Mokdong Gimbap to Open in Old Frog & Snail Space

Beautiful vegetable gimbap. Photo credit: cutekirin on Wikimedia Commons

As you know from reading this blog, Frog & Snail closed earlier this year, ending easy access to crepes and the magnificent French onion meatball sub they were known for. But a new place is opening up there, Mokdong Gimbap, offering sushi and—you’d expect—especially gimbap.

Gimbap (aka kimbap), known to many of us as “those large vegetarian Korean sushi rolls,” is downright delicious. To learn more, you can read about gimbap here. I mostly know it as a vegetarian dish, but apparently you can have fish, beef, bulgogi, ham, and cheese in it, too. Also, it’s super popular at Trader Joe’s right now.

Side story: I was first introduced to gimbap many years ago when I played continuo (harpsichord) in a performance of Handel’s “Messiah” with a Korean church choir. The entire piece, save for the Hallelujah Chorus, was sung entirely in Korean. Along with gimbap offered to us after the show, they had also made some amazing kimchi and a kind of beef stew for everyone as we waited for the show to start. They also thought some of us would prefer Subway sandwiches, but I wasn’t having any of that, because the food that had been made by the Korean aunties there just looked and smelled so good. The kimchi I remember being particularly delicious. These are happy memories.

Anyway, back to Mokdong Gimbap. According to filed paperwork, Soon Ok Shin (aka Soonok Shin Spliethof) is involved with this business. Looks like he has been involved with Shoko Sushi in the Woodstock neighborhood, and is connected to Tomo Ramen just up the street.

Mokdong Gimbap has no website or social media presence, unfortunately, but that may change. It looks like they plan to be open every day from 11am to 9pm. BTW, Mok-dong is “a ward of Yangcheon-gu, located in the west of Seoul, South Korea.” Here’s hoping for some great Korean food (and sushi) to hit the Hawthorne District in the near future.

Mokdong Gimbap [opening TBD]
3553 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland