They always say not to shop for groceries while you’re hungry, and that old saw is never more true than when you wander the aisles of a Trader Joe’s without a list or a meal in your belly. I can’t count the number of impulse buys I have made over the years, usually disappointments like a Cuban black bean bowl that couldn’t look less like the photo on the box, or the cleverly named “Squiggly Knife-Cut Noodles” that turned out to just be ramen by another name.
So I am pleased to share with you that if you’re a frequent visitor of the Lion’s Head TJ’s, there is help and hope for you to avoid these pitfalls. In early October, a delightful Korean cafe named Ollè Korean Eats opened just a few doors down from Trader Joe’s at 70 White Bridge Pike, and my first visit was a resounding success!
Operated by a husband-and-wife team with plenty of culinary experience around town — including working together at Ichiban — Ollè took over the poke spot in the corner of the shopping complex on Oct. 4. Ahra Ko runs front-of-house, while her husband mans the kitchen, and she and her staff have created a welcoming environment with their remodel of the previous restaurant.
Just inside the front door, there is a well-stocked and organized grocery of Korean staples and prepared banchan. If you’re used to the small plates of free snacks served before a meal at other Korean restaurants, you might be a little disappointed to have to pay for these treats, but I’m personally excited at the prospect of being able to take home treats like pickled seaweed and radish, squid salad or rice cake with mung bean paste — items I would never attempt to make on my own. There is also a wide assortment of sweet buns, doughnuts and cakes, plus drinks and imported snacks available for carryout. I didn’t try the matcha on my visit, but folks are raving about it.
The dining area is decorated in warm paneling, and there was a nice buzz in the room as groups enjoyed casual luncheons. Online ordering is available, including delivery through Uber Eats and DoorDash. However you order, you might want to bring a cooler if you plan to hit up Trader Joe’s afterwards, because the large portions pretty much guarantee leftovers.
I intentionally planned to try out three entrees on my first visit, but I didn’t expect to be able to get at least a half-dozen meals out of my order. Even more surprising, I actually wanted to eat those same leftovers three times!
Bulgogi bibimbop is usually my go-to order at Korean restaurants, especially fast-casual spots like Ollè. Their version is actually a deopbap, in which the ingredients are layered rather than mixed together. Needless to say, I mixed the sweet and savory beef into the steamed rice and fried egg immediately, because I wanted to enjoy it all together. It was a huge portion that easily stretched to multiple lunches.
On Ahra’s recommendation, I also ordered Jeyuk kimbap, a seaweed rice roll filled with spicy pork and vegetables, including pickled radish and burdock. Unlike most sushi, the sturdy kimbap also held up for several days in the fridge since there was no way I could finish eight of the hockey-puck-size rolls in one lunch sitting.
Ollè tonkatsu
My final sample was tonkatsu, and I opted for chicken over pork since I had already ordered the pork roll. The crispy cutlet was sliced into batons, and I didn’t even realize that there were three layers of chicken until halfway through my meal. The topmost layer was accented by a savory red sauce, and because the subsequent layers weren’t sauced, they became toppers for salads at home. The accompaniments for this dish were steamed rice and an interesting cabbage and corn salad.
I enjoyed every bit of this meal, especially considrering the value offered by the portion sizes. As God is my witness, I’ll never shop hungry again!
