by Greg B.

If anyone is ever in the mood to go stuff themselves silly on good food with a bunch of friends, Korean restaurants are the place to go. I had never had Korean food until this past winter, but since then it has become at least a monthly event. And, if you have never eaten it, it certainly is an event. I listed two restaurants because these are the only two I have been to, and both are excellent.

Walking into a Korean restaurant flanked by two Korean girls is probably the best way to go. They know a heck of a lot more about the foods and styles and are extremely helpful in navigating the “so, what does that mean?” situations regarding the menu. That being said, I do not want to discourage anyone from going to try Korean food without their friends! Service is always quick, expedient and the wait staff are always willing to help.

As for drinks, as far as I have had, you can get hot water or cold water for non-alcoholic beverages. I always get a water just because, well, man cant subsist on alcohol alone! We also start with a few bottles of soju, a Korean ‘wine’, usually flavored with raspberries. About 9% alcohol and sweet, this is a very tasty drink. There is also a plum wine, which comes with a plum in the bottle. I will take this opportunity to inform you all: please do not eat the plum. It’s really not good tasting, and despite the warnings I got from my friends I tried it. So now it’s my turn to warn you… it’s not particularly good. We also tend to get ‘the strong stuff’ when we go, partially because I like the taste, and particularly because I think my friends like to see people knock the stuff back. It is called Jinro, a potato ‘wine’ very similar to sake in flavor, but with far less after taste. Coming in around 23% abv, it’s a bit stronger than the soju, but considering the extreme quantity of food you’re about to eat, no worries. I did have the opportunity to try a Korean beer at Jong Kak, and if I remember correctly, it was called ‘hite’. Nothing really special, more like a Budweiser than anything else. However, this post is more about food than alcohol, so, onto the food topic!

I am lumping the foods from both of these restaurants together because they were equally delicious. When going in a large group, or a group for that matter (we have done as low as 3 people, but you’ll never finish the food with this few people) we stick to the Korean BBQ. Ordering either a small or large portion, the waitress will leave and promptly return with other servers to place about 10-15 small bowls of food in front of you. rice noodles with tofu, marinaded tofu, spicy peppers, egg dishes, lettuce for wrapping food, a few varieties of kimchi, zucchini tempura and other assorted noodly appetizer style foods. NOTE: if, at any point, you try to make space on the table during dinner by eating one of these small bowls to the point it is empty or near empty, the server WILL replace it with a full bowl, assuming you’re still hungry. For an appetizer, I also highly recommend something known as Pajun. It is a seafood pancake, with assorted seafood bits in a giant, pizza sized pancake. This is absolutely delicious, but it is large and you should split it with at least one other person. The server will also bring a few bowls of soup that come with the BBQ dish, one will be the Korean version of Miso soup, which has tiny bits of beef and tofu among other vegetables (it is slightly spicey) and another is an egg soup, that has the consistency of something between scrambled eggs and egg drop soup. You will also be given a small bowl of white rice. Wong Gal Bi then will set the rice bowl aside, and let the rice carmelize to the side of the terracotta bowl and later, add hot water to it and make a rice-flavored drink. Personally, I dont care for this, but it does not have a bad flavor, just a very innocuous hot water kind of flavor. So, considering all the food you have before you, you’ll be amazed to find that the main course is about to arrive.

At some point, a very large platter of raw meat will be deposited at your table, the contents of which will depend on what BBQ platter you ordered. A server will light the fire in the middle of the table (gas at Wong Gal Bi, charcoal at Jong Kak) and will place a grill over the fire and begin to roast some of the meats. Traditionally, these meats include: bulgoki, gal bi, ribs, and other assortments of marinaded meats from brisket and rump (I think chadol baegi and jumulruk, respectively). We usually ask the server to replace the tripe dish with another meat side, and they very happily do. In all, there are probably 5 or 6 styles of meat, and probably 6 lbs of food available, enough to get your wagon party by for one more day on the Oregon trail. Cook these meats separately, together, whichever way you wish. the servers will put a bowl of sesame oil with salt and pepper for dipping the meat, as well as a tofu/soy sauce moisture for flavoring wraps if you decide to mix things together for wrapping in the lettuce.

In all the excitement, you’ll be cheersing to each new course of food with your soju or jinro (don’t forget, it is imploite to let someone’s glass go empty!) and you will inevitably stuff yourself silly. When this happens, the check will arrive and you will be pleasantly amazed that splitting among 5 or 6 people, you only paid about $25 for this giant meal. In reality, Korean BBQ is one of the best cost/enjoyment/# of calories consumed deals I’ve ever encountered. So please, the next time you’re thinking about going, invite your friends and dont be afraid to eat like a king.

Jong Kak

Wong Gal Bi: (sorry for the lack of a better web page… there doesnt seem to be one out there!)

Main image credits: This image was originally posted to Flickr by http2007 at http://flickr.com/photos/7640238@N08/442513646. It was reviewed on 09:49, 28 May 2007 (UTC) by FlickreviewR, and confirmed to be licensed under the terms of the cc-by-2.0.