"Bap in Korean means rice, it also means meal. Also, it's a word we use in the kitchen to kind of speed up," Bapbap's Nate Kuester said.
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Nate Kuester and Jason Liu tend to say BapBap quite a bit.
The two bonded while working at the high-end Scandinavian restaurant Aquavit, but here on Northern Boulevard in Flushing, it's all about Korean food.
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"It started off with the neighborhood here. A lot of restaurants, Korean restaurants, and we thought we were a little different," Liu said.
Take the deconstructed ssambap, a seasoned rice bowl with short rib or lobster, for example. The seaweed or lettuce comes on the side.
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There are bapbuns, sort of like a Korean streusel, with different fillings including one with coconut and ube.
The bap rolls can be filled with a variety of items like brisket... or spicy tuna. (rolls)
"The rolls, we make them to order. They're mini traditional Korean kimbap with little twists and flavors," Kuester said.
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A dining area inside the store is off-limits until indoor dining is allowed again, but having a space inside a grocery store has some perks including a pick of fresh produce and hungry shoppers migrating over to order food.
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Kuester and Liu may return to fine dining one day, but for now, their little counter in the time of COVID is making due.
"It's a blessing in disguise it's the restaurant I didn't know I wanted to have," Kuester said.
Bapbap is open every day, except Tuesdays, and is available for delivery through a number of apps.
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