What's Going On with Convenience Store Lunchboxes These Days?
Busy, busy, modern society! How can it be so difficult to have a proper meal! I want to eat a real meal, but work is piling up. Going to a restaurant means waiting through cooking and waiting times, which is nerve-wracking. And why are hamburger places so far away? For those who don’t even have time to eat fast food, here’s a solution. Convenience stores, which are familiar to us and located just a few meters away wherever we go. They have everything and operate 24 hours, making them perfect for busy modern life. Especially, they offer many foods that satisfy our hunger, including triangular kimbap. Among various convenience stores, we tried GS25 convenience store lunch boxes, famous for their ready meals. I didn’t know what you’d like, so I put everything in♥
Corn Cheese Buldak Bokkeum Myun (3,900 KRW)
The developer who created Buldak Bokkeum Myun revealed a creative recipe to make it taste even better on tvN’s ‘You Quiz on the Block.’ Since then, the recipe became a hot topic on SNS, and as an editor who loves Buldak, I shouted “Crazy delicious!!!” while making it, but honestly, the preparation was quite bothersome. There were many ingredients to prepare, so when I found out it came out as a ready meal, I picked it up out of curiosity.
It comes with a separate seaweed powder, noodles, corn, and chicken balls together. The sauce is placed underneath, so there’s no hassle of squeezing it yourself?truly a convenient ready meal. After microwaving for about 2 minutes, just sprinkle the seaweed powder, and it’s done. There’s more corn than expected, giving a nice popping texture, and the chicken balls included perfectly complement the small amount of noodles.
Tasting Review : The creative recipe’s charm was neutralizing the spiciness with mayonnaise, but that flavor was lacking here, which was disappointing. After adding mayonnaise, it was perfect♥
I Didn’t Know What You’d Like, So I Put Everything Lunch Box (5,500 KRW)
The name alone is exciting. It’s perfect when you can’t decide what to eat or crave a variety of side dishes like a traditional Korean meal set. I thought even restaurants wouldn’t offer such a variety of side dishes. It includes 12 side dishes in total: rolled omelet, stir-fried sausage, stir-fried fish cake, stir-fried dried shredded squid, chicken, pork cutlet, stir-fried spicy pork, and more. The rice portion is generous, perfectly balanced with the side dishes.
Tasting Review: The stir-fried dried shredded squid with nuts mixed in, giving sweetness and nuttiness, was the most memorable. I can say without a doubt it was the best stir-fried dried shredded squid I’ve ever had.
Heartfelt Bibimbap (4,200 KRW)
The charm of bibimbap lies in the variety of fresh vegetables. But if you prepare various vegetables yourself, you might end up eating bibimbap for days. This is an opportunity for single-person households to enjoy fresh vegetable bibimbap. If you thought, “How good can convenience store vegetables be?” this will change your perception.
It includes bean sprouts, carrots, bellflower root, green lettuce, mushrooms, stir-fried beef, and even sesame oil and gochujang. The colorful toppings make your mouth water. Underneath are rice and a round-shaped fried egg. After microwaving, just add the vegetables, gochujang, and sesame oil, mix, and it’s ready. You can taste the nutty aroma of sesame oil and the freshness of the vegetables. It’s a taste that can compete with bibimbap from restaurants. The gochujang is not the thick original type but a high-quality seasoning for a convenience store meal.
Tasting Review: I was planning to fry an egg at home, but since it’s included, there’s no reason not to buy it. It’s cost-effective and the portion is not small, so I highly recommend it for single-person households craving bibimbap!
Premium Giant Hamburg Steak Spaghetti (5,900 KRW)
The phrase “real hamburg steak of a different level” sounds great. Of course, quality matters, but with the mindset of “convenience store lunch boxes are all the same,” I picked it up hoping at least the portion would be large. It includes tomato spaghetti, sausage, hamburg steak, two chicken nuggets, salad, and cucumber pickles, so it’s not a sparse meal.
When microwaved, the smell of tomato spaghetti was strong. The taste quality is what you can expect from a convenience store lunch box. I wished there was a bit more sauce for the tomato spaghetti and hamburg steak, but when I bit into the sausage and heard the crunch, I forgave everything.
Tasting Review : Wrapping the noodles around the steak made delicious + delicious = ♥ For those who like pickles and danmuji, the amount of pickles was a bit small compared to the food, which was disappointing.
Which convenience store should I raid next?
Photo by Yoon Eun-ae
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
