How Berkeley’s New Korean Superette Offers a Taste of Home with Tteokbokki and Soft Tofu Stew | Eater SF

"What began as a larger Korean grocery idea in 2015 became, in April 2022, a cozy shop on Solano Avenue where I can get homestyle Korean food alongside a curated selection of groceries sized for a single-family household. Opened by Chi Moon, Jessica Oh and Hyeyoung Yoon in the former Rivoli space, the prepared-food counter emphasizes Korean comfort dishes you can order at the front—two kinds of tteokbokki (braised rice cakes with either beef and vegetables or fish cakes and an egg), jjajangmyeon (udon noodles with a black soybean sauce), and soondubu jjigae (soft tofu stew with vegetables, egg and a choice of protein)—and the partners say they’re conscious about making healthier versions with more vegetables. In addition to cooked-to-order meals there’s a changing fridge of ready-to-heat and to-go items, a long wall of instant noodles (buldak ramen, kimchi ramen, soon veggie noodle soup), pantry staples like gochujang and cooking oils, a tiny housewares section, and freezers stocked with banchan in to-go containers, bagged rice cakes, frozen mandu, extra-crispy Korean corn dogs, and a small selection of thinly sliced meat plus chicken and pork cutlets for barbecue. The back of the space doubles as a market and eating area that opens onto a gardened patio, which gives the place a homey, kitchen-or-living-room feeling—exactly the kind of mom-made comfort food the owners say they want to recreate. The shop is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily (kitchen closes at 8 p.m.)." - Dianne de Guzman