Bo Kho King, a lunch pop up featuring Vietnamese-inflected, stepped-up versions of fast food, has launched as an ongoing concept inside Chu Mai at 1829 17th St. in Richmond Grove.
Chef Billy Ngo, who also helms Kru Contemporary Japanese Cuisine, Kodaiko Ramen & Bar, Chu Mai and Fish Face Poke Bar, started Bo Kho King on Tuesday, July 21. The menu is petite with just three sandwiches, a salad and fries, but it’s powerful.
Bo kho is a Vietnamese dish of beef braised in a flavorful broth with lemongrass, star anise, cinnamon, and garlic, commonly eaten with baguette. Ngo turned it on its head and made it into a sandwich, the bo kho dip ($16) with soft, fragrant meat, chiles, carrot and onion and served with a cup of the broth to dip.
The turmeric fried fish ($16) comes on a fluffy bao burger bun with tartar sauce, American cheese, slaw and fish sauce pickles. It’s tender, crisp and messy in the best way.
A vegetarian option, and perhaps the most interesting item on the menu, is the lo bak go banh mi ($16). Slabs of steamed daikon cake are fried with a sweet-savory citrus glaze, served on a baguette with the classic do chua (pickled daikon and carrot), a butter-mayo mix and cilantro. The daikon cakes have a dense, chewy texture, and combined with the glaze have a satisfying, almost meaty texture.
The fries ($6) are straight up good, but if you want to disco them up, go for the do fries ($9), topped with pork floss, Thai chili aioli and chili crisp.
The shaved cabbage salad ($12) is a refreshing accompaniment to any of the dishes, feathery shredded cabbage with vermicelli, pickled bean sprouts, shaved onion, carrots and herbs. The bright, citric dressing catches the corners of your jaw.
Bo Kho King sports a tongue-in-cheek logo perhaps sufficiently resembling the symbol of a major fast food chain that it might invite a cease and desist. They even have metallic paper crowns.
For now, the pop-up will continue to operate Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Ngo may add weekdays at a later date.
The Sacramento Bee
Sean Timberlake is the food and dining reporter for The Sacramento Bee. He has been writing professionally about food for over 20 years.