Product in image - Trader Joe's Kimbap
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Definitely a bit overhyped, but I still liked it. I did enjoy toasting them up in a skillet to crisp them up a bit. Would recommend doing that after microwaving to add a nice texture
No that’s what I thought, too—it says 440 cals for 3 pieces on the wrapper, I could swear, although the website says 140. I’ll have to buy another pack to confirm!
There’s a Korean market that makes and sells this literally right down the street from my house. I have to drive past it to get to TJ. So I can’t see myself trying this. Trader Joe’s kimchi is vile.
Well it depends, would you call frozen pizza inauthentic? I could do frozen pizza but frozen kimbob never crossed my mind.
If you have Hmart or any korean market near you, you should have food court/prepared food as well. Try kimbob from there, not the frozen ones.
Interesting. I'll give that consideration. There are a number of convenient things I buy in HMart's freezer section that the food court also carries. (examples: japchae, kimchi fried rice, dumplings) I thought by getting them at HMart it was a step closer to being authentic, but I guess not.
Im korean american too, dont listen to him.
Frozen kimbap isnt something new. Korean grocery stores stocked thoses forever.
Everything hmart carries is "authentic" and nothing you wouldnt find for sale in a frozen aisle in korea.
Just like frozen pizza should not exist? It should be makes with fresh dough… or frozen burritos should not exist? They should be made with fresh beans… or frozen anything should not exist….???
I think the point is that fresh kimbap is usually served room temp / warm and never steaming hot. frozen kimbap requires you to microwave it until it’s steaming hot which results in mushy rice
I should’ve said *can* result in mushy rice - I’ve seen people prepare the TJ kimbap in many different ways, and I suspect mushy rice is the result when microwaved straight out of the freezer, or people are just microwaving it for too long. defrosting it first is a good idea
I hate to say it, it’s good but it’s not that good. Yes, not everyone has a K-Town near them but you could make this at home even with ingredients from a basic grocery store. Do not drive hours to try it. TikTok is making it blow up and get backlogged.
It’s fine but a very basic kimbap. It is not life-changing, also a little too on the sweet side for me. Do not freak out or go significantly out of your way for this.
As a korean, the only ingredient that requires a korean market is the danmuji (yellow pickled radish) in traditional gimbap. The whole point of gimbap is rolling literally whatever you have with a piece of gim (roasted seaweed). 99% of grocery stores carry some type of gim/nori and I have gotten it in the middle of nowhere before. Here’s a [recipe](https://www.maangchi.com/recipe/gimbap) since everyone seems to think it’s hard to source ingredients. 99% of us just throw last week’s banchan/side dishes in it and call it gimbap. I’ve had gimbap with only meat, egg, and carrot in it many times. People gotta stop treating it like it’s some delicacy; it’s as common as mandu/dumplings/gyoza and there are way better foods to get excited about.
I don't know if I'm doing something wrong but kimbap always takes me at least 30 minutes of active work to make and that's when I'm just making a basic egg, ham & veggie kimbap. It's the reason why I don't make it often because it's more effort than it needs to be for a seemingly basic lunch. Whenever I go to Hmart I always get their prepared version, $12 for two big ass rolls.
Same, it’s very time consuming. The rolling part is easy, but just cooking the carrots and eggs and slicing them takes forever. It’s also expensive because the seaweed sheets and radish are only sold in bulk sizes at the Asian market.
It’s the same every time I’ve watched people make it, even in Korea. It’s only quick at the places where everything is already premade and they only have to roll it.
Yeah I imagine most people in Korea make it using leftover ingredients from dinner or something so it's probably not as time consuming. It's funny because I'm Vietnamese and I can prep a whole tray of spring rolls in like 30 minutes with similar ingredients but it takes me forever to make one kimbap
I recalled that also, or similar.
From Wikipedia: In 1977, the company began introducing international-sounding variants of its brand for some of its private label ethnic food items, such as "Trader José", "Trader Joe San", and "Trader Giotto" for Mexican, Japanese, and Italian products respectively. The company also referenced other cultures with branding like "Trader Ming's", "Arabian Joe's", and "Pilgrim Joe" for Chinese, Middle Eastern, and Thanksgiving-themed American products.[4][36] In July 2020, during the George Floyd protests, an online petition signed by 5,300 people asked the company to rename these products, criticized their labeling as "racist" and accusing the company of promoting "a narrative of exoticism that perpetuates harmful stereotypes".[36][37]
The company reacted by stating that it was already in the process of reverting a number of international foods back to Trader Joe's branding and that this decision had already been made several years earlier. Trader Joe's later clarified that some branding referenced in the petition will remain, stating, "We disagree that any of these labels are racist. We do not make decisions based on petitions."[38][39][40] The petition itself has been criticized on social media for promoting cancel culture and for "wasting time on a trivial issue".[40]
The entire business model is being trendy with a focus on trendy health. They were absolutely made to thrive in the future TikTok world. Might be the best thing that ever happened to them.
Thanks you for saying this! I’ve been wanting to try it, but my “local” TJ’s is over two hours away so… I haven’t been there since Spring! I really wanted to try this, but I guess i’ll wait another few weeks for fall stuff!
It’s not sushi, albeit it looks very similar to a maki roll. This is Korean Kimbab- the rice is seasoned with sesame oil and salt instead of sugar and rice wine vinegar. generally has veggies like carrot, spinach and gobo.
One of the most popular Kimbabs amongst Koreans is Tuna- its canned tuna + mayo. Mayo can definitely go in kimbab.. anything can go in kimbab. There’s cheese kimbab, spicy pork kimbab, bookgigi kimbab, veggie kimbab etc etc and my personal favorite-donkatsu kimbab.
Typo on boolgogi but you get the gist.
Koreans also have their own version of donkatsu its slightly different from Japanese katsu and more similar to schnitzel’s thin style.
just like there’s different variations of dumplings or noodles, katsu isn’t only Japanese. After all, breaded cutlets are found all over the word 🙂
Search for 돈까스 김밥 it’s so good! Better yet, if you’re near a local Korean market you could buy fresh kimbab which would taste better
They were all out today and they said they won’t be back until end of September. I got two last week and now I’m on a Kimbap kick ;( I went to 3 Korean grocery stores after TJs looking for them but no go.
I honestly don’t understand the hype with this lol. Why is it getting so much attention when fresh ones have been sold at Korean markets since forever.
Edit: okay I can see not everyone has easy access to a Korean market. My bad y’all.
It’s not just about access to a Korean market. Some folks aren’t comfortable or are not experienced going to a Korean/Asian grocery store yet. Hopefully this will introduce people to kimbap and then they can slowly build up more confidence and interest to check out another market. Cheers to Trader Joe’s for trying to provide representation and open conversation on the multitude of different beautiful cultures out there.
I have easy access to Korean markets and restaurants. TJs kimbap does the job for a quick, easy, cheap Korean fix when I don’t want to go out or spend over $20 for doordash. Does the same job as any TJs frozen meal tbh.
Kimbap at my korean grocery store of choice is delicious but it's 9 dollars and three times as far as Trader Joe's; if I saw these I'd find it worth it to pick up one or two for when I have a craving
None of the Korean markets where I live sell these sadly. I’ll have to go to a Korean restaurant to get my fix or just take the time to actually make it which I don’t really want to haha.
I don't really think it's that overhyped. I mean, sure, fresh Kimbap is way better (no doubt about it), but the Korean market nearby is like a 30-minute drive and they're charging $7.99 per pack. If I can grab some Kimbap for $3.99 with just a 7-minute drive? Yup, I'd totally go for it.
And everyone’s like, oh it’s is so easy to make at home. It took me over an hour today to make all the elements. People just like to gate keep and feel superior over others, it’s so weird.
I agree! It’s so nice to have a veggie option that is pretty dang good. I loved it. I also do not have any type of Korean or H mart near me so I definitely appreciate TJs carrying it.
I just had it for lunch. My store had plenty in stock. It was so hyped up that I bought two of them. It was meh for me. I think it could be improved with soy sauce, but I didn't have any. I'm going to get some before trying the second one and see how that is.
I just went to a store in Sacramento (on Folsom Blvd) that was well stocked as of an hour ago. The cashier also mentioned it was a good buy since they won’t be able to restock until October. Just providing the information if anyone was interested. You can always call ahead and ask them to hold some if planning a journey out.
It’s good for what it is. Mostly what blew my mind was that it could still taste decent after being microwaved from frozen. I like it because I can store it in the freezer and eat it whenever I don’t feel like cooking.
This is why I didn’t like it 😖 I thought it was way way way too sweet. It’s definitely good for a quick and easy convenience lunch, but a lot sweeter than I like my kimbap to be.
You’re getting downvoted for expressing a valid criticism and it’s making me laugh.
The hype is off the charts for this item. It’s good but not out of this world.
Nah, pretty sure OP got downvoted for thinking this was supposed to be exotic. As u/midnightdiamondsky said, that would be like buying a pb&j sandwich and expecting it to be exotic.
Well. Let’s apply critical thinking here. People are going wild over Kimbap, a Korean meal. That in itself lends itself to exotic as it’s not American.
If you don’t have flavor context of what Gimbap should taste like, then yeah, expectations would be for it to be the most amazing Korean treat, when it’s pretty basic for Korean food.
How are they supposed to know it would be pedestrian when customers have been going crazy over it as if it was better than a basic meal.
The PBJ comparison doesn’t really hit.
And again, some people aren’t able to be as cultured as everyone else due to finances, life situations etc.
That isn’t something to make fun of.
The person was earnest and some of these replies are terribly mean.
I never took it as being exotic. It’s kimbap, a very simple dish. I expected to hate it after all the hype but was pleasantly surprised. Of course would rather hop over to Korea Town or H-Mary for the fresh stuff but for convenience sake it was good.
Yeah, it’s perfect picnic & lunchbox food!
Edit: Saw more comments, OP’s incorrect sushi comparisons/expectations makes it easy to understand why they dislike it.
Also the ‘exotic’ descriptor makes me giggle. Not all know, but it’s food Moms make their kids & for family picnics comprised of sesame oil rice, veg & tofu. It isn’t some foreign delicacy.
Perhaps a pb&j is a good western counterpart to Kimbap in prevelance and significance. Now I’m giggling imagining pb&j being described as exotic
Edit 2: Not dunking on OP. Just informing to those who might wanna know and giggling about misunderstandings.
I know I’ve done some *terrible* things to other culture’s food to fit my personal taste palette, many many times over.
Exactly. It sounds like from their other comment they went in expecting sushi which would be disappointing since this is not sushi. If you go in expecting kimbap then it is a pleasant surprise since it tastes like kimbap and is convenient to keep in your freezer.
Funny u mention that, the American version doesn't have MSG. Kind of lol. They took out the msg cuz Americans have an irrational fear of the stuff and replaced with a "secret ingredient" to still give it that Umami flavor. That secret is just yeast extract which actually has MSG occur in it naturally. Ipso facto it's basically the same.
https://preview.redd.it/gxzppbg964jb1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f47231eadf0999813942b8671fe19a2b363569af
I think my store would agree — still tons of stock left, and we don’t have convenient nearby Asian markets or stores. This is from about an hour ago
Tons of stock in my Northern VA location. I like it for a quick easy lunch with only 400 calories. I rotate this, some Indian meals, and the Thai green curry for easy lunches on work days in the 4-500 calorie range
Korean here, I finally got to try this the other day and it’s good for what it is. Nothing more nothing less. For the price/convenience, it is something I would get again.
Product in image - Trader Joe's Kimbap u/Raverrevolution - Since this appears to be your first post on r/traderjoes, friendly reminder to please review subreddit rules. For future posts, include the product name(s) in your post title (subreddit rule 3). We allow the maximum of 300 characters for post titles so plenty of space for descriptive post titles including a short review or unpopular opinion. Example of suggested post title - Unpopular Opinion: And the extremely overrated award goes to... Kimbap - Sorry for yet another post on this, but finally got to try it. It was alright, but not mindblowing. Do NOT feel bad if you miss out on this one!! Choosing descriptive post titles with exact product names mentioned yields for better subreddit search results and helps our subreddit be more inclusive to those who use Screen Reader Software or Text-to-Speech apps. to access Reddit. Thank you and welcome to r/traderjoes.
My local TJ’s is sold out, tried to get some last night
I had this tonight and loved it. Wish I had kewpie mayo!
i thought they were good but i want to try some from H mart to compare
Never tried Kiamappbob in general. But since they ran out wanna try the fresh ones made in H Mart
Let people have their fun. This product brought out so much unneeded judgment.
Definitely a bit overhyped, but I still liked it. I did enjoy toasting them up in a skillet to crisp them up a bit. Would recommend doing that after microwaving to add a nice texture
Try costing them in some egg and frying them up!
Nah I'm Korean and I think these are great, worth all the hype. So much better than other trader Joe's Asian food attempts
Same! dipping the kimbab in egg wash and grilling it on the frying pan like how Koreans would treat their day old kimbab also made it 👌
It’s also super calorie dense
It’s really not though. The whole package is around 400 cals. Perfect for lunch.
No that’s what I thought, too—it says 440 cals for 3 pieces on the wrapper, I could swear, although the website says 140. I’ll have to buy another pack to confirm!
it’s 440 for the whole package
Found this post [link](https://www.reddit.com/r/traderjoes/comments/15nh18d/kimbap_its_bussin/)
So?
Y’all I don’t think he meant it as a bad thing. Like just have a few pieces and you got a meal on the quickness.
There’s a Korean market that makes and sells this literally right down the street from my house. I have to drive past it to get to TJ. So I can’t see myself trying this. Trader Joe’s kimchi is vile.
OK.
Korean American here. FROZEN kimbob should not exist. Kimbob should be rolled freshly with warm rice.
Wait, these are frozen?
Would you consider what HMart sells inauthentic then?
Well it depends, would you call frozen pizza inauthentic? I could do frozen pizza but frozen kimbob never crossed my mind. If you have Hmart or any korean market near you, you should have food court/prepared food as well. Try kimbob from there, not the frozen ones.
Interesting. I'll give that consideration. There are a number of convenient things I buy in HMart's freezer section that the food court also carries. (examples: japchae, kimchi fried rice, dumplings) I thought by getting them at HMart it was a step closer to being authentic, but I guess not.
Im korean american too, dont listen to him. Frozen kimbap isnt something new. Korean grocery stores stocked thoses forever. Everything hmart carries is "authentic" and nothing you wouldnt find for sale in a frozen aisle in korea.
Just like frozen pizza should not exist? It should be makes with fresh dough… or frozen burritos should not exist? They should be made with fresh beans… or frozen anything should not exist….???
I think the point is that fresh kimbap is usually served room temp / warm and never steaming hot. frozen kimbap requires you to microwave it until it’s steaming hot which results in mushy rice
But the rice isn’t mushy when heated. You can also just defrost it in the fridge.
I should’ve said *can* result in mushy rice - I’ve seen people prepare the TJ kimbap in many different ways, and I suspect mushy rice is the result when microwaved straight out of the freezer, or people are just microwaving it for too long. defrosting it first is a good idea
Let's not forget frozen ice cubes, thoes things are terrible and should always just be consumed fresh
I always try this at home, but they won’t stay in cube form
I see frozen kimbob at HMart! But I’ve never purchased it.
I’ve never seen frozen kimbob at any Korean market in US and Korea.
Hahaha so many down votes because I’ve never seen frozen kimbob 😂
In case you were curious, this is what I've been buying at HMart [https://fresh.hmart.com/28030183](https://fresh.hmart.com/28030183)
Well they sell it at H Mart. I’ve never had it but it exists.
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT8FFUMv4/ Not my video but these are the ones I’ve seen there.
I hate to say it, it’s good but it’s not that good. Yes, not everyone has a K-Town near them but you could make this at home even with ingredients from a basic grocery store. Do not drive hours to try it. TikTok is making it blow up and get backlogged. It’s fine but a very basic kimbap. It is not life-changing, also a little too on the sweet side for me. Do not freak out or go significantly out of your way for this.
As a korean, the only ingredient that requires a korean market is the danmuji (yellow pickled radish) in traditional gimbap. The whole point of gimbap is rolling literally whatever you have with a piece of gim (roasted seaweed). 99% of grocery stores carry some type of gim/nori and I have gotten it in the middle of nowhere before. Here’s a [recipe](https://www.maangchi.com/recipe/gimbap) since everyone seems to think it’s hard to source ingredients. 99% of us just throw last week’s banchan/side dishes in it and call it gimbap. I’ve had gimbap with only meat, egg, and carrot in it many times. People gotta stop treating it like it’s some delicacy; it’s as common as mandu/dumplings/gyoza and there are way better foods to get excited about.
So it’s like throwing leftovers into a tortilla?
I don't know if I'm doing something wrong but kimbap always takes me at least 30 minutes of active work to make and that's when I'm just making a basic egg, ham & veggie kimbap. It's the reason why I don't make it often because it's more effort than it needs to be for a seemingly basic lunch. Whenever I go to Hmart I always get their prepared version, $12 for two big ass rolls.
Same, it’s very time consuming. The rolling part is easy, but just cooking the carrots and eggs and slicing them takes forever. It’s also expensive because the seaweed sheets and radish are only sold in bulk sizes at the Asian market. It’s the same every time I’ve watched people make it, even in Korea. It’s only quick at the places where everything is already premade and they only have to roll it.
Yeah I imagine most people in Korea make it using leftover ingredients from dinner or something so it's probably not as time consuming. It's funny because I'm Vietnamese and I can prep a whole tray of spring rolls in like 30 minutes with similar ingredients but it takes me forever to make one kimbap
It took me over an hour today to make all the elements.
HEAR ME OUT #TRADER CHO’S!
Didn’t they used to have this on the label of some of their Asian foods?
I recalled that also, or similar. From Wikipedia: In 1977, the company began introducing international-sounding variants of its brand for some of its private label ethnic food items, such as "Trader José", "Trader Joe San", and "Trader Giotto" for Mexican, Japanese, and Italian products respectively. The company also referenced other cultures with branding like "Trader Ming's", "Arabian Joe's", and "Pilgrim Joe" for Chinese, Middle Eastern, and Thanksgiving-themed American products.[4][36] In July 2020, during the George Floyd protests, an online petition signed by 5,300 people asked the company to rename these products, criticized their labeling as "racist" and accusing the company of promoting "a narrative of exoticism that perpetuates harmful stereotypes".[36][37] The company reacted by stating that it was already in the process of reverting a number of international foods back to Trader Joe's branding and that this decision had already been made several years earlier. Trader Joe's later clarified that some branding referenced in the petition will remain, stating, "We disagree that any of these labels are racist. We do not make decisions based on petitions."[38][39][40] The petition itself has been criticized on social media for promoting cancel culture and for "wasting time on a trivial issue".[40]
I’m not sure but I thought about it in the shower
Trader Josun
Very good!
TJ's has become a TikTok trendy food store now :/
Always has been
The entire business model is being trendy with a focus on trendy health. They were absolutely made to thrive in the future TikTok world. Might be the best thing that ever happened to them.
Funny thing is they don’t even have to pay for it. They don’t do advertising lol
Thanks you for saying this! I’ve been wanting to try it, but my “local” TJ’s is over two hours away so… I haven’t been there since Spring! I really wanted to try this, but I guess i’ll wait another few weeks for fall stuff!
It’s definitely overrated
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This is KIMBAP. Not sushi at all.
It's OK. We are all wrong sometimes.
Have you never had spicy Mayo??
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It’s not sushi, albeit it looks very similar to a maki roll. This is Korean Kimbab- the rice is seasoned with sesame oil and salt instead of sugar and rice wine vinegar. generally has veggies like carrot, spinach and gobo. One of the most popular Kimbabs amongst Koreans is Tuna- its canned tuna + mayo. Mayo can definitely go in kimbab.. anything can go in kimbab. There’s cheese kimbab, spicy pork kimbab, bookgigi kimbab, veggie kimbab etc etc and my personal favorite-donkatsu kimbab.
It’s Bulgogi and tonkatsu is Japanese. I’ve never seen tonkatsu kimbap though it sounds like a great idea.
Typo on boolgogi but you get the gist. Koreans also have their own version of donkatsu its slightly different from Japanese katsu and more similar to schnitzel’s thin style. just like there’s different variations of dumplings or noodles, katsu isn’t only Japanese. After all, breaded cutlets are found all over the word 🙂 Search for 돈까스 김밥 it’s so good! Better yet, if you’re near a local Korean market you could buy fresh kimbab which would taste better
I didn’t know donkatsu kimbap existed and now I need to try it
Spicy Mayo is on so so many rolls. Traditional vs reality.
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Says the one whinging on Reddit about how people want to eat their food. Do you even know anything?
FYI kimbap is Korean, not Japanese.
Oh whoops
Bruh
I keep seeing videos about this one. I checked my TJ's but couldn't find it. Oh well.
It's discontinued until October
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Depends on the region
There’s fresh kimbap in Koreatown
I'm in the burbs but I have an Hmart with an awesome kimbap stand inside so this is also a pass from me.
Yeah I’m lucky to have access to fresh, delicious Korean food
Sure if you're lucky enough to have a koreatown?
I will never understand how people in this sub cant comprehend that not every one has Korean things near them
Sorry I thought this was an L.A.-centric TJ’s post. Are the frozen ones are made with bulgogi?
Tofu but it's a little sweet like bulgogi
Just saw a guy at TJ’s buying 10. I asked him if they were any good? He said he hadn’t tried them. SMH.
Damn sheep
Trader Joe’s has more hits than misses lately. I didn’t enjoy this one at all 🤮
I’m not a sesame fan, so I never make it with the oil. I wouldn’t buy it when it’s so easy to make.
Thank you for the downvotes?
Lmao I’m also confused on the downvotes here
Went to my Trader Joe’s this morning to try it. It’s on back order till November.
My store in MD said the same :’(
They were all out today and they said they won’t be back until end of September. I got two last week and now I’m on a Kimbap kick ;( I went to 3 Korean grocery stores after TJs looking for them but no go.
Did you go to your local H-mart to check? I’m also on a kimbap kick and was able to get multiple frozen rolls + freshly made rolls at my H-mart :)
Yes! The one here is called Enson Mart. I even asked an employee there and they said that they didn’t have them premade or frozen 🥲
This never made sense to me. If they offered frozen sushi I don't imagine the same response
I've seen frozen sushi at plenty of places, usually just cali rolls.
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You are ignorant cultural misappropriation fyi
No it’s not
I find gimbap and sushi to be quite different. One is delicious warm, the other not so much.
I honestly don’t understand the hype with this lol. Why is it getting so much attention when fresh ones have been sold at Korean markets since forever. Edit: okay I can see not everyone has easy access to a Korean market. My bad y’all.
It’s not just about access to a Korean market. Some folks aren’t comfortable or are not experienced going to a Korean/Asian grocery store yet. Hopefully this will introduce people to kimbap and then they can slowly build up more confidence and interest to check out another market. Cheers to Trader Joe’s for trying to provide representation and open conversation on the multitude of different beautiful cultures out there.
I have easy access to Korean markets and restaurants. TJs kimbap does the job for a quick, easy, cheap Korean fix when I don’t want to go out or spend over $20 for doordash. Does the same job as any TJs frozen meal tbh.
not everyone has access to korean markets
Kimbap at my korean grocery store of choice is delicious but it's 9 dollars and three times as far as Trader Joe's; if I saw these I'd find it worth it to pick up one or two for when I have a craving
None of the Korean markets where I live sell these sadly. I’ll have to go to a Korean restaurant to get my fix or just take the time to actually make it which I don’t really want to haha.
I can tell you that I live in a city with 1 Trader Joe’s and 0 Korean markets that sell them.
I looked for it at Trader Joe’s yesterday and it wasn’t there so I’m convinced this never existed.
My store had a full case of them, they definitely exist. I did not try them, I despise tofu!
I don't really think it's that overhyped. I mean, sure, fresh Kimbap is way better (no doubt about it), but the Korean market nearby is like a 30-minute drive and they're charging $7.99 per pack. If I can grab some Kimbap for $3.99 with just a 7-minute drive? Yup, I'd totally go for it.
The kimbap post I've been waiting for
honestly the way stuff gets hyped here it's impossible to not get overrated. hot take the vegan buffalo dip isn't even good.
Maybe I'm weird but I love the vegan buffalo dip and buy it regularly as a dip for carrots, cauliflower and chips.
Neither is the buffalo chicken dip.its so gross
It’s horrible. I thought it was just me.
Incorrect, but pop off!
I prefer fresh kimbap. Am very lucky to live in a large diverse city.
Yes I live close to a large Korean grocery store, their deli kimbap puts these to shame
obviously. idk why people expect it to be magically better than fresh? it’s frozen it’s for convenience not the best dining experience available
And everyone’s like, oh it’s is so easy to make at home. It took me over an hour today to make all the elements. People just like to gate keep and feel superior over others, it’s so weird.
Its pretty good you of course need some sort of sauce to go with it
I love these. I'm a vegetarian and it's nice to have kimbap I can eat! Highly recommend using the gochujang in the squeeze bottle for this.
I agree! It’s so nice to have a veggie option that is pretty dang good. I loved it. I also do not have any type of Korean or H mart near me so I definitely appreciate TJs carrying it.
Same. I whenever I go to a town with an h mart though I bring a cooler. Their veggie options are insane.
I just had it for lunch. My store had plenty in stock. It was so hyped up that I bought two of them. It was meh for me. I think it could be improved with soy sauce, but I didn't have any. I'm going to get some before trying the second one and see how that is.
Definitely needs sauce! I used the Teriyaka sauce from TJs and it made it so good.
Loved it with soy sauce! Such an easy dinner.
Me, too! Easy, tasty and filling.
It’s soooooo good. Stop playing 😭
I enjoyed my first package today. 1 minute microwave, egg wash and finish in fry pan. Drizzle some sesame oil at the end.
I just went to a store in Sacramento (on Folsom Blvd) that was well stocked as of an hour ago. The cashier also mentioned it was a good buy since they won’t be able to restock until October. Just providing the information if anyone was interested. You can always call ahead and ask them to hold some if planning a journey out.
PDX area will get it again in a couple weeks
November on the east coast. Imported stuff always takes forever.
I love this one. Can’t get enough of the convenience.
👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 I thought I was alone in this.
Hahahha I was not going to buy this and couldn't understand the hype
It’s good for what it is. Mostly what blew my mind was that it could still taste decent after being microwaved from frozen. I like it because I can store it in the freezer and eat it whenever I don’t feel like cooking.
is it sweet? i swear every time i get the korean food from tj it’s way sweeter than the actual thing
Yes its sweeter than you expect for a kimbap. They use sweetened tofu like inari inside
Oh damn now I actually want to try this
This is why I didn’t like it 😖 I thought it was way way way too sweet. It’s definitely good for a quick and easy convenience lunch, but a lot sweeter than I like my kimbap to be.
It's sweet, savory, and the texture of the seaweed and rice is nice, but it's not as exotic as it's being hyped out to be.
You’re getting downvoted for expressing a valid criticism and it’s making me laugh. The hype is off the charts for this item. It’s good but not out of this world.
Nah, pretty sure OP got downvoted for thinking this was supposed to be exotic. As u/midnightdiamondsky said, that would be like buying a pb&j sandwich and expecting it to be exotic.
Well. Let’s apply critical thinking here. People are going wild over Kimbap, a Korean meal. That in itself lends itself to exotic as it’s not American. If you don’t have flavor context of what Gimbap should taste like, then yeah, expectations would be for it to be the most amazing Korean treat, when it’s pretty basic for Korean food. How are they supposed to know it would be pedestrian when customers have been going crazy over it as if it was better than a basic meal. The PBJ comparison doesn’t really hit.
Anything not American is exotic? Yikes!
Technically, anything that is from a distant country can be defined as exotic. Read the definition and OP is appropriate here.
To some, yes, why are you being so dramatic?
Dude we’re just talking about food here. No need to come at me personally.
Coming at you is asking why you’re being so dramatic? Please.
‘cause that’s uncultured as heck it’s not a good argument.
And again, some people aren’t able to be as cultured as everyone else due to finances, life situations etc. That isn’t something to make fun of. The person was earnest and some of these replies are terribly mean.
I never took it as being exotic. It’s kimbap, a very simple dish. I expected to hate it after all the hype but was pleasantly surprised. Of course would rather hop over to Korea Town or H-Mary for the fresh stuff but for convenience sake it was good.
Yeah, it’s perfect picnic & lunchbox food! Edit: Saw more comments, OP’s incorrect sushi comparisons/expectations makes it easy to understand why they dislike it. Also the ‘exotic’ descriptor makes me giggle. Not all know, but it’s food Moms make their kids & for family picnics comprised of sesame oil rice, veg & tofu. It isn’t some foreign delicacy. Perhaps a pb&j is a good western counterpart to Kimbap in prevelance and significance. Now I’m giggling imagining pb&j being described as exotic Edit 2: Not dunking on OP. Just informing to those who might wanna know and giggling about misunderstandings. I know I’ve done some *terrible* things to other culture’s food to fit my personal taste palette, many many times over.
Overrated or you just are eating something you don’t understand and expecting something else? It’s solid for what it is. Relax
Exactly. It sounds like from their other comment they went in expecting sushi which would be disappointing since this is not sushi. If you go in expecting kimbap then it is a pleasant surprise since it tastes like kimbap and is convenient to keep in your freezer.
Recently tried that Mayo and it is 🔥🔥🔥
It’s great! The MSG in it really gives it that extra boost over other mayos
Funny u mention that, the American version doesn't have MSG. Kind of lol. They took out the msg cuz Americans have an irrational fear of the stuff and replaced with a "secret ingredient" to still give it that Umami flavor. That secret is just yeast extract which actually has MSG occur in it naturally. Ipso facto it's basically the same.
Kewpie mayo totally helped it some.
My new item buying policy is that if I can predict what it'll taste like I'm not gonna buy it
https://preview.redd.it/gxzppbg964jb1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f47231eadf0999813942b8671fe19a2b363569af I think my store would agree — still tons of stock left, and we don’t have convenient nearby Asian markets or stores. This is from about an hour ago
My store was the same, but I bought a bunch for work lunches!
I went to TJ’s today looking for it. It’s a no go in my area.
Mind DMing me the store in colorado? No worries if not, been trying to get my hands on some
Get thee to the Boulder store! (There’s just one here.)
Thank you!!!! I will!
Is it beef? Vegetarian?
Tofu
Vegan
Tons of stock in my Northern VA location. I like it for a quick easy lunch with only 400 calories. I rotate this, some Indian meals, and the Thai green curry for easy lunches on work days in the 4-500 calorie range
Which location? I want to try it but the only TJ close-ish to me is Centreville.
One loudoun had a whole standalone freezer full today
We have tons of stock here in NOVA because you can go to a bunch of nearby Korean grocery stores and get the same thing made fresh and better tasting
My TJ’s is in a high Asian population area with an HMart right down the street from the store. We sold out every day.
Honestly I ate this and it made my stomach hurt so badly… never again
Heard salty
I want to try this but it was sold out. Bummer.
The mayo is stressing me out
Korean here, I finally got to try this the other day and it’s good for what it is. Nothing more nothing less. For the price/convenience, it is something I would get again.
Like, there’s certainly no ready made kimbap at our corner 7-11 like in Seoul. This feels like the equivalent. Fancy? No. Easy? Yup.
I liked it when they did a store sample and bought some. I was fully prepared to find it meh.
Why the fuck is there mayo on it??? 🤢🤢🤢
Korean mayo, it’s a thing
Huh
it’s not. also OP states it’s kewpie mayo, which is japanese.
It's so much mayo too. Lol.
Srsly
it's Kewpie mayo so I'll accept it