Seattle-area Korean?

[jbonne]

i'm again trying to expand my restaurant rotation, and looking for new Korean places to try.

the two that got good nods from my Korean colleague were Four Seasons for bbq, and Hosoonyi for traditional tofu soups. i intend to try both.

others i've already considered are Old Village (i like but find uneven) and Shilla (i used to like more but took out of the rotation).

key factors for consideration:

-quality of the BBQ; i'd love real coals, but gas-fired is fine too

-number and variety of panchan (the little dishes that accompany the meal)

-a menu not tailored to pasty white folk like me

-sushi is OK, but shouldn't be the focus of the food

any other finds out there?

[mamster]

One (non-Korean) word: Akasaka. It's in Federal Way, and it rules.

mamster's review

There's a little backstory that's not in the review, however. I earlier reviewed Kim Chi Bistro on Broadway and liked it. I got a stern email from a Korean-American reader who said she went to Kim Chi Bistro and it was terrible, and clearly I don't know Korean food. I wrote back and said, okay, then why don't you take me to a good Korean place and the Times will pay for it. Laurie and I drove to Federal Way with her whole family and ate at Akasaka, and she was right--it thoroughly blew away Kim Chi Bistro, where I do still go for bibimbap.

[wesza]

There is a new Traditional style Korean Restaurant that I have enjoyed several times eating in and for take out as well.

"Hae-Nam Kalbi & Calamari" is located at 15001 Aurora Avenue, open 11:00 AM - 11:30 PM Sunday -Thursday and 11:00 AM - 1:30 AM on Friday and Saturday.

The serve many items Grilled Table side as well as Kitchen prepared. The "Mahn-Doo" served in Soup are made in House from Scratch, as well as their "Kim Chee's". The staff is very pleasant and attentive. There are "Tatami Tables" as well and the place is very nice even though located in a small strip mall.

I enjoy eatting at most of Seattle's Korean places and feel this on is a step above the rest. Almost as good as some of the places located in "Lakewood".

Irwin

[mangiabene]

I too love trolling for Korean. I've been to Four Seasons once and it was quite good and filled with Koreans.

Another place where we're the only non-Koreans is Jin Mi, 14040 Aurora. Not a ton of ambience and their grills are portable. But the food's good, the price is good and they're always nice.

A mixed experience is Merinae, 12020 Aurora. They have an excellent seafood pancake and good mix of panchan, but I found their bulgoki to be pretty weak.

Old Village is usually fine, but I've never found it to be a standout.

I've only been to the Shilla on Denny and it was so sub-par that I've vowed to never go back.

Also, there's a place on 155th (I think), just off Aurora. It's the same turnoff to go to Aaron Brothers, Marshall's, Sears, etc. Small, flourescent-lit mom and pop joint in a strip mall on the north side of the road. Not a ton of ambience, but great, cheap, Korean food.

I've found that you really have to specify that you want to BBQ for yourself. They seem to assume that if you're non-Korean, you just want it cooked and brought to you.

Lastly, if you're in the UDistrict, Koreana is pretty good. Not grill your own, but the food is well flavored, fresh and cheap.

Now, I'm really looking forward to trying Hae-Nam.

[wesza]

I too love trolling for Korean. I've been to Four Seasons once and it was quite good and filled with Koreans.

Another place where we're the only non-Koreans is Jin Mi, 14040 Aurora. Not a ton of ambience and their grills are portable. But the food's good, the price is good and they're always nice.

A mixed experience is Merinae, 12020 Aurora. They have an excellent seafood pancake and good mix of panchan, but I found their bulgoki to be pretty weak.

Old Village is usually fine, but I've never found it to be a standout.

I've only been to the Shilla on Denny and it was so sub-par that I've vowed to never go back.

Also, there's a place on 155th (I think), just off Aurora. It's the same turnoff to go to Aaron Brothers, Marshall's, Sears, etc. Small, flourescent-lit mom and pop joint in a strip mall on the north side of the road. Not a ton of ambience, but great, cheap, Korean food.

I've found that you really have to specify that you want to BBQ for yourself. They seem to assume that if you're non-Korean, you just want it cooked and brought to you.

Lastly, if you're in the UDistrict, Koreana is pretty good. Not grill your own, but the food is well flavored, fresh and cheap.

Now, I'm really looking forward to trying Hae-Nam.

←

I have posted about "Jin Mi" previously and find it very pleasant with good food and service. especially for take out orders.

There are several new and established Korean Restaurants along Aurora/99 all the way up into Everett. I try them whenever I'm in the mood and often luck out. There is a good "Soft Tofu" Restaurant in Edmond's next to the Ukrainian/Russian Deli that makes very good pancakes and Soft Tofu comparable to "Hosoonyi".

I've been disappointed several times at the "Four Seasons" with the Korean Dishes and Sushi.

I haven't tried the Korean Restaurant located in the International District in the Bush Hotel has anyone else tried the food? I feel that Lakewood in Pierce County may offer some of the best Korean Restaurants on the West Coast.

Irwin

[jbonne]

right on. will put Akasaka on the list, and no surprise that south county has great offerings.

will put Hae-Nam on too and Jin Mi tentatively, though the tabletop grills are less fun. and totally agree about the assumption re: non-Koreans and food cooking. i've nearly had to wrestle tongs out of peoples' hands. but then, that's the case with almost every ethnic cuisine in Seattle.

[white lotus]

Jbonne & mamster,

My late Asian mom had warned me that if I ever get funny service, to be more specific, service that did not seemed well intentioned and was possibly rude & uncaring in an Asian establishment that it was best that I get up & leave. This has been difficult for my husband and daughter. The one time that I didn't heed that inner voice was at Akasaka. Appologies for being negative. That was probably 5 or more years ago. They may also have been under different owners at the time. I had what was supposed to be a Japanese dish as the name of the restaurant is Japanese. Perhaps if I had had the Korean stuff and was with a Korean person, I would have been treated better and most likely have not have gotten sick. Anyway, I can not get myself to go in there even with the entertainment coupons.

A positive nod to Irwin about Ho Soon Yi (253)584-4572, 8501 S. Tacoma Way, Lakewood 98499. The establishment looks like a converted fish and chips place, which it very well may have been. This has been my "go to" place for when I feel a cold coming on. I am always ordering their "soon tubu" soft molton (temperature) hot tofu with minced pork and shiitake mushrooms. They serve you complimentary Korean generic tea. They are also open until 10 pm. I always get hungry later than other people.

The current favorite with my family is Lee Ga Korean Restaurant, (253) 582-6635. 8797 S. Tacoma Way, Lakewood 98499 which is just one city block North of Ho Soon Yi. This complex is accross the street from the Paldo Supermarket. It is in the same complex as the Olympus (Korean) Women's Spa. Some of us eG women are meeting for spa and dinner afterwards at Le Ga this Tuesday. Please refer to the new thread if you would like to join us. Anyway, the only competent speaker of English is the male owner. The female wait staff have always been very sweet. This is the sort of place that I would take my snobby Asian aunt to. There are incredible specials there i.e. Korean breakfast 7 - 10:30 am for about $5.00. After 10:30 am the breakfast jumps to $7.00. Since I don't eat breakfast I am unable to tell you what it is. What I usually get there is the dinner special $8.00 Mon. - Sat., 5:30 - 8:30 pm. It is $10.00 any other time. What you get is the greatest hits overview of a Korean meal. Salt grilled makeral, veg pancake, Korean version of miso soup, a nice assortment of pickled stuff (5 - 8 plus bowls with refills if they see that you really like something in particular), your choice of seasoned, grilled meat, rice, etc. I am sure that there is other stuff that I have forgotten. This special is enough for a Korean truck driver or twice as much as I can eat. Generic Korean tea is also complimentary. The outside of the restaurant looks sort of tacky but the inside is quite nicely done and clean. I know that is last minute but please join us if you can for dinner on Tuesday.

This is probably more than you really wanted to know but much luck with your research. Sincerely, White Lotus

(edited for typos, wl)

Edited January 2, 2005 by white lotus (log)

[mamster]

Sorry about the bad experience at Akasaka, WL. I've never tried any Japanese food there. I have no idea about the ownership; I can say that when I've been there both with and without Asian friends, the service has been friendly and quick, so maybe it's improved. I can't blame you for not going back after a nasty experience, though.

[mmmFood]

Hello all, I've come out of lurking / 1st post!

Some thoughts on this thread:

I haven't been to Shilla in several years, but used to go on occasion for a fix before finding other places and other cuisine. It was the best that we found easily at the time near downtown Seattle, but there weren't many choices.

We've been to the other Ho Soon Yi way up on Highway 99 in Edmonds (a couple of blocks north of the road to the Edmonds ferry) a couple of times. Initial impressions are that it is good. They haven't watered down food or service for us "westerners". Good strong flavors with a kick, with very good soup; very enjoyable and a busy place. There is a little market in the corner of this small strip mall (a door or two down from the restaurant) that has a self-service cart of to go items, labeled in non-english, most items looking like a mystery to me. If you want to be adventurous and try some interesting stuff, do like we did and just scoop out a bunch of small plastic containers of mystery food and see how you like them. I think we asked for some categories, and got answers like "meat", "fish", etc.... Fun.

We used to go to Koryo on Aurora in the 100+'s for a quick cheap fix (it looks like an old converted Shakey's pizza). At the time they were just fair, and had just passable food overall, but had a tasty oily chap chai, and a very good Bi Bim Bap in a hot stone bowl (the bowl I find hard to find elsewhere). They were always empty. A couple of years ago they changed owners/names to Merinae, they got worse, and we haven't been back.

In the "Ranch Market" strip mall in Edmonds (22511 Hwy 99) is BCD Tofu (the only WA outlet of a small California chain), which we first tried "to go" when the Pho restaurant next door was closed. We've been back one more time. It is always crowded with Koreans (we pass it to go next door), which is a good sign. They are not a Korean BBQ, so don't have grills, but their beef bulgoki was surprisingly good (twice) from the kitchen. The tofu soup comes out in a bubbling bowl and is very good also; strong flavors and spicy-but-not-too-spicy. This is most definitely worth a sample if you are doing a sampling of the genre. The Bi Bim Bap is average, and is the kind in a cold bowl. The kim chee assortment includes fish, not the little dried guppie-like ones you see sometimes, but actual just-fried fish a few inches long which are pretty tasty. Smallish shop with no atmosphere, other than little crowded restaurant.

As an aside, next door to BCD is some of the best pho we have found yet, at Pho To Chau. This is a big restaurant, not many people, also no atmosphere other than a big sparse restaurant. But the broth, which makes pho 'sink or swim', is really good and fragrant and carries the place. They also have a branch in Kent which we haven't been to. Yummm and cheap.

While you're in the strip mall, take a walk through the asian Ranch Market.

We also went recently once to Hae-Nam Kalbi & Calamari, a new branch of a Korean chain on Aurora. Good first impressions. However, the beef bulgoki, despite grilling on the table by yours truly, was forgettable and rather tasteless; we probably won't order it again. Nice and shiny and new facilities with an electronic button on each table to call for service or something.

Almost across the street from Hae-Nam Kalbi & Calamari was Old Village, a tiny place that we seeked out looking for a 'hole in the wall' that won't get a second visit unless someone else convinces us we went on an off night.

Never been to Akasaka, but it's on the list....

Edited to add: After re-reading above, I 'd have to say that I think the best of these listed is Ho Soon Yi, which we've been to a few times. My jury is out yet on Hae-Nam Kalbi & Calamari, as we've had only one visit, but it has potential.

Cheers.

Edited January 3, 2005 by mmmFood (log)

[ScorchedPalate]

Hello all, I've come out of lurking / 1st post!

←

Hi, MmmFood. Welcome to eG! Thanks for the descriptive writeup.

I've only had korean food once, long ago. I have this strange feeling that once I try it, I will have another new addiction (like szechuan hotpot!). I keep meaning to get up to Edmonds to prowl around 99 Ranch -- maybe combining shopping with dinner will get me motivated.

Thanks for the tip,

~Anita

[jbonne]

many thanks to wesza (and others) for suggesting Hae-Nam. and welcome, mmmFood!

despite thinking i'd try Four Seasons or Hosoonyi over the weekend, we went to Hae-Nam yesterday. i was impressed -- they've got a nice setup. including their take on tatami rooms. several larger tables do have inset grills, including the one where we were seated, after i explained we wanted bbq.

the marinade on the kalbi ribs was very flavorful, and we sucked them down. i appreciated that they brought some onion and mushroom with it, and didn't flinch when i angled my way to taking the tongs.

we also had the calamari and pork belly with potato noodles, for which they brought a separate tabletop grill. i'd probably skip the potato noodles next time, but the flavoring was a nice balance of heat and savory.

great panchan, including the kimchi.

it's still new, very clean and pleasant. will most certainly go back.

now to try Hosoonyi. and Akasaka, when i can successfully make the case for a trip down to Federal Way ...

[hight]

Hi all!

Kimchi chigae is my favorite dish hands down. I order kimchi soondooboo as a concession but it's not the same. We had the best grilled mackerel down in SF, so that's another dish we've been ordering recently. I'd love to find a place that has stupendously good yukajang, but most are skimpy with the fiddlehead and onions.

To date, the Hosoonyi in Edmonds has always been my favorite place for kimchi soondoo boo (that meets my expectations for spiciness and flavor), but we may have a contender for that spot in Akasaka.:)

After reading mamster's review we headed down to Federal Way to try Akasaka the other night. The place was busy, but I called ahead and got reservations so seating was no problem. (The reservation making was kind of interesting as I got someone who mostly only spoke Korean & since my Korean sucks they had to switch me over to an English speaker).

Oh, FYI, it's right across the street from the Barnes and Noble. We didn't think it'd be that far up based on the address.

The room was large and well ventilated & each table had a grill built into the tables. The private rooms were all being used when we were there. Their kimchi chigae was so good we ordered another order to go. Panchan wasn't so good and was sparse. There were some overly sweet wrinkled mini pickled cucumbers, the radish was like that too, kimchi, and seaweed salad (ugh, there was a briny note thath I couldn't stomach). They gave us more panchan with the to-go order than they did when we dined in. They're the first place that I've seen to have what my family calls water kimchi. It doesn't have a lot of red pepper in it & the fermented liquid over hot rice is my favorite comfort food. We also ordered the bento plate & the udon. The mackerel was overcharred. The sushi was good though I'm not incredibly picky about my tuna rolls.:) The udon was good, the broth flavorable & the noodles soaked in flavor, but when I go out, I tend to get things I don't cook myself very often. Anyways, I'd totally go back.

I've tried most of the Korean restaurants along Aurora. Jin Mi & Merinae were okay, but not memorable. Old Village is where I had tripe for the first and last time. We went back recently & it was again, good, but not great. BCD Tofu by Ranch 99 on Aurora seems like it should be good - stores up and down the coast in California - but the kimchi soon doo boo was subpar. maybe I caught them on an off night. The neat thing about BCD is that they serve their rice in stonebowls so you can take your rice out and then pour hot tea in with the crisp rice to eat at the end of the meal. Only other place I've seen that was down in L.A. There's also another tofu place in the next strip mall south of Ranch 99 but it was rather forgetable though the servers were quite friendly.

The kimchi & spam casserole that serves 2+ people (the name is escaping me atm) at Four Seasons is huge & has a nice sour taste. The sushi & kimchi chigae weren't so good. I took a bunch of Frenchmen with me one time & we cooked bulgogi on the grill -- that was waaay too much work! I'd rather get it served to me all cooked already. Oh, and don't let them seat you in the corner because they will forget about you! The last time we were there they ignored us for 15-20 minutes of elaborate attempts at eye contact until I finally got up and walked up to the counter to ask if we could order.:(

In the U-District, I go to Koreana and Sakura Teriyaki when I need a fix. Koreana's pretty good, but sometimes I can't tell as my lips and mouth get so numbed from the spices that I have to stop eating.:( Their yukajang is quite good too. Sakura has hit and miss kimchi chigae, but their teriyaki and bi bim bap are good alternatives.

I would really like to go to Lakewood to try some restaurants, but Tacoma holds bad driving karma for me.

cheers!