Korean Restaurants – Page 20

Anna’s Mondu – Garden Grove(OC)

January 28, 2008 mmm-yoso Korean Restaurants, Orange County, Road Trip

**** Anna's Mondu has closed

This ever happen to you? I'm having dinner at Sammy's, and in keeping with the neighborly atmosphere I start up conversation with a nice young fellow, whom I've never seen before. And of course, the conversation drifts to food…..and to Orange County(where this young man is from), with sights directly set on Garden Grove(where this fellow lives). During the conversation, he mentions a little hole in the wall that makes hand made Mandu(aka Korean Dumplings). Talk about getting my attention…not having paper handy, I quickly scribble the name down on the back of my hand near my wrist. Oookay, I get home, grab some paper, and as I'm ready to write down the name of the place….and I notice that part of it is smeared…so it looks like "Ahn's Mandu" or maybe "Ann's Mandu". No problemo, the Internet is such a great tool, so I start typing this stuff in, and several combinations, and nada! So I check all my favorite Orange County Food Blogs; Chubbypanda, Monster Munching, Wandering Chopsticks…but again, nothing! Egad…what to do?? I'm left crying over smeared ink, or lost mandu….like two dumplings passing in the night….. After stewing for a few weeks, I finally had to make a trip down to Orange County, and vaguely recalling the directions; "22 freeway West, exit Brookhurst, it's on Garden Grove", I arrived in the area I call "Koreatown South", the Korean Business District that runs along Garden Grove Boulevard. Boy, is this place growing like crazy….looks like at least 2 new "gallerias", as they call 'em, are under construction.

After a short drive on Garden Grove Boulevard, I see this sign:

Geeez no wonder…..it's spelled Mondu, not Mandu like I'm used too. And right in the front window was a large laminated copy of Gustavo Arrellano's OC Weekly Article…… I entered the tiny hole-in-the wall, the dining area consists of 4 tables, 3 four tops(I'm being very generous with the term "four"), and one sorta, kinda communal table. There was one young man reading a magazine, and an older woman with a warm smile who greeted me in Korean….to which my response was a fumbling, "sorry, I don't speak Korean", etc, etc, etc….. The woman smiled and pointed to the "menu" posted on the wall:

I recognized a few items like Dduk Bo Ki and Kimbap(think Korean futomaki), but I had come here for Mandu, or if you prefer Mondu. So I asked the lady, who half answered, half pointed to the "combo A"($7.95), as well as the nice photo on the opposite wall. Which looked great to me.

I had a seat, and a battered old tea pot with a tea bag tag sticking out arrived. And after a while, the young man's Dduk Bo Ki arrived, as well a a couple of dishes of panchan. A few minutes later a large steamer arrived at my table:

As I removed the steamer lid, the smoky-woodsy smell of a well seasoned bamboo steamer met my nose…a scent so warm and comforting, that I wanted to give that 'ol steamer a bear hug. The steamer contained 5 pork and vegetable steamed mandu, and 4 large rustic looking mandu that I've never had before. Later I would learn that these are called Wang Mandu.

Along with the steamer, 3 plates of panchan arrived:

The best of the lot was the Water Radish Kimchi, which was so very refreshing.

The wang mandu is sort of like Baozi, the filling was a pretty tasty combination of various vegetables and pork. I'd have preferred my dough a bit more light and fluffy. The steamed mando was also pretty good, nice wrappers were a bit on the dry side, but there was nice home made feel to it. These were fine with a light dip in soy-vinegar-chili powder.

For me the best item was this:

Once, a friend of mine back home in Hawaii, made some home made Fried Mandu for my Birthday, the likes of which I'd never had before. This was the closest I've ever had in terms of texture; initially crunchy, with a good chew, and well flavored filling to boot. Not the most photogenic mandu, but I loved the rustic and home made look. The woman, who I'm assuming is "Anna" enjoyed watching me eat….and asked me how the food was several times. When I mentioned that everything tastes good, and hand made, she stuck her hands out palms down and said with a proud smile, "yes, everything made with this…."

While I continued eating, "Anna" sat down with what looked like some Japchae, and started eating. A minute later she, asked me, "you eat squash?", and proceeded to pass me a little bowl of panchan. Sticking her hand out and putting her index finger and thumb parallel with a space of about an inch-and-a-half between them, squinting one eye, she told me, "this small squash".

This was actually squid, and it was delici-yoso, spicy, sweet, umami…..surprised that I enjoyed it, my bowl was refilled twice…..just like Mom would!

The damage….a grand total of $8.50. I left Anna's stuffed and satisfied. For me, decent hand made mandu is a rarity. And I thoroughly enjoyed the homestyle service. This was a one man, or more accurately one woman show, at least on my visit. Things may take some time…..but you wouldn't rush Mom, would you?

Anna's Mondu
9972 Garden Grove Blvd
Garden Grove, CA 92844

Monday Meatfest: Buga and Tsuruhashi

December 17, 2007 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Korean Restaurants

Since Typepad's having, ummm, a few "issues" tonight, I thought I'd do a real quick post.

I've been asked more than a few times, which I prefer better Buga Korean BBQ or Tsuruhashi Yakiniku Restaurants. I always answer, "it's like asking me which one of Da' Boyz, Sammy or Frankie I love better. We love them both equally….but differently!"

Buga is of course, Korean BBQ, serves up Coleman Beef, and for my money uses the highest quality meat of any of the Korean BBQ's in San Diego. One of the complaints I've heard is that the meats are under marinated, but why disguise good meat? The marinades are mild, though flavorful…my only wish? Charcoal! Portion sizes are not humongous, but as I mentioned back in 2005 this is a Duk Bossam style restaurant, and the intent is to eat the meat with some greens, wrapped in either a rice paper or daikon radish wrapper. So without further ado, just a bunch of photos:

Another complaint I've heard were that the prices were on the high side…and I had kind of agreed. Until our last visit to Seoul BBQ. The Bulgogi was $18.99…..this order of Bulgogi we had a few nights ago was $18.95! That said, if you enjoy a sweeter marinade Seoul BBQ might be for you.

And of course….there's the Panchan, all those wonderful small dishes….

The Panchan are prepared well, and though the portions are small, we're always asked if we want more. There's usually an interesting variety of items that change from day to day. One of the Servers at Buga, remembers us, and especially remembers Ed from Yuma, she had a fun time showing Ed how to eat Bossam style. She always makes sure to ask us if we want more Panchan….

Buga Korean BBQ Restaurant
5580 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92117

Open daily 11 to 11

On the other side of the coin is Tsuruhashi, which is a Yakiniku restaurant. Though Yakiniku draws its influence from Korean BBQ, it has become its own unique style. Many of the meats are served unmarinated, and dipping sauces are served. Binchotan is used in addition to the gas for grilling. Meat is served in smaller portions, approximately 4oz or so, and in many cases, the lowest grade of meat available is prime. No Panchan is served, though in most cases you can purchase Kimchee if desired. Among the marinated items, are some interesting things like the Beef Tongue topped with minced onion and garlic:

And Miso Marinated Beef Tongue:

And when an item like the Pork Belly is served:

It is seasoned with a dusting of salt and pepper, and served with a plate of lettuce for wrapping, and some hot bean paste.

When the beef tongue is served, again seasoned with salt and pepper, a little dish of lemon juice(which we never use) is served.

It can be pricey, but we've found that we enjoy some of the more inexpensive cuts, like the prime skirt steak(harami):

You can end up spending a good amount of money, but we've found that the usual tab for the Missus and I is about $40. Still, it's not for everybody. FOY RobW, was kind enough to send me a "review" from Yelp, that had me rolling, you can find it here, how a self proclaimed "fabulous cook", direct quote, can complain that no one explained how to cook the meat……….

Tsuruhashi Japanese BBQ
3904 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Hours: Thurs-Tues 5pm-Midnight

Closed Wed.

From the aren't you glad you live in San Diego Department:

One thing I find a bit embarrassing is the part of the weather report where they show what we call the "aren't you glad you live in San Diego because every place else sucks…." portion. If you've watched the news, I think you know what I mean. The latest flood, tornado, or other extreme inclement weather clip is shown with a quick cut away to tomorrows forecast of mid 70 degree temperature as if they need to make us feel better at another's expense……..

Earlier today, Cathy sent me a photo, courtesy of Her Brother, that I had to post:

Doesn't "Bob" look like he's serving up a plate of shaved ice? Ok…where's the red beans, lychee, taro, tapioca balls, and condensed milk?????

Road Trip-Las Vegas!- Dae Jang Keum Korean BBQ

December 13, 2007 Cathy Korean Restaurants, Las Vegas, Nevada, Stuff, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is the blog…all about food…sometimes with some interesting tidbits thrown in for variety and written by a small group of friends. Today, it is Cathy’s turn.

Hi. It is that time of year again-
Yes, The National Finals Rodeo is in Las Vegas -49th Annual, Best of the Best…and Ms. T and I drove there (and are back) and we had a wonderful time. We were here last year, you may recall.

We went shopping on Monday, to the Cowboy Christmas -an art, craft, gift and accessories show at the Convention Center, and then wanted lunch, and knew that the "main drag" for Asian restaurants was on Spring Mountain Road, so we just drove, looked and…stopped.Dae Jang Keum is in a Pagoda Themed Strip Mall on the South Side of Spring Mountain along with two other restaurants advertising "tofu" on their signage. We just picked this one at random and hoped for the best. (There was a sign on the front door advertising 20% off from 11 pm to 8 am, daily…it is open 24/7…for BBQ!…cool)
The interior is neat, clean and each table with a heat source has the ubiquitous fan (and table number) far above. The fans are extremely efficient-and quiet. I did not even think ours was on.We decided to play it safe, and ordered bulgogi beef and chicken-this is half of the serving.
and this is the other half. We could not finish all of the meat…(which was well marinated, tender and with a very slight malty-sweetness, which balanced well with a salty kick) because we got the wonderful side dishes:

lettuce salad, bean sprout salad, broccoli, rice, rice paper, various kim chees, oyster mushrooms cut in chunks, sauces, raw garlic and jalapeno slices…all refilled when they were emptied and all very fresh, very, very tasty, spicy and wonderful.
When we first ordered, we were hungry and also asked for the fried dumplings-and we devoured half of them immediately. Ten in a serving.
This is cross section of the juicy very flavored pork filled delights, which were fried to a very light crisp.
The whole bill-less than $53 and worth it. We did not know the servings would be so large or that we would get refills of kim chee or any of the other sides, or would not have needed to order the fried dumplings, but they were very tasty.

Dae Jang Keum 3943 Spring Mountain Road, Las Vegas 89102 (702)638-2222 Open 24 hours

We went to the Rodeo later that night. Very Bucking Broncos…

For Those concerned about me getting my “greens”

August 8, 2007 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Korean Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

**** This location of Nozomi has closed

To appease those who are concerned about the lack of "green" in my diet (various garnishes excluded), I dropped by Nozomi on Convoy. As our very own Cathy mentioned in Her post, Nozomi is a Korean owned "mini-chain" of Korean-Japanese restaurants.

Now Nozomi is a pretty popular lunch spot, known for large portions. In keeping with these type of operations, Nozomi also seems to serve every single version of Westernized sushi roll known to mankind.

Not my cup of tea…but if it floats your boat…..

There's really only one thing I order at Nozomi, and I always call it the "Hwe Dop Bop", I think it's called the Chirashi(scattered) Salad on the menu ($11.45). It is a ginourmous salad bowl with mixed greens on rice, topped with a variety of medium quality fish…maguro, hamachi, sake(salmon), ebi(shrimp), tobiko(flying fish roe), etc….

Now I really wouldn't want any of this fish topping a piece of nigiri sushi, but in this case I'm fine with it. Why, you may ask? Well it's because I end up pouring a ton of the Gochujang based sauce (Cho Jang?) all over the salad. The drill is simple, you mix all the salad ingredients together, spoon into accompanying bowl, top with a generous amount of sauce, and have at it. Try not to let the sweat pouring off your chin, nose, and down your back deter you from completing your mission.

That mission would be to finish all 8 or so bowls of salad….. like Momma always said, remember to clean your plate(in this case bowl). On this day, the maguro was not very good…which meant more sauce. During a single meal, I will sometimes go through almost a half bottle. As for flavors, I enjoy the flavor of the mizuna and the peppery kaiware(daikon radish sprouts). The sauce while not the best I've had, has a mild sesame oil – vinegar flavor, it could stand to be a touch sweeter. If you really think about it…I'd still eat this without the fish(except the tobiko, which adds a nice crunchy texture), but hey, you need your protein, right?

I have seen 2 people splitting this, but on this visit I watched in amazement as a tiny Korean Lady polished this off, along with a roll. And she finished before I did! Well, I did get my greens, and also approached food coma status without the aid of gravy, red meat, mayo, or any of a number of fried items. Eight bowls of salad…..my body's going into shock!

Nozomi Noodle & Teriyaki
4637 Convoy St Ste 104
San Diego, CA 92111
(858) 569-7773

Speaking of sushi…..during a recent visit to Mien Trung, I noticed this sign in the window of what used to be La Basil Thai. Looks like a sushi joint called "Sushi Diner" will be taking the spot of La Basil. But tell me…..are you ready for "Diner" sushi?

The Revised Rotation

July 25, 2007 mmm-yoso Bakery, Bun Bo Hue, Chinese Restaurants, Japanese Restaurants, Korean Restaurants, Lao Restaurants, Plate Lunch, Salvadoran Restaurants, Vietnamese Restaurants

I’ve been blessed by blogging. Through our humble little food blog, I’ve gotten to know so many wonderful, kind, and generous people. It’s also great to know that I’m not the only (slightly…) food obsessed person out there. I’m very happy to call Howie, who does the Foodieview, a friend.

Case in point, over the last year (yes, year…) I’ve received a few emails and comment, asking me when I’m going to update "My Rotation". Those would be the restaurants the Missus and I think about when we make plans to eat, whether it’s the two of us, or dinner with friends, or something similar in nature. I had thought that a post was in order, but didn’t quite know how to approach the whole thing. Suddenly it came to me(though it could have been gas….but we’ll never know), I remembered Howie’s post on embedding restaurant maps in posts. I thought it was pretty neat, and Howie was nice enough to demo what mmm-yoso’s map would look like…..it did look like 300 map links stacked on one another….it seemed like I’ve been eating in the same place like a couple of hundred times! Now, I know Howie’s a really busy guy, but I mentioned updating my rotation to Him, and sent him a list of places on our revised rotation, and to my surprise a short itme later I received a response. And there was a map! You can see a more detailed map with info here. So without further ado, here’s Howie’s work:

Pretty cool, huh?

Natural Style Chicken-Low fat, healthy and delicious chicken and Korean beef at fast food prices

May 1, 2007 Cathy Japanese Restaurants, Korean Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso is not on vacation. Cathy has finally gotten around to pulling stuff out of her camera and putting it into the computer. Kirk is probably at home reading this.

Hi. If you go to the San Diego Sports Arena via I-8 all the way to the Sports Arena Boulevard exit, taking a left under the freeway and then before getting to that intersection where it is Sports Arena Boulevard to your left and Point Loma Boulevard to your right, you probably have seen this teensy sign on the building on the northern most end of that mall on the west side of the street . Most likely, you are stuck, waiting for that light, as I almost always am.

Well, The Mister and I have gone here for a number of years, because his office used to be in the Sports Arena area and he could walk here and we could meet for lunch. It is simple, healthy, plentiful food, cooked in a heart-healthy way with a sort of Japanese and Korean touch (and sauces). When you go in the front door, there is a menu and photographs, with the neon wording of "teriyaki chicken and beef". The photos under those neon letters show some Korean items; bulgogi and kalbi.

Of course, the pink menu that is photographed here (click onto the photo and it will enlarge) does not show bulgogi or kalbi on it, but both are served here, and are not much pricier than the chicken. (For those who don’t know, bulgogi is thinly sliced beef sirloin, marinated in a sauce made of soy, fruit puree (usually pear puree), sesame oil, garlic, onion, black pepper and wine vinegar then grilled. Kalbi, or Galbi is thinly sliced beef short ribs marinated in a slightly sweeter sauce using a rice wine vinegar and pear juice.)

The chicken is prepared on a rotisserie over a wood fire in the brick oven that is right inside the door when you walk in; you can see about 8 of them through the window in this photo.

Again, this place is not fancy; You order, pay and the nice lady from behind the counter will bring out the food to you on a plastic tray, with plastic plates and plastic cutlery.

Anyhow, the Mister and I got our "usual"- the teriyaki chicken plate ($4.49)

This is a *lot* of chicken, moist, already cut up, with no skin (hence the "healthy" description and AHA recommendation) and a sweet teriyaki sauce and served with good rice and an iceberg lettuce salad with a choice of standard dressings. If there is a glob of teriyaki I drop it onto the rice so there isn’t so much on the chicken, but it isn’t a bad teriyaki sauce, just a little sweet for my taste.

We also usually get the beef bulgogi ($5.39)- the plentiful amount of meat was grilled with some cabbage, onions and carrots.

It tasted wonderful, not sweet; more garlic-y was a lot of food and did not cost much at all.

The Mister (who despises onions)wanted onion rings, and since they were only $1.45, he got them, but we should not have…

They were the standard minced onion centers from a bag in the freezer ones…but, they were fried, and I mixed some Sriracha with soy sauce and that made them edible.

If you are in the area, stop in. Its been there forever. There is a reason. They seem to do a lot of phone in/pick up business.

While we were there on a Saturday some SDPD officers on a lunch break came in to eat. This meets my test of being good food.

Natural Style Chicken 3944 W. Point Loma Boulevard San Diego 92106

(Corner of Sports Arena Boulevard and West Point Loma Boulevard, in the Longs and Souplantation parking lot, all the way east and north in that parking lot)

Open 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. seven days (619)223-9887.

Seoul BBQ Restaurant – A Revisit. Sometimes it’s all about timing

April 24, 2007 mmm-yoso Korean Restaurants

*** Seoul BBQ has closed

Sometimes it's all about timing…… The Missus was in the mood for some Korean BBQ, something that doesn't happen very often. We had thought about a visit to Buga, but decided on a revisit to Seoul BBQ.

I had thought about Seoul BBQ for a couple of reasons; first off, the marinades at Seoul tend to be on the sweeter side, which the Missus enjoys, and the wide open interior makes for good ventilation, another plus in the Missus's book.

We were seated without delay, and looked over the menu, made our choices, and soon after the panchan arrived.

Along with a small salad with a Asian Pear/Garlic/Vinegar based dressing, which was refreshing, and not short on flavor.

The panchan(8 dishes), on the other hand was very unremarkable, and other than the Oi(cucumber) was very pedestrian overall. I don't know what it is with my luck with panchan recently, but I haven't had anything I've really enjoyed for a while now…….. More panchan left unfinished, sigh……

As is standard operating procedure for Korean BBQ restaurants, in order to use the brazier you need at least two orders of meat.

We decided on the Hyuh Mit Gui(Haemit Gui on this menu – beef tongue $18.99):

Though not as marbled as the version I recently had at Dae Jang Keum, this version had a much stronger gamey flavor, which the Missus enjoyed. Nothing like crisp grilled beef tongue.

We also ordered the Bulgogi ($18.99):

Grilled, and wrapped in a lettuce leaf along with a slice of garlic, this was pretty good. As I noted before, the marinade at Seoul BBQ is a bit sweeter, which is why many of the Ex-Pat Kama'aina's I know like the Kalbi and Bulgogi at Seoul.

Another thing I noticed are that the prices at Seoul BBQ are now in the same range as Buga and Dae Jang Keum.

We also ordered the BiBimBap($9.99):

Which ended up being mostly lettuce, with very little minced, flavorless beef.

Though unlike my previous lunch visits, there was no "dump and duck" going on, there was something which was kind of bothersome. Everytime one of the ladies passed by our table, they would "fiddle" with the gas grill, turning it off a few times, leaving the meat to congeal on the grill. We had to flag down people to turn the gas back on a few times. Though we still think that Seoul BBQ is just a step below Buga, our meal did "hit the spot", it was one of those moments where we had just the perfect amount of what we were craving, at just the right time. As they say…."timing is everything".

Seoul BBQ Restaurant
4344 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Dae Jang Keum

April 9, 2007 mmm-yoso Korean Restaurants, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!

On a recent much too short visit to San Diego, I managed to sneak in one dinner with the (in)famous Ed from Yuma. We decided to check out Dae Jang Keum, the former Boo Cho, and popular Korean Barbecue that was somewhat inconsistent, sometimes good, and on one visit very disappointing. The restaurant was now on at least it’s fourth set of Owners…and I guess a name change was made, to reverse the bad karma that this location has seems to have over the last few years.

So what was once Boo Cho, was now Dae Jang Keum.

The restaurant has been renovated, and other than the configuration of the tables, the restaurant looks totally different.

Now here’s an interesting photo….

One night at while eating at Sammy’s, someone told me that this restaurant had been named after a "K Drama", those Korean Television Soap Operas that many I know are, or were, addicted to. So after returning from dinner I did a little research…and believe it or not, there was a listing in Wikipedia for the K-Drama Dae Jang Geum, aka, "Jewel in the Palace"! Now this restaurant could actually be named for Jang Geum who was the first female Physician of the Joseon (Chosun) Dynasty, or after the K-Drama….guess which I think it is?

Okay, so much (K) drama for this post, it’s back to the food. I’ve heard some not so good things about the food at DJK, the most interesting was from a very reliable souce who calls Herself "daantat" on the Chowhound California Board. So I’d been looking forward to eating here for a while. I also checked in with Sam, who eats here once in a while, since it’s right next door, and knows the Chef quite well. Sam actually met Ed and I, and made some recommendations.

The prices seemed in line with other restaurants of this type, with prices ranging from $10.99 to over $25.

The arrival of the "greens" meant this was "bossam-style" BBQ. And soon enough the "wrappers" (radish and rice flour – dduk and mu) arrived along with the various dipping sauces and panchan.

I’d heard that the panchan at DJK was not very good, and I’m afraid I need to agree, though Ed thought I was being a bit too harsh. I think that the hallmark of panchan is the Baechu Kimchi(napa cabbage kimchi), if you can’t make this staple….well,you get the picture. The Baechu and Mu(radish) were very bland, and what I would consider to be flat in flavor, with just a touch of "heat", and had nothing else going for it.

The best items were the filefish and the fried little fish.

I’ll just stop here….except to say that the potato salad was terrible, too much Asian Pear in it, made the salad much too sweet.

And though Ed from Yuma will probably disagree, there is one observation that I thought was rather telling, the portions of panchan was fairly large, but the very nice server came by twice to see if we needed more panchan…and nary a word from the both of us. Also, this is one of the few times that I can remember where we didn’t finish the panchan. Enough of that, let move on to the main courses.

One of the things that made Boo Cho, and now Dae Jang Keum unique in San Diego, is the use of charcoal, and I’m glad to say nothing has changed. In fact, I think even more charcoal is used for the barbecue than what I could remember. I singed my hands a few times moving meat around!

We ordered the Hyuh Mit Gui(Beef Tongue – $18.99) and Tang Nyum Galbi (marinated short ribs – $20.99), and these were both good choices. The Kalbi was nicely marinated and had decent flavor, though I think the Kalbi at Buga is still the "Gold Standard" for San Diego. The Beef Tongue was the perfect vehicle for charcoal barbecue. The charcoal imparted a nice smoky flavor on the thin slices of tongue, which if you got it grilled right, would be crisp around the edges, and still moist and soft in the middle. The quality of the beef tongue was excellent as well.

Of course the drill was placing some mesclun and other "garnishes" on your plate and creating a dumpling of sort with the wrappers provided. No photos this time, but you can check out a photo on this post.

You’d think we’d be done after this meat-fest, but we decided to cleanse our palate with some Naeng Myun (Cold Buckwheat Noodles in Broth – $9.99):

The cold noodles arrived in a very large bowl, we had the noodles cut, and the very nice server helped us divvy things up. I got the egg and Ed the slice of beef which He said was excellent.

I found the broth to be very refreshing, on the tangy side, and once balanced out with the provided mustard and vinegar, was very nice. The noodles were a different matter, I found them to be tough, and brittle, rather than chewy and elastic. Still, the portion size was on the generous side.

In the end, I found the meat to be good, the Naeng Myun to be okay, and the panchan to be mediocre. At the prices we paid for dinner ($60 for two), I’d want better panchan. The service was very nice and helpful, though the place seemed rather undermanned when we left and most tables were filled. Oh, and there’s one more thing….Boo Cho had never been the most well ventilated restaurant, even with an industrial strength ventilation system. DJK is no improvement, so get ready for this:

My shirt is off to the dry cleaners………

Dae Jang Keum
7905 Engineer Rd
San Diego, CA 92111

Arirang House

February 5, 2007 mmm-yoso Korean Restaurants

*** Arirang House has been replaced by Honey Pig, you read a post here.

I had eaten at Arirang twice several years ago, and really didn't think much of the food, it seemed fairly mediocre, though the service was always nice and friendly. So what brought me back to Arirang House all these years later? Well, a few things, first off there were a few comments on another post asking about Arirang, by Jenne and clayfu, another was that a friend of mine mentioned that Arirang was under new ownership, and the final straw was when Sam's(as in Sammy's Sushi) roommate mentioned that they serve some decent Heuk Yum So(or is it Hook Yum So? Maybe Hukyumsoo? I've seen it spelled a bunch of different ways). Black Goat? We are so there!

And yep, there it was, the "Grand Opening Sign"…funny thing is, we've been coming to Jamillah Garden and Tajima next door, and never really noticed the sign! Shows you how observant I am….

On the first evening we visited, over half the tables were occupied, and the place seemed fairly busy. Checking out the tables we saw some type of BBQ and at least one "bowl" of Kimchee Chigae(Spicy Kimchi soup) on each one.

The Servers, two very friendly and helpful ladies showed us to our table and answered any questions we had about the menu…which were many! After a while we managed to determine what we wanted, and placed our order. At which time I noticed the chopsticks on the table:

I don't know if this means anything…I just thought it was kind of interesting. Soon enough, the panchan arrived, you can check out all of the panchan on this post. But in case you need just one more photo of the panchan……

The panchan wasn't outstanding, but the portion size was generous, and everything had a good amount of flavor.

The Missus started with the Dolsot Bibimbap($9.95):

A large stone bowl(Dolsot) full of rice various vegetables, some well flavor Bulgogi, and topped with the ubiquitous fried egg. This was quite good, and tasted even better as the rice crust formed along the sides of the bowl. The Missus ended up eating most of this with a minimum of Gochujang, She really enjoyed it, saying that this was the best flavored Dolsot Bibimbap She's had in a while.

I ordered something I've never had before Chunchaon Dak Galbi($13.95). I'm guessing this is Dak Galbi (Chicken) prepared in the manner of Chuncheon?

This resembled and tasted like a mildly marinated, slightly spicy, homestyle stir fried dark meat chicken and vegetables dish. The chicken was on the dry side, and the flavor lacked depth. Edible, but not great.

Of course we got the Hukyumsoo Jungol(Goat Stew – $15.95), when the Missus ordered this, the Lady smiled and said "ooh, that is so very healthy":

A large stone bowl arrived with a generous amount of tasty goat meat, green vegetables, onions, and other goodies. Along with the garnishes, this was very delici-yoso!!! It is now our favorite version of this in San Diego. This is also much more inexpensive than other restaurants. We managed to take a good amount of food home.

As the Server helped us pack our food, She turned to the Missus and said, "oooh, this is so healthy, it will make you strong, it is good for women!" I think we got the point. It is not only very tasty, but it will "make you strong……."

As we were leaving we noticed 2 Korean business men in suits working on a large hotpot, with plates of various meats…they were really going at it. We asked and were told it was "Budae Chigae", that spicy hotpot with Spam, Hotdogs, and other meats. Ah yes, the infamous Budae Chigae, otherwise known as "Army Base Stew". We were told that it's one of the "specials" that is not on the menu.

A few days later we returned, and again had the large variety of panchan(always 8), and ordered a few things……

We started with the Haemul Pajun(Seafood Pancake – $10.95):

Other than squid, there wasn't much seafood on this pancake, though we enjoyed the way it was cooked; nice and crisp around the edges. Again, very much a homestyle type of dish…..

I had a case of major vapor lock and again ordered a chicken dish, the Dak Bukum ($11.95):

I dunno, but this tasted almost the same as the previous chicken dish I ordered…except the vegetables were different…kind of low on the flavor scale, chicken kind of dry….but to be perfectly honest, it tasted really good the next day.

The Missus wanted something hearty so she ordered the Sullung Tang(Suhllun Tang – $8.95), the milky "bone soup":

The Missus loves the smooth, rich, and velvety bone soup, and enjoyed this version. The only complaint was that only regular table salt was available, and not sea salt.

The addition of Yam Noodles was a bonus that the Missus enjoyed as well.

For some reason we found ourselves at Arirang House during a recent evening…and we were greeted with "hello, nice to see you again….." I guess we've been coming here waaay too often!

On this visit, the Missus gave me the directive, "no chicken, Ohhh-kay?" So following the directive I decided to order the Bulgogi($15.95):

This was the largest portion of Bulgogi that I can remember having in San Diego…we couldn't finish it, and were full before getting to the other dishes we ordered. Flavor-wise it was good, a nice balanced salty-sweet. The meat wasn't of the highest quality, and there were some tough and rubbery bits, but man that was alot of meat, and much cheaper than most other Korean BBQ places.

I finally got around to ordering the Kimchi Chigae($8.95) that I saw on every table:

Now I've had spicy, but this version of Kimchi Chigae was pretty darn spicy, and the next day it was even hotter! I thought that the heat overwhelmed everything, and couldn't even get a hint of the savory flavor from using "older" kimchi that sometimes accompanies the dish, nor any faint sweetness, that is sometimes found. It was fine, but lacked depth.

The Altang($12.95), in this case it was code roe and "seafood" soup:

In this dish, I've finally met my match…the broth was very spicy, and had some nice "oceany" flavor. But the cod-roe was seriously dry and rubbery, and had a strong "liver" flavor that I didn't enjoy.

The little baby octopus was very tough, as was the one mussel in the soup. I think I'll cross this dish off my list of "to try" items.

On all of our visits the service was very nice, in a nurturing, motherly sort of way. It seemed like extra care and attention was taken with us since we aren't Korean. I don't know if I'll try the Lunch Buffet ($7.95), but these folks are very nice, and the prices are very reasonable. We'll be coming back for the Goat Stew, the Missus likes the Dolsot Bibimbap here, as well as the Bone Soup…and who knows, maybe I can convince the Missus to try the Budae Chigae, and the food seems to be a good homestyle in nature. As for BBQ, Arirang House is on that second tier of Korean BBQ's, but the portion sizes are quite generous.

Arirang House Restaurant
4681 Convoy St Ste B
San Diego, CA 92111

(858) 277-8625

Guess the Restaurant from the Panchan – It’s Arirang House!

February 1, 2007 mmm-yoso Korean Restaurants

*** Arirang House has closed and been replaced by Honey Pig.

Update: OK – I guess this was harder than I thought! The restaurant is Arirang House:

Has this ever happened to you? You walk into a restaurant, and several people greet you, and say hello, and suddenly you realize…"man, I've coming here waaaay too much over the last several weeks". For someone who has terminal "food-photo-itis" the evidence is quite obvious, it's all in the photos…..all 30 of them!

While getting ready to do a post on a Korean Restaurant, I suddenly realized that I've got like 30 photos. There's no way I'm going to do a post with 30 photos…… So what to do with all these photos? I could do a multi-part post…nah! I haven't done a contest in a while, so let's do a really easy one.

Since I have soooo many photos of just panchan from this one restaurant, let's see if you can guess which Korean Restaurant this is, just from panchan photos. I think it's really easy. As with previous guess the "blank" contests I've had, the rules are simple. So here we go, I'll post a few photos. Email me the name of the restaurant, and I'll Email the first 7 correct answers get a free cup of Peet's. With our recent cold and wet weather, doesn't a cup of Peet's sound good? Remember Email me your guess. 1 correct guess per IP address. Make sure it's a valid Email address.

So let's get started.

First off there's a good variety of panchan, and the portion sizes are quite generous.

And though none of it is particularly mind-blowing, some of it is well made.

The variety may not be particularly inspiring…but did I mention the portion sizes?

The service has always been nice and friendly as well.

Just how much panchan can one couple eat?

Waay too much, I guess……

Here's a last hint…for some it may give it away, for others it may be a "red herring"…..

These were the chopsticks on the table…so I don't know if it was because they bought it cheap, or if there is an affiliation. Here's the other side of the chopsticks:

Oh and no one guessed right….because I feel so bad, I'll send everyone who played a Peet's cup…even you Clayfu!

I'll do a post on the food (other than the panchan) on Sunday so stay tuned!