Authentic Korean cuisine run by Koreans—sinful combo of cheese and spicy stir-fried chicken cutlet

Text, Photos／Hu Li Xiao Hai Hai

A few days ago, after seeing a friend post an insanely evil photo of cheese river spicy stir-fried chicken cutlet on FB... Little Hu nagged Shali to try this place out!! Taking advantage of a visit from her Tainan friend Meizi to Kaohsiung, they made plans to check out I'm Kimchi for something new～～ It was seriously lightning fast (’⊙ω⊙`) It’s said to be run by authentic Koreans～～ and there’s a beautiful Korean lady boss in the shop!! (Shali says she’s definitely one of the pretty ones in Korea) Alright, enough drooling—let’s see how Moses Hu goes about cracking open that cheese river....(〃∀〃)

【Cheese River Spicy Stir-Fried Chicken Cutlet】NT$590 for two portions (Additional single portion: NT$250)
Although it’s meant for two people..... Hu Li genuinely feels it would take four girls to finish it all！Guys or big eaters, go for it～～ you’ll definitely manage (o´R`o) This stir-fried chicken cutlet can also be paired with additional seaweed rice at the end, giving you full satisfaction..... If the group is big enough, splitting the cost averages out to just over NT$100 per person.... which is quite a good deal～ Recommended to give it a try.

Once you’ve ordered, the dish is cooked right at your table～～ Aromatics are sautéed along with veggies & rice cakes^^ Stir-fried until they start releasing juices, then marinated chicken cutlet is added next！(Key point) Mix well and then add the special spicy sauce.... That gets you 90% of the way there ('*ω'*)

Then comes the main event!!!! (?д?≡?д?) The staff will divide the fragrant spicy chicken cutlet onto both sides of the plate... and sprinkle a generous amount of mozzarella cheese～～ Wait for it to go “bzzz～bzzz～～” and reach that magical state before digging in！

The cheese slowly bursts forth... isn’t it super tempting XP Once it’s fully melted, you can turn off the heat and dip the spicy chicken and rice cakes into the cheese to eat～～ Just looking at it is already wickedly appealing！(;´锭?多) Little Hu urges everyone… take photos quickly, the faster the better！ And then right away！Immediately！Immediately！Immediately！Eat it！(%o 5□′)%o?┴─┴ Because once the heat’s off, the cheese cools quickly and solidifies... making it a bit hard to scrape up and ruining the texture—best to enjoy it while it’s hot！

The warm, soft cheese paired with the chicken cutlet... really brings a touching, almost tear-jerking joy～～ (& ? p) Overall, Hu Li found the spice level to be mildly hot, and the saltiness with the rice was just right！Spice lovers will definitely find this dish very satisfying～～～

The rice cakes are Q and chewy, and Little Hu couldn’t stop raving about them XD Shali almost couldn’t handle the spice beside her....（Her spice tolerance has definitely dropped！！！）But it goes surprisingly well with the rice！(0?forall;?)b

Once the cheese cools down a little, it ends up looking like this.... Only the stringiness goes up a notch XDD

【Side Dishes】Served with the meal, can be refilled unlimited times
All three side dishes are quite refined, Shali once traveled to Korea to eat and felt the flavors were just fine！The taste is quite authentic～～ though maybe slightly adjusted for Taiwanese palates ^^ Hu Li really likes the side dishes.... After finishing, she even ordered another round (Q´∴Q)

【I'm Kimchi Budae Jjigae Set】NT$550／Budae Jjigae (small) + Seafood Pancake (small) + two bowls of rice
The budae jjigae (small) arrived just as Hu Li was busy taking glamorous photos of the cheese river spicy stir-fried chicken cutlet.....（smack）The staff explained what was in the pot, but she honestly doesn’t remember much (灬ºωº灬) Anyway, once it’s served, broth is added first and left to come to a boil, stirred, then cheese and Korean ramen are added！

Then they add special Korean spicy sauce.... Super perfect for those who love strong flavors！?:.?0?*´∀`)??.:?

The flavor of the budae jjigae is pretty decent！Maybe because the spicy chicken cutlet was so flavorful, this one felt a bit milder XD There’s Shali’s favorite bean sprouts～～ really crunchy！Greens, hot dogs, rice cakes, kimchi, sliced meat... all classic Korean hot pot ingredients, not bad at all.

Halfway through eating... the boss lady came over to check our pot and said: ‘This ham is brought over from Korea～～’ Because Korean ham slices are very precious！Don’t let it sit lonely in the pot ( ´•%%%ω•%%%` ) Shali and Meizi both felt it kind of tasted like Taiwan’s vegetarian meat after eating.... haha！But without the saltiness, it was still pretty good.

Loving putting cheese on Korean ramen the most.... Absolutely heavenly～～～(%?j%冤

This one is actually quite spicy.... Those who don’t usually eat spicy food, please consider carefully～～ decide whether you want to go for the miso pot instead Up

The budae jjigae is very filling with the rice～～（Hot pot dishes stay hot longer, so be careful when eating）If the soup runs low or if you feel the flavor is a bit heavy, you can ask the staff to add more broth^^ They’re all really nice (´"V%?j%撷V)

Every time watching Korean dramas, I envy how they get to eat with cute bibs！XD I'm Kimchi also provides them～～ Thoughtfully prepared to wear while eating... to avoid ending up like kindergarten-level Little Hu, with sauce all over the clothes！%n(′～ 50)%m

【Seafood Pancake】（Included in the budae jjigae set with pancake ＋ two bowls of rice）
This looks a bit different from the pancakes commonly eaten in Taiwan... it’s thinner and softer～～ Although it follows a more authentic Korean method, Hu Li found it a bit oily after trying it (つд⊂) Not recommended for those who prefer lighter flavors！(But Hu Li said, if you want light flavors, why choose Korean food... hahaha XD)

The pancake comes with soy sauce for dipping, which you can apply to taste～～ adds more texture richness！

【Check-in Event】Get a free Sprite or Coke
First of all, regardless of what the freebie is, the “cheese river” is such an awesome thing... it must be checked in to show off the moment it arrives (??4j%?4 5) Spicy food pairs well with sparkling drinks.... helps cut the heat！The check-in rules are a bit complicated, so it’s best to ask the staff directly?... just in case you get the wrong free item XD

【Malt Sweet Soup – Traditional Korean Drink】NT$50 per can
The flavor is really hard to describe... and it’s actually a sweet soup!? It’s somewhere between sweet ginger tea, melted taro ball ice, and sweet fermented rice wine... (´⊙ω⊙`) Not bad at all, but the first time you try it, it feels quite magical～～ Worth a shot if you’re curious.

When poured into a cup, you can see the particles... Experts, feel free to leave a comment to help Hu Li figure it out, haha！σ`∀´)σ

[Cheese River Spicy Fried Chicken Cutlet + Rice Time] (This is basically overeating behavior)
If you’re with guys or big eaters... strongly recommend adding more！If you’re still not full, you might need to see a doctor XD

Add chicken ＋170 NTD
Add vegetables ＋80 NTD
Add cheese ＋79 NTD
Add rice cakes & ramen ＋79 NTD
Add seaweed fried rice ＋80 NTD

Hu Li and Mei Zi’s trio finally decided to add seaweed fried rice and cheese.... haha！The cheese was just too irresistible ("g∀"f)0?/p>

Isn’t this exactly the scene from a Korean drama~~~ The server shaped the fried rice into a heart shape aaaah！Heart-shaped spicy chicken cutlet with cheese and seaweed fried rice complete！Xiao Hu thought you could even stick in a candle for a birthday celebration... (Not very girly, lol) This is totally the kind of scene where a Korean drama heroine is in love～～ εi(Q> ?<)雩偾Ｋ炕?媾惆槲颐钦?鲆雇懋...ㄎㄎ！但说实在这两碗白饭炒下去真的太多～～最后打包带回家当午餐XD

[Punch Card] Get one point for every 500 NTD spent. Collect enough points and exchange for a pancake.
We followed “I’m Kimchi’s” fan page before arriving, and saw that punch cards can be left at the store—that’s great！Actually, you can take them with you too～～ Just in case you forget, DIY your own and hang it on the special card wall！('*ω'*) But remember which letter it’s under, or it’ll be hard to find in the sea of cards！

Hu Li’s punch card is also left at the store Up！Feel free to help accumulate points... haha (´%洁?a
? Friendly reminder: Hu Li’s laughing HOOLEE card is under the letter H

The pretty boss lady gave a really warm explanation about how to place the cards～～ She’ll organize everyone’s punch cards later, making them easier to find！

Taiwanese girls meeting Korean girls.... hahaha！(Q¯∀¯Q) The boss lady speaks very good Chinese～～ and is super friendly.

The seating space in the shop is comfortable and not crowded～～ it has a nice vibe like local Korean restaurants！It made Shali really nostalgic for her trips to Korea...(Q´1B`Q)

There’s a section along the wall displaying Korean products—you can browse and check them out～～ Also, the magazines next to it are free to read！They’re edited by Koreans living in Taiwan i(?0?omega;0?a)H

The shop is close to Rui Feng Night Market, right on Nanping Road！You have to climb stairs up to the second floor, but the entrance is pretty eye-catching～～ yellow and purple, very recognizable XD

Xiao Hu and Shali felt I’m Kimchi was pretty good after eating～～ the experience was pleasant, and the food delicious！Most importantly, the boss lady and staff were so friendly ♥(´∀` ) We noticed lots of young people here.... and couples on dates！In terms of overall atmosphere and food～～ Hu Li would definitely come back ^^

Recommended for those who love Korean cuisine and can’t resist cheese &a(*´∀｀*)人(*´∀｀*)&a

I'm Kimchi．我是泡菜
Phone 07-5229116 — reservation recommended
Address 2F, No. 297, Nanping Road, Zuoying District, Kaohsiung City
Business Hours Mon–Sun 11:30–14:00 / 17:30–22:00 Cash only / 10% service charge

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Life needs experiences, and life needs trying！“Taste” is a very subjective thing—only when expectations are met and emotions stirred can the taste of love be achieved.
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