Rice bowls, bibimbap, japchae: A Korean pop-up is about to open in Johnson County
Lisa Hamblen lives just a block away from the Lenexa Public Market, and as it was constructed, she thought she might open a restaurant there, maybe 10 years down the line.
But now, less than five years after the food hall opened, she’s ready.
Her Kimchi and Bap will be a weekend pop-up. The menu will have three main items: bibimbap (a bowl filled with zucchini, bracken, carrots, Korean radish, bellflower root, bean sprouts, spinach, cucumbers and mushrooms on a bed of rice with an egg on top); japchae (sweet potato noodles mixed with spinach, orange and red peppers, mushrooms, onions, carrots and green onions) with a scoop of rice and an option to add beef bulgogi or crispy tofu; and rice bowls.
But she also will offer “today’s snack” — perhaps dumplings or different Korean side dishes. She also would like to later offer Korean soups and stews.
Kimchi and Bap is scheduled to open March 10 on the second floor of the Lenexa Public Market, 8750 Penrose Lane.
Hours will be 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. March 10, 11, 19 and 20. Check its website at kimchiandbap.com for future dates.
“It is such an inclusive area with all the different vendors and so welcoming,” she said.
She was working as an academic adviser at the University of Kansas. But last fall, she started putting together her Kimchi and Bap menu and then pitched it to the public market.
Hamblen was just 18 months old when she was adopted from Korea by an Arizona couple — her father was in the U.S. Army and met her mother while in South Korea. She said some of her favorite memories growing up were cooking with her mother. She also picked up new recipes over the years.
“I learned a lot about Korean food, and that is something that stuck with me throughout all these years,” she said. “To be able to share that with friends and family, and now the community means so much. It’s very special to me right now.”
This story was originally published February 26, 2022 at 5:00 AM.