Food tours introduce residents to Annandale’s Korean restaurants
Soomin Kim’s Korean restaurant tours in Annandale have been selling out since she launched Virginialicious earlier this year.
The tours bring people to four to six restaurants within walking distance of one another, where they can sample different kinds of Korean specialties while learning about Korean cuisine and culinary history.
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Many people who took the tours heard about the program from an article in Annandale Today. Kim quotes a typical response from a participant: “I lived in Annandale for 26 years and never been to these restaurants.”
The tours usually include Korean comfort food, soup, and fried chicken. Kim doesn’t announce the restaurants in advance. “I want participants to be surprised. That’s part of the fun,” she says. Tours can be booked online.
Some of the restaurants don’t have websites or social media accounts, so it’s hard for them to attract new customers.
The tours are scheduled every other Saturday, 2-5 p.m., when restaurants aren’t busy. The $75 cost covers food and tips. Tours are capped at 12 people.
Mason Supervisor Andres Jimenez took a recent tour, and staff from his office are taking a private tour this week.
The August tours were sold out in mid-July, and one scheduled for October is already sold out, Kim says.
In September Kim is taking eight local residents on a food tour to Korea. They’ll be visiting restaurants and markets in Seoul and Busan, where she grew up.
Related story: Koreans made Annandale unique
After the trip, she plans to expand Virginialicious, offering tours once a week.
Kim also hosts private parties. Recent events included a 70th birthday party with 20 people and a party hosted by a mother-in-law for her daughter-in-law’s birthday. Contact Virginialicious for more information about private events.
Kim founded Virginialicious to share her love of food, to support small businesses, and to give back to the community. She donates a portion of the proceeds to Food for Others.
I loved this tour, and thought we only scratched the surface… so many other spots to choose from! The focus on the businesses and families that worked these establishments was so needed. Soomin was an excellent guide. Now, who is going to organize a Vietnamese food tour? A Mexican food tour? A Central American food tour? An Ethiopian food tour? A Middle Eastern food tour? I’m all in!
I took the tour with Mason Supervisor Andres Jimenez! I brought 2 friends along. I love a good food tour and have taken many in my foreign travels. This one is OUTSTANDING! Soomin Kim is an excellent guide. She provides a cultural and historical framework with the food. I’ve lived in Annandale for 14 years and had not been to any of the restaurants on the tour. I think my story was similar to many Annandale residents. I visited a couple of Korean restaurants when I first moved to the area but found language to be a major barrier. I wasn’t sure what to order or how to eat it! This tour gave me the confidence to explore more of the restaurants that I can literally walk to from where I live! What a wonderful gift she gave me!
What a great idea! I’ve enjoyed many of the Korean restaurants but there are so many more to explore. My friend Cathie introduced me to a bulgogi quesadilla at Breeze Cafe and red bean buns at Shilla bakery. I’m with James Albright that we need tours of other culture’s food too. It’s more fun when you understand the history and culture behind the dishes.
Where do I sign up?