They hardly seem the most natural of bedfellows, yet when Korean and Mexican cuisine found each other and got it on, it was an effortless and harmonious pairing – and now this multi-culti love affair is going global via new Beijing zest-fest, Palms LA Kitchen and Bar.
Hidden down a nondescript hutong near Jiugulou Dajie, Palms calls a casual, cosy and woody space home. The setting is small, but the flavours bursting from within are bold and tantalising, with straight-out-of-Cali couplings pitting hearty Tex Mex tastes like burritos and tacos against spicy Seoul street food in a vibrant head to head.
Start with signature kimchi quesadillas, and Sriracha sour cream-slathered barbeque pork tacos, followed by K-town staple bibimbap reinvented with Mexican rice, fresh coriander, stringy cheese and a little seaweed. Pair with crossover cocktails like the El Imigrante – made with yerba mate-infused vodka – and the sangria-esque Cali-motcho, and you’ll swear you’ve been transported from chilly Beijing to somewhere just south of the border with your long lost love. Be sure to book ahead.
Palms LA Kitchen and Bar, 14 Zhangwang Hutong, Dongcheng, Beijing, +86 10 6405 4352, facebook.com/palmsLAkitchenandbar
