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Went here with a friend for dinner. There actually isn’t that much Korean food in Bellevue, so I was really curious and excited to check this place out! Before coming here, I took a look at some photos of the food here, and I thought the portions were kind of small, but I guess those photos were a bit misleading??? Because the portions were all pretty generous! The kimbap was definitely the best dish we got. These rolls are BIG. Like, they take more than one bite to eat. But they are so delicious! My friend made a good point that you could taste the flavor of every ingredient they put in the kimbap, which looking back, is completely true. There’s the sweetness of the carrot and pickled radish, a bit of savory from the egg and beef, and it’s all rounded out by the sesame oil finish glazed on the rolls. It’s a very fresh and incredibly addicting bite! It also came with a side of radish kimchi. Maybe I just haven’t had good kimchi in a while (Korean restaurants in UW don’t have good kimchi), but I really liked this kimchi. The radish was super crunchy and had a great balance of sweet and pungent from the fermentation process. The kimbap itself could make for a full meal, and is a dish that I’ll be thinking a lot about. We also got a combo of soondubu (tofu soup) and spicy pork over rice. While I still enjoyed the kimbap more, both were still really good. The soondubu had a deeper flavor than other tofu soups I’ve had, with the flavor of the seafood in the soup really blending with the broth. Really happy with this soup, and they were really generous with the seafood ? My one complaint is that we ordered extra spicy, and both of us didn’t think it was spicy at all! Maybe it’s more a testament to our spice tolerance levels, but I still feel like this place doesn’t really go that hard with the spice. The spicy pork over rice also had the same issue with spice. It really could’ve been spicier, but the porky flavor mixed with the sweet chili sauce still made it really enjoyable. The most surprising part, however, were the bean sprouts on top. I don’t really like bean sprouts, but these were delicious! It was just a simple cook with sesame oil and salt, I think, but that was enough for me to be hooked. There was also almost too much rice for the pork we got, but I’m not complaining, rice is great ? I don’t usually talk about service, but the people that work here are just so nice! They’re very smiley and friendly and made the whole experience all the better. The prices may seem a bit steep, and that is a bit of qualm that I have with this place! Even so, I would definitely come back to try other dishes they have to offer (and that kimbap!), just amp up the spice and I’ll be super happy!

Korean Garden – Menu with Prices – 7715 Dublin Blvd Suite 170, Colorado Springs

Was desperate to find a really good Korean place after being new to Colorado. I’ve been to Kbop, Shin Sa Dong, and San Chan so far and all has been pleasant but nothing too special. So, thought I might give this a try since it was a week after their grand opening. Walked in and the atmosphere was nice and everything was really clean and everyone was nice. I’m a native korean and have lived in Korea all my life till now. So, I’m really good with knowing what tastes good and what doesn’t taste so good. We ordered (ddukbokki) also known as spicy rice cake, kimbap , kimchi fried rice (not on their menu but they said they could make it), and spicy bulgogi the dinner entree and not the bento. Sometimes korean restaurants have the option of adding cheese and ramen to your ddukbokki so I added cheese and asked them if it was possible to add in ramen. The waitress asked the chefs and came back and said they’d have to charge $8 for a single ramen to go in the ddukbokki. Anyone knows $8 to get some ramen noodles in your ddukbokki is outrageous. I immediately declined. The kimbap came out after 15-20 minutes of ordering. The kimbap was missing some staples such as fish cake and pickled radish but it was decent. The menu said it would be served with a soup of the day but we never ended up getting any soup. The ddukbokki came out maybe 10 minutes after the kimbap and this is when everything started going downhill. Anyone who has eaten a bountiful amount of ddukbokki knows it comes with mozzarella cheese. I was very confused to see mexican blend cheese or a mix of cheddar on top of my ddukbokki. I brushed it off and took a bite. As a ddukbokki lover I could say hands down worst ddukbokki of my life because it tasted nothing like how ddukbokki should taste like! It was way too salty had no original flavor of ddukbokki. At this time almost all the tables were filled and we were actually the first customers to come inside. I guess they had some to go orders that came in before us because the rest of our food probably took 40 minutes to come out. We stayed there for an hour to over an hour. However, what was funny is that tables who came in 30 to 40 minutes after us were getting their meals before us! By this time all we needed was our spicy bulgogi and kimchi fried rice. Kimchi fried rice isn’t a hard dish and spicy bulgogi as well. Other tables who came in 30-40 minutes after us were getting their entree dishes so it didn’t make sense we weren’t getting ours. Finally, the kimchi fried rice came out and this was probably the worst. The waitress confidently told us thy it’s not on their menu but they make it often so she suggested it. The fried rice was so bland and just a pile of flavorless rice with big chunks of kimchi. Kimchi fried rice usually has small cut kimchi in it but the chunks of kimchi were big. I was so disappointed that I took one bite and I just couldn’t eat it again. The spicy bulgogi didn’t even end up coming out because they handed us a bulgogi lunch bento that we didn’t even order. After about an hour wait and multiple disappointments this was the last straw. I was so excited, but really let down by the wrong order with an hour wait. I told the server we didn’t order the bulgogi bento and he said he’ll tell the people in the back to remake it but at that point i lost all my patience and didn’t want to have to wait any longer. I tried the bulgogi bento to see if it was okay. Everything was standard but the pancake (jeon) and the mandoo (potsticker) that came out with the bento was super cold. The bulgogi was way too salty, but it’s probably the best out of all. I don’t know if it’s just because they just opened, but genuinely would never go back for the food. However, I have to say everyone was really nice and discounted our bill. Originally was $51 but proud it down to $28. Maybe I’ll just give it time and hope they improv

Myungdong Noodle Shabu-Shabu – Menu with Prices – 2560 Shepard Ave #5, Mississauga

The mandu was exceptional. Hands down the best korean dumpling I’ve had in the GTA. There’s not a lot of places around here that offers fresh mandu so this was a pleasant suprise. Their mandu is the closest in taste and texture to the ones I’ve had in South Korea. Their bossam was also amazing. Great texture, it was so soft it just melts in your mouth. They serve it with (what I believe to be) a radish kimchi which was amazing as well. You can ask for refills for the kimchi and lettuce/cabbage that comes with the bossam. Along with the dipping sauce, they offer Saeu-jeot. For those that are unfimiliar, this is fermented shrimp (very very tiny shrimps) that is used commonly as a condiment in numerous Korean dishes. I was very pleased that they served the bossam with this. Last but not least, the kimchi was BOMB. Some korean restaurants will give you half-assed kimchi that have no taste other than spiciness. This is not the case. Their kimchi is bomb. Only draw back was their kalguksu. The noodle texture was great, but I thought their soup tasted too much like msg. I’m definitely coming back to eat their mandu again, and maybe try their bibimbap or spicy stir-fried pork

Kalim Garden Korean BBQ – Menu with Prices – 5806 Woodmere Blvd, Montgomery

Food: – Ox-tail Soup ($11): 3/5 I came here because I was craving gamjatang. It was unavailable so I ordered the ox-tail soup instead. Most places that I’ve gone to have clear noodles in the soup but this place didn’t have it. There was no ox-tail either. The meat that was in there was some kind of brisket, which was actually the best part. The meat was very tender and flavorful but the soup overall was not great. Another thing to note: most of the banchan (side dishes) were not good. The kimchi and radish kimchi were well below average. Good radish kimchi should have a nice crunch to it; Kalim’s radish kimchi was more chewy than crunchy. Price: – $11 before tip. After tip and tax, I didn’t feel like the ox-tail soup was worth the price. Service: + I was seated promptly and service was quick and friendly. The waitress checked on me several times to refill my water and banchan. Ambiance: + Good lunch/dinner spot for friends or family. There are private rooms with curtains as well. Overall: – I was disappointed the gamjatang wasn’t available but didn’t let my disappointment cloud my tastebuds. The ox-tail soup at Kalim was not bad, not great. The banchan was not good. I can’t confirm, but from other reviews and some friends, it sounds like the actual Korean bbq is much better. If I was from the area, I’d give Kalim’s kbbq a try. Since I’m not, I’d recommend So Gong Dong for all your Korean food needs.

Rich J.C. | Korean Restaurant Menu with Prices 1313 S University Ave, Ann Arbor

Rich JC is a very cute mom-and-pop establishment that offers bar-style seating. They get really busy and it’s hard to fit everyone in at times, so they’ll direct you to a certain seating spot in order to accommodate everyone (sometimes you’ll get oddly placed at the end of the bar or right next to someone — even when it’s relatively empty). Because it’s such a small and narrow restaurant, it gets chilly during the winter if you’re near the door. However, their food warms you up if you get a hot bowl of jigae or bibimbap! I really like most of the items on their menu. They have a free banchan selection of kimchi, pickled radish, and bean sprouts to start you off after you place your order. They also have complimentary miso soup if you have a ‘dry’ entree that isn’t soup-based (something like bibimbap). Their kimchi jigae is great — it has shin-ae ramen, kimchi, and your choice of protein in a bubbling stone bowl. I also really really like their dolsot bibimbap (dolsot essentially means it comes in the hot stone bowl). Their kimbap is also great, and my friends have enjoyed their bulgolgi dishes. The only thing that I’ve been a little disappointed by on their menu was their tteokbokki, which I found to be lacking in flavor. The reason why I’ve frequented this place less often is just because I dislike how rushed I feel when eating there. It’s hard to bring someone who is unfamiliar with the menu, because the staff doesn’t give you much time to look over the menu without coming back to take your order. They’re also constantly cleaning up your dining area, which is great because it keeps your space clean — but it’s a bit intrusive when someone keeps picking up your can of soda to see if it’s empty throughout your meal. My only real complaint is about how rushed the eating experience is at times, but other than that — the food is great. Rich JC is especially incredible during the winter when you can warm up to a hearty bowl of jigae or soondubu.

Sides of Seoul (SOS) – Menu with Prices – 10084 Page Ave, St. Louis

THIS IS IT! What took me so long to visit SOS? This is the most comforting and legit Korean restaurant in St. Louis. My first time here I visited at 6pm and they were sold out of seolleongtang (beef bone broth) and that they were cooking more broth as we spoke – I ain’t even mad. Instead, I took it as a good sign and that I’d be back very soon. I went with the soondubu (soft tofu soup) and my husband went with the jajangmyun (black bean sauce noodles). They have specials of the day posted on the wall on the left side of the restaurant. The special today was a ginseng chicken soup – as if I couldn’t be more long winded, but it doesn’t get more classic/home style than this place. Soondubu – seafood galore. Deeply flavorful and rich. They must’ve packed in two full packages of soft tofu in my bowl. No shortcuts. I got 3 huge shrimp, along with mussels and clams that overflowed my bowl. Jajangmyun – OMG I haven’t had good jajangmyun since before I moved from NYC and even there it’s a hit or miss dish based on a very specific list of specialty Korean restaurants that try to do this dish justice. The biggest factors of this comfort food staple is chewy noodles and an extremely addictive black bean sauce. SOS nailed it so hard that I’m writing this review 30 minutes after our dinner and already planning my next visit. Kim bap – they sell a variety of Korean rice rolls. I got mine to go as a snack for the next day. It’s a small shop – come for the food, stay for the homey hospitality and comfort. P.S. Found the ahjummas and ahjussis hangout spot

Manna Grill – Menu with Prices – 1201 University Ave #110-B, Riverside

I used to come here when they first opened and it was my go-to when I needed my tteokbokki fix! Nowadays, I go bc the boyfriend L O V E S the curry katsu udon. We initially though it would just be curry based soup with udon noodles but NOPE. It’s like actual curry over rice but instead it’s over udon noodles and there’s a nice crispy katsu pork or chicken on top. Super delicious, highly recommend! Although the first time he got it, he had said it was good but wouldn’t go again. Turn out it grew on him and he’s been back multiple times since, JUST for that. Also love that they have korean desserts and drinks! I’ve ordered the bibimbap, kimbap, udon, bulgogi plate, and tteokbokki before. The bibimbap is good, kimbap is simple but delicious, and tteokbokki is spot on. The spice level isn’t too bad but it’s definitely there at least for me. I don’t do well with spice and I can only eat a few pieces before I tap out. The bulgogi plate is fair, good ratio of meat, rice, and salad with that really good, never-know-what-it-is dressing. The udon was also good, noodles well cooked and broth simple but there was barely any fish cake and I asked if I could add bulgogi and they said no which…I don’t see why not. She didn’t even ask anyone else she just said no which I mean it’s fine she probably gets paid minimum wage but still I don’t see the big deal but it left the udon kind of plain and too simple. Like I could’ve just bought a packet from the grocery store and boiled my own water simple. But overall, bang for your buck isn’t terrible and at least they don’t skimp on the meat when they offer it! A good spot to satisfy your Korean craving (at least from a non-Korean).

Seoul Restaurant – Menu with Prices – 4620 50th St, Lubbock

Made a last minute stop in Lubbock during my cross country road trip. My parents wanted some non-Mexican food and a quick search yielded this gem. The owner was busy multitasking at the register and cleaning tables, though he prioritized new orders. You order and pay first at the counter then seat yourself. Kimbap – Comes with 2 rolls. Kimbap is one of my favorites so I was really happy that they did this well (not every place does). It was stuffed to the max with all the traditional ingredients and very little rice. Every bite was perfect! Dukkboki – The rice cakes weren’t too hard or chewy. The sauce was actually seasoned and not just plain gochujang. You could tell the rice cakes were cooked in the sauce for a good while as the flavors had fully penetrated. Thumbs up from everyone. Kimchi pancake – This is where our meal fell short. There was only a few pieces of kimchi in the whole pancake and the pancake itself was also lacking flavor. I’ve never seen such a pale pancake. Surprisingly, we found a few pieces of seafood which led us to believe that they used the same bowl for both the kimchi pancake and haemul pajeon (seafood pancake). Overall, there were more hits than misses so they receive our Korean seal of approval.

Keum Kang San (???) Korean BBQ & Cuisine – Menu with Prices – 2070 Eastern Blvd, Montgomery

Okay, let me say first that I had NO idea there were so many Koreans in Montgomery. I mean, I figured you’ll have some Korean wives for the military men here, but there were a lot of regular-looking civilians. So I have no idea. But to the point of this write-up… (EDIT: That’s right! This is Hyundai’s U.S. base. DUH! I’m an idiot…) This was actually my second choice for Korean food tonight, but my first choice was closed. And even though the prices at this place are a little higher than I really want to pay, I’m getting hangry (post-workout munchies). As far as choices go, they have almost everything here. I think they’re only missing blood sausage () on the menu. (EDIT: It turns out they do have sausage on the menu. Whether or not it’s blood sausage is another story.) For my takeout order I ordered the seafood pancake () and bulgogi with rice ( ). The meal also came with one free container of side dishes () that includes spicy fish cake and fries tofu, sesame seaweed, cucumber kimchi, spicy bean sprouts, and traditional cabbage kimchi. For $30, I think I got my money’s worth and I only waited about 10 minutes to receive my meal. The seafood pancake was very hearty, with lots of noticeable pieces of squid and vegetables making it a solid appetizer for several people. I only had a few bites and put the rest in the fridge for dinner the next night. It was also spicy, so keep that in mind when ordering. The bulgogi was marinated well, with plenty of slices of red peppers and onion. It wasn’t spicy at all; just delicious and a very good bulgogi dish that I think most native Koreans would approve of (and must, because I saw lots of local Koreans entering the restaurant as I was leaving). All the side dishes were good. The kimchi wasn’t the best I’ve had but still good when compared to other restaurants, including those I’ve been to in Korea. So that says something. And while all the other side dishes were spiced, none of them were so spicy that I needed water or anything. The sesame seaweed was my favorite, but I’m a big fan of sesame seed oil and dried seaweed, so a little biased, maybe. Overall, a solid choice for real/authentic Korean food in Montgomery. Prices could have been a little bit cheaper, but the quality makes up for it. And the establishment is beautiful/new, so a very comfortable setup. And it was cool to hear the Korean ladies helping me say that my Korean was good, even though I know I’m nowhere near as good as I once was. (I love spicy food and it didn’t really taste spicy last night when eating it, but my guts are saying otherwise this morning.)

So Gong Dong Tofu & BBQ – Menu with Prices – 1633 Eastern Blvd, Montgomery

Excellent Korean noodle soup. Of course we started with all the typical small side dishes, but they were even better than what I’m used to up in Boston!! The cucumber kick was excellent, so fresh. The bean sprouts had a good amount of other toppings, I especially liked the green onions with it, and one dish was fried lotus, which I never had before and was really good. For the main, I had the vegetarian and my boyfriend had the kimchi soup. I loved my soup because it was super flavorful, full of veggies, and the noodles were cooked perfectly. I was SO full at the end. I wasn’t able to completely finish it but I got close. The kimchi variety had a little bit of beef in it, but mostly kimchi.

Maht Gaek ë§?? Korean Restaurant ?í???? ?ì§?ë?±ê°?ë¹?/ì?¤?í?? ì ??? – Menu with Prices – 151 W Spring Creek Pkwy, Plano

They close after lunch so we waited til 5 to come. No line at 5 but by 6, it was packed inside and outside!!!! First timers, so we ordered the pork ribs, original and spicy. And added the Galbi to it. The pork ribs were really good! Our favorite was the original, more flavor! The spicy was good but it wasn’t spicy at all even my 7 & 10 year old ate them and they tasted no spice. It was pretty plain to us. Galbi was good and what you’d expect from most korean bbq joints. Lunch portion about 14 and dinner was $24….I’m not sure if there is a portion difference so I was a little hesitant ordering dinner version lol. But it was good! The sides we had was kimchi, seaweed, sprouts, sesame salad and macaroni. My boys ate thru the macaroni 3x!!! Loved the raisins and corn inside! Yum! And their Kim chi was very very good!!!! I had that refilled twice! Overall great experience. They charged us $1.50 for extra rice which I found annoying. There’s no kids menu and we ordered 3 plates (2 adults, 2 kids). My kids are 7&10 and can not finish a portion of anything so we usually order 3 and rarely we charged for rice. Definitely would return!

Kimbap Paradise – Menu with Prices – 1585 Sepulveda Blvd H, Torrance

This is a small mom and pop type restaurant. I had the spicy seafood noodle soup as mild as they would make it for me and the marinated beef with veggies kimbap to go. I was pleasantly surprised with the amount of seafood that came with the dish. There was almost half a crab in there! Shrimp, octopus and mussels as well. My tolerance for spicy food is quite low so even though, supposedly, this was mild I found it spicy. This was more than what I’d be able to finish on my own. I saw a review that said the dishes are good portions for sharing and I wish I knew that before ordering. My friend and I each ordered something when we really could’ve just shared. I had the kimbap as part of breakfast the next morning and it was great. It was appetizing and having some of the radish in-between was refreshing and provided a nice crunch factor. Not to mention that there was a lot and was saved to enjoy later.

Burning Rice – Menu with Prices – 2069 N Central Expy, Richardson

COME. EAT. HERE. NOW! So incredibly happy that my gf found this gem of a place by randomly perusing Yelp! We came out on a Sunday afternoon to try out the new spot which was a great experience. Upon entering the restaurant, you’ll notice that there’s a sign on the door for “BYOB”… what!? YES! Burning Rice allows its patrons to bring in their own wine or beer (no hard liquor). The young lady who was working the register was super accommodating. After we explained that it was our very first time visiting, she immediately told us not to worry and that she’d walk us through it. At Burning Rice, they prepare healthy meals that are fresh and made with locally sourced ingredients that are delivered daily. I’m down for that for sure. There are two types of bowls to choose from: the regular bowl or the hot stone bowl. GET THE HOT STONE BOWL. From there, you choose your type of rice. I mixed mine: Kimchi Rice (Spicy, Gluten Free) and Brown Rice (Gluten Free, Vegetarian). Then you choose your protein; I stuck with the spicy chicken while my friend went with the LA Galbi – Korean Short Rib (extra $3.00 I believe). From there, you get to choose AS MANY toppings as you’d like to add to your bowl. Choices include Spinach, Fish Cake, Zucchini, Kimchi, Bean Sprouts, Japchae Noodles, Mushrooms and Carrots. I got everything but the fish cake & mushrooms. Lastly, you add your egg and BAM! You’ve got the best thing coming! What I also enjoyed at Burning Rice was the complementary soup and salad bar. I had the miso soup… which would have been A1 had they added tofu to the soup. Everything in the restaurant was clean and organized. Even with how they rolled out your meal, everything was in order. It’s definitely worth a visit!