GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — It’s a unique taste of home for some in West Michigan. For others, a taste like they’ve never had before. Get ready for a pick-me-up from a must-try restaurant on Michigan Street called Kaffeine.
Background
When you think of the performance of a restaurant, you don’t think of a performer and her restaurant. But lunchtime may as well be show time for owner Sun Lee.
“I studied music, not cooking," she laughed.
Sun went from the grand opulence of concert halls to the rustic simplicity of a Michigan Street kitchen.
"I wanted to perform at the orchestra, I really loved it. But after I graduated, I had to stop playing. I had to work at a restaurant six days a week, 12 hours a day," she explained.
Working towards a green card, with no time or energy left to play music, Sun came to know a thing or two about singing a different tune. If she wasn't going to see her dream play out, she would make a new one.
“So, that’s why I opened the restaurant," said Sun. “I wanted to make people know about Korean dishes.”
To grow a business, Sun took it back to her roots.
She grew up on a farm in Korea with her two brothers and parents. While working long hours outside, the only quality time she got with her family was in the kitchen.
“My mom would love to cook for employees, friends, I’m the only girl she had to help her," she said. “I learned everything from my mom and grandma."
Back home, she may have been the only one available. But here? She is one of a kind. And her menu proves it.
Food
Kaffeine, as the name suggests, was never meant to be more than coffee and tea.
“I just wanted to open like, a little, cute coffee shop," said Sun.
Sun went around the state, trying different coffee shops and finding the best source for beans. Her new dream was finally coming to fruition. Until it turned out to not to be a little coffee shop at all.
"My plan didn't really go how I planned it," she laughed.
When Sun signed her lease on the Michigan Street location, she realized it had quite a large kitchen for serving just lattes and americanos.
“When I opened the shop, I wanted to include like a bulgogi sandwich or toast, which I have still now, but since this place got bigger, then I included more food — now, it’s not a coffee shop, it’s a restaurant.”
Sun now owns the only place in Grand Rapids you can go for a coffee bar and a Korean meal. Maybe the dreamiest of their specialties — bulgogi.
A Bulgogi Bowl ($19.50) is thinly sliced beef that's been marinated in Korean barbecue sauce: soy sauce, garlic, onion and ginger. It's placed over white rice that soaks up the extra ladle-full of sauce, covered with sautéed vegetables and a perfectly-cooked fried egg.
As Korean restaurants are few and far between in West Michigan, I'd never tried bulgogi before. I wasn't quite sure what to expect. But I certainly wasn't expecting a new addition to my favorite food list.
I took fork-ful after fork-ful (my chopstick skills need some practice) of the beef and rice that's soaked up the sauce. The beef is so thin that it truly melts in your mouth, with a punch of flavor from the perfectly sweet and savory sauce. When you break open the egg, it runs over the beef and rice and makes the most delicious soft texture to pair with the crunchy fresh vegetables.
I will dream of this dish. It seems I'm not alone.
“Since I started to cook traditional Korean dishes, the Koreans, they started to come in here to try. They miss their hometown food, so they try here and then they’re really happy. It makes me happy too," said Sun.
“After they tried it, they say ‘best Korean dishes I ever tried.’ And when I hear, every time it make me so glad," she smiled.
As a hotspot for studying college students and those working away on their laptops, Kaffeine is not without its brunch options.
I tried a Croissant Sandwich ($12.50), which is a classic buttery, flaky croissant with ham, tomato, lettuce and a spicy aioli. The croissant is light and rich with the savory ham and crunch of the fresh vegetables. It's leveled-up entirely by their zesty homemade aioli.
It paired deliciously with a classic latte from their coffee bar. You can tell Sun chose well when it came to her coffee bean search.
Their menu includes other classic Korean delicacies, like ramen and bibimbap. As for drinks, they sell Boba and even alcoholic drinks like soju and Korean beer.
Verdict
Sun never set out to own a restaurant. But with a flavor like she packs in her Korean dishes, it seems this was meant to be her fate all along.
"I’m just trying to survive for now," she said. “But every time people come in, try my food, ‘oh, I’m so happy to try this delicious food,’ that makes me happy. So, I think I am satisfied right now."
Sun never got her chance in the orchestra, but still gets one every day in her Michigan Street kitchen. Because there, you can count on every meal as the performance of a lifetime — and Sun to always shine.
“We have good coffee, and the good food too," she smiled, "and then great people."
► Kaffeine is located at 637 Michigan St NE Suite A, Grand Rapids, MI 49503
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Watch 13 ON YOUR SIDE for free on Roku, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Apple TV and on your phone.