainstream diner in Dallas and make it more accessible and affordable but not deviate from quality of ingredients or customer service.” Bbbop is Korean comfort food with a modern twist – a Korean-American eating experience. Shin continues, “With Sandra and Greg’s culinary vision help, the recipes have evolved tremendously throughout even just the past several months. The design of the new restaurant is also representative of the direction we are going in – more comfortable interior and more design-focused than the other store. We have a new website, new menu, new look and new location that we are very proud to open.”
The original bbbop Seoul Kitchen opened in 2008 and was located in Carrollton. The Carrollton location closed and moved to the now existing Upper Greenville Avenue spot in 2010, proving a better location for the business. It has also remained a test kitchen for this evolved concept. Shin adds, “ We have taken great time on the design, branding and menu for the new location and look forward to growing the concept and hope to assist in bringing Korean food to the forefront of our city’s dining choices.”
bbbop Seoul Kitchen | 2023 Greenville Avenue, Dallas | 469.941.4297
