It was 8:40 in the morning, and I was already hungry for Korean beef.
My friend, Tai, had posted drool-worthy photos from his recent birthday celebration at Seoul Korean Kitchen in Evans: deeply marinated and chargrilled ribs; plump golden brown fried dumplings; and a hearty bowl of brightly colored cooked vegetables and crumbled brown meat, with a glorious fried egg on top.
That was in November; now it was my turn.
My friend Christian, who came with me, had a confession: She’d never tried Korean food before. I advised her to start off easy, with the classic Korean beef bulgogi, marinated in flavors like soy, sugar and sesame. Meanwhile, I had the same problem I always have: trying to decide from all the new dishes that were catching my eye.
Seoul’s well-edited menu features appetizers such as Korean pork meatballs, rice cakes with vegetables and fish or beef, pan fried tofu and pork and vegetable dumplings. Main dishes feature plates of various bulgogis, meat and vegetarian stews, short ribs and squid. Lesss expensive options are noodles or rice bowls, topped with various meats and vegetables.
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There are even lunch special stews and rice bowls. And photos of entrees on the back of the menu help out the newbies.
I turned to the waiter: “What’s your favorite? What should I order?” He had a quick answer: “I always get the pork bulgogi.”
I was in, although I hesitated seeing that it was marked spicy. “How spicy is it?” I asked. “Oh,” he quickly assured me, “you can get it more spicy if you want”—and we both shared a laugh when I quickly replied, “Um, how about less spicy?”
With our orders in, we could gab while looking around. Inside, the restaurant is all glossy light wood with orange and olive accent walls, and it has a light and spacious feel, with tables spaced fairly far apart.
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Which was good, because as we ate, we kept up a nonstop patter of life as moms, women entrepreneurs and the powers of Dollar Store bathroom cleaners. Most Korean restaurant will serve banchan—small side dishes that often serve as appetizers but that you can also enjoy with your meal—and amid our chatter, we dived in. Some restaurants might bring as many as 12 dishes; Seoul offers four, again well-edited. There was the classic cabbage kimchi, where the fresh and slightly crunchy vegetable was pickled in sauce both spicy and earthy; sweet and spicy pickled radish, my personal favorite; mild broccoli salad; and a similarly mild, lightly seasoned potato dish, Christian’s favorite.
Our rice bowls arrived soon after, served on broad rectangular plates, which made me smile. Christian braved using chopsticks for the first time, while I as an old pro quickly scooped up bites of the deep red marinated pork and onions, speckled with sesame seeds, along with a dab of rice. It had just enough spice for me, was moist and tender, slightly oily, and packed with smoky flavor.
Our attentive waiter checked on us several times to make sure everything was fine, but I felt sure he could tell by our clean plates.
When we paid our check, we also got a sweet surprise—a piece of Hi-Chew candy, made in Japan (“Immensely Fruity, Intensely Chewy” according to the wrapper). “That was so good!” I told one of the waitstaff. “You can buy it now at Wal-Mart!” she said with a grin.
We left the restaurant with smiles too. Although I kicked myself later that I had completely forgotten to order Tai’s short ribs.
Make Your Reservation
Seoul Korean Kitchen
4408 Evans to Locks Rd. M
Open Tuesday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday.
Cost: $13.99 to $25.50
Danielle Wong Moores is a local freelance writer who’ll never turn down a shrimp cocktail, sushi or cheese dip. Her greatest food influences are her mom and writers MFK Fisher and Amanda Hesser. Her Dine and Dish column runs the second and fourth Friday of each month.
