After being convinced by our daughters that this was authentic Korean food, we decided to give it a try. Right up front the restaurant is very unimpressive and seems more like a run down cafe. The front door step had a loose board, and the front desk had advertising and local newspapers, which did not make us feel that we were in an establishment that was focused on a quality dining experience.
We stood for a bit, passed by the server several times as she was the only one working the front, and was also waiting tables. Finally we were given a table and had a look at the menu. The titles of the dishes were in translated Korean with English descriptions. We ordered the Bulgogi per our daughter's recommendation. I also ordered the ginger tea. The waiter appeared to also be the owner, and spoke very broken English. Much of what we asked about the food he couldn't answer because he didn't understand the question. This would not ordinarily put us off, but, it was not easy figuring out what to order when we are not familiar with Korean food to start with. In the end, we muddled through and thought we did a good job.
The food took a very long time to come out, and our drinks took nearly as long. We were very hungry and thirsty, with nothing on our table for probably a half hour.
Once the tea arrived I was very pleased, it was wonderful, fresh ginger steeped and then sweetened.
The food took around 45 minutes or more, and we were less than impressed. It was okay, but, not the amazing food we were expecting, and not at all spicy. We were never checked on, never offered refills, and had to go to the kitchen to ask for our check which took quite a while to get. Once we had it, we went to the counter to pay.
All I can say is, we were both wishing we had gotten Indian food instead. I cannot recommend this place, but, as I have not eaten at a Korean restaurant before or since, I can't say that it was or was not authentic or even a good representation of Korean cuisine. My daughters still love it, so, I guess to each his own. We won't be going back.
(updated)
I gave this place a second chance, and was pleasantly surprised in some areas, but just as disappointed in others. The service is still very slow, and the language barrier can still be a problem when asking questions. The food is much better, even superior to what it was on our first visit. The prices are still a bit high in my opinion for what you get, but, it's location probably drives the price.
No comments:
Post a Comment