korean in upper darby

[arice]

i had an urge for korean last night and headed to upper darby to hit woo rae kwan. to my surprise it's now gone and in its place is a shiny new HanAhReum supermarket. it seems they are really classing up the whole block with newly constructed storefronts. i was majorly disappointed, but I was able to pull together a meal from the nice selection of prepared foods in the store. bonus too that this is so close to my house. i always dug the HanAhReum in Elkins Park but it's not convenient.

I was not able to find anyone who could tell me if Woo moved somewhere else (language issues) though I was told they'd be opening a restaurant in the upper floor of the market towards the end of the month.

-arice

[mrbigjas]

thanks for the report, arice.

i was talking to someone today who saw the advertising brochures for space in the renovated building, and he said that woo rae kwan was in the drawings. not that that really means much of anything specific, but he somehow has the impression besides that, that they're coming back.

i certainly hope so.

[Greg Salisbury]

That is too bad. Woo Rae Kwon was my favorite of the admittedly slim pickin's for those of us not inclined to venture to the northern edge of the city. On the bright side, Han is hands-down the best Asian supermarket in the area. What a bonus not to have to drive all the way out to Elkins Park anymore!

[Bobby 2 Shakes]

Have you tried Nagwon Garden yet? Barbecue at your table or in the kitchen, you choose. I went there once and the food was pretty decent. Some Indonesian friends of ours go there all the time.

It's on West Chester Pike (Rte 3) just west of the KFC at State Rd. It's on the same side as the KFC, so if you're coming from Philly (Market St) you'll pass the KFC and u-turn at the next light.

[Furious Flav-or]

Have you tried Nagwon Garden yet? Barbecue at your table or in the kitchen, you choose. I went there once and the food was pretty decent. Some Indonesian friends of ours go there all the time.

It's on West Chester Pike (Rte 3) just west of the KFC at State Rd. It's on the same side as the KFC, so if you're coming from Philly (Market St) you'll pass the KFC and u-turn at the next light.

←

I didn't dig on Woo Rae, and I'm wondering how they're shoehorning a market in their old spot now.

Nagwon, however, has good food, isn't stingy on ban chan, and the people who run it are super friendly.

[mrbigjas]

I didn't dig on Woo Rae, and I'm wondering how they're shoehorning a market in their old spot now.

Nagwon, however, has good food, isn't stingy on ban chan, and the people who run it are super friendly.

i've heard from several korean friends that woo rae kwan wasn't by any means the best korean around, but that the food was generally solid and that their selection of banchan was a standout.

i've never had anything but very friendly service there, and last time we were there with a group of people they brought out more banchan than i've gotten pretty much anywhere else, including such specialties as the hot dog with kimchi and the whole pickled fish...

[Furious Flav-or]

I didn't dig on Woo Rae, and I'm wondering how they're shoehorning a market in their old spot now.

Nagwon, however, has good food, isn't stingy on ban chan, and the people who run it are super friendly.

i've heard from several korean friends that woo rae kwan wasn't by any means the best korean around, but that the food was generally solid and that their selection of banchan was a standout.

i've never had anything but very friendly service there, and last time we were there with a group of people they brought out more banchan than i've gotten pretty much anywhere else, including such specialties as the hot dog with kimchi and the whole pickled fish...

←

Sorry, wasn't making negative comparisons, just stating observations about Nagwon, since it rarely gets mentioned. We didn't have the great banchan experience at Woo Rae Kwan to which you refer, though. It was at best perfunctory.

Edited February 8, 2006 by Furious Flav-or (log)

[arice]

Thanks for the Nagwon recommendation, I'll definitely try it out next time the urge hits. I'm no Korean food expert so any recs on new places to try out are definitely welcomed.

I tried the new Korean place on chestnut (around 20th) for lunch a few months back and really enjoyed it. I tend to go for bi bim bop -- i love the raw egg mixed into rice. YUM!

-- arice

[Bobby 2 Shakes]

I just now figured out that I could edit out an erroneous post I put here and replace it with a message that fits in with the discussion...

I haven't been to wae roo kwan, but my wife has. She likes their fish better than at Nagwon (and fish is her favorite). So it looks like when they reopen, we'll be going there.

Edited February 9, 2006 by bob tenaglio (log)