With garlands in bright pinks, yellows and blues and matching lounge chairs, the small square in Bel-Air that hosts the pop-up food truck has a festive feeling. Add to this consistently sunny weather and the much-appreciated shade provided by the trees lining the converted parking lot, and you’ve got yourself a perfect hang-out spot for lunch and dinner.
From the end of July until 21 August, Unsill Kim and her business Deli Koreana are catering to the needs of passers-by, regulars, and those who aren’t lucky enough to be on holiday.
“Two weeks ago, I received the offer from the City of Luxembourg for the pop-up kitchen project,” Kim tells Delano. She had applied for a pop-up bar concept in June, but it hadn’t suited her business. Thankfully, the municipality offered her the Place de France location for the kitchen pop-up. “They wanted to advertise Korean food for three weeks. So, I decided to run the kiosque pop-up,” Kim says.
Visitors at the inauguration on 30 July. Photo: Caroline Martin
A way around high rents
Deli Koreana has been around since 2019. Kim moved to Luxembourg with her family in 2015. Upon arrival, she founded her company Korlux, a travel and location agency that helps travelers, government officials and South Korean TV broadcasters among others. “But four years later, I wanted to expand my restaurant business more.” In part because she wanted to “introduce the real taste of Korean food to Luxembourg.”
“At the time, I was looking for a small place to open a snack bar,” Kim reminisces. Then came covid. The high rent prices of course also made it hard for Kim to find anything. But, not one to idle around, Kim focused on offering Korean cooking classes, catering for corporate and private parties as well as preparing takeaway dishes.
The strategy behind the pop-up store is based on the business owner’s experiences. The menu, for instance, offers some of South Korea’s favourite foods, such as fried chicken, beef bulgogi, gimbap, Japchae or a generously portioned combo-set. These items were selected because they were most popular among regular customers of the take-away business.
But the pop-up stall serves as a taster too–through this experience, Kim confirmed that she wanted to open a physical restaurant, “hopefully in the near future”.
A learning opportunity for the next generation
Aside from being a business and a test-run for a future expansion, Deli Koreana’s stint on the Place de France serves as an experience for Kim’s children too.
“In South Korea, my mother managed a big Korean restaurant,” Kim explains. She herself also has a special certificate in hospitality, and sees it as important for her son and daughter to gain experience in customer service.
“They are teenagers, so they have to take a part-time job. I wanted to offer them this experience–to connect with customers, be polite… I want them to learn a lot about societal relations,” Kim says.
Owner Unsill Kim (middle) wants her children to use the opportunity to learn as much as possible about dealing with customers. Photo: Delano
Sold out despite holidays, heatwaves, opening hours
The pop-up kitchen only serves customers from Tuesday to Saturday between 12pm and 2 pm and from 6pm to 8pm. Despite many residents and cross-border workers being on holiday in August, Kim’s stall sells out within 30 minutes most of the time.
Kim explains that she prepares large–but still limited–batches of food, so that she can safely store them in the food truck’s fridges and serve fresh food to her clients.
In the small stand, Kim uses fire to prepare some of the items on the menu, so “it can get so hot,” says Kim. Conditions Kim and her children are willing to endure, as their “customers are happy because it’s windy and sunny” on the small square.
The family will continue to work hard to meet popular demand until after the lunch break on 21 August. On the closing evening, Kim will hold a party on the place de France for herself, her children and her close friends. “I want to give myself and the children a pat on the back,” she laughs.
After this, Deli Koreana will resume its take-away and delivery activities, much to the joy of those who missed out on the pop-up kitchen. In September, Kim, upon invitation by the capital’s commune, will be present at the food village for the Luxexpo’s “Long Live the Summer” event. With her food stall, the mother-of-two and prolific business owner will slowly but surely establish her brand in Luxembourg’s culinary landscape.
Source: https://delano.lu/article/deli-koreana-runs-pop-up-kitch (Written by Tracy Heindrichs)